The high level of quality control and play testing that is seen in video game development today was not always so prevalent. Back in the Eighties and Nineties, an large influx of Japanese video games were ported to the west, predominantly thanks to the popularity of home consoles like the NES, SNES and Mega Drive. Although this made for some fantastic releases, many games became totally lost in translation, often with hilarious consequences. From bizarre 'game over' screens to nonsensical enemy threats, video games have produced some of the most notable examples of the 'Engrish' phenomena. Due to the large structural differences between Japanese and English, such as the absense of consecutive consonants and difficulties in substituting 'l' with 'r', entire sentences that have a deep meaning in Japanese can be rendered to complete gibberish through the most innocent mistranslation. Many of the results of these gaming mistranslations have entered popular culture, often overshadowing what may well have been a brilliant game. Of course, in some instances, an unintentionally funny quote can be the highlight of a particularly dire game. This list celebrates some the very best (or worst) titles that have fallen victim to comical translation cock ups, from the obscure to the legendary.
