What is the difference with the "A.K.A." games?

[Kailen]

Why are some games listed as being A.K.A. the title? They aren't the only games that were renamed between US and Japan (Black Tiger was "Black Dragon", Avenger was "Deadly Ruffian Fist", etc.) Which is the only reason I could think of for the A.K.A., usually "Also Known As". So what do the games here have that designation? What separates them from the others, and/or what differences do they have to the original arcade ROMs?

[Aureate Eternal]

Mostly just a different title to avoid copyright disputes... or at least that's what's going on with Gunsmoke.

I heard this version of Gunsmoke has 2 bosses switch places on both English and Japanese, but I have no idea.

[SeeNoWeevil]

Originally posted by Kailen:

Why are some games listed as being A.K.A. the title? They aren't the only games that were renamed between US and Japan (Black Tiger was "Black Dragon", Avenger was "Deadly Ruffian Fist", etc.) Which is the only reason I could think of for the A.K.A., usually "Also Known As". So what do the games here have that designation? What separates them from the others, and/or what differences do they have to the original arcade ROMs?

Some titles only have the Japanese ROM. It's been speculated that it's because of copyright issues with the English names.

[Kailen]

Originally posted by SeeNoWeevil:

Some titles only have the Japanese ROM. It's been speculated that it's because of copyright issues with the English names.

But the "A.K.A." games aren't those. They do include the NA ROMs, so they claim. And it's other titles, like Avengers that have the Japanese only ROM.

I also am not sure I buy copyright disputes with the names. Given that these are re-releases, they would fall under "pre-existing IP" as well as statute of limitations for anyone attempting to challenge the names now. Nobody is going to try to claim today that Capcom can't use "Magic Sword" when they used it in 1990.

So, is there anyone that *KNOWS* why the A.K.A. games are named that, and aren't just guessing? I could be wrong with the copyright thing, but I'd like to see some evidence of it. Not speculation.

[Aureate Eternal]

Wait no, you're right. These A.K.A. titles don't seem to be the copyright dispute ones (Except in-game Gunsmoke has an AKA and its title changed to the Japanese one, even in English).

To my knowledge the only copyright-related ones are Gunsmoke (Gan Samoku) and Avengers (Hissatsu Buraiken)

There doesn't seem to be anything different with the games themselves compared to any previously released versions though, despite the "A.K.A.".