S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team [Model NES-FV-USA]

S.C.A.T. was released in June 1991 in North America.

There are some major differences between the original Japanese release of the game and the Export versions. First off, the story and the introduction sequence were completely changed (as well as the introduction music) - although the Japanese game is set in an post-apocalyptic world and features an unknown alien invasion, the western release introduces an alien force led by the Supreme Commander Vile Malmort. Additionally, the two soldiers were renamed Arnold and Sigourney (two blatantly obvious references to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sigourney Weaver). The character sprites are different, the game features a progress map (picture below), and Level 3 and 4 were switched over. Finally, the original Japanese version is a lot more difficult - the player starts the game with a shorter life bar (three cells instead of six) and loses any equipped weapon when hit. Additionally, the pods have a different configuration in the western release and the weapons do more damage overall.