I wasn't aware that the Japanese version was so slow; that's interesting. Is Spyro's jump height higher as well?

And that's a cool find. I wonder why they didn't keep the Japanese version with the same camera and controls as the North American version in the first place.

Yep, he does jump higher too.

From what I read, they felt that the faster paced game would cause motion sickness for the Japanese players. But when I read some negative Japanese reviews of the game, the were pretty much encouraging people to import the US version of the game for a better experience.

I'd say the camera is the worst thing about this version of the game, though.

And that's a cool find. I wonder why they didn't keep the Japanese version with the same camera and controls as the North American version in the first place.

Anyone who has ever watched/played the Japanese version of the game knows how slow it is, right? Well. Here's a solution (if you have the patience, mind):

If you complete the game fully, a mode known as Director's Cut is unlocked. With this mode, the game plays just as fast as the US counterpart. Seriously, you can walk through the game on Director's Cut mode and only if you've been charging on the regular Japanese game will you actually be able to keep up.