Ninja Gaiden Censored For European Release 70
Thanks to GamesIndustry.Biz for its article confirming that Tecmo's Xbox title Ninja Gaiden has been censored for European release, seemingly "to remove certain violent aspects such as decapitations." According to the piece, these changes "have been removed apparently at the request of European censors, and the final PAL code for the game has been granted a 16 rating by pan-European ratings body PEGI, which rates games for a wide range of European countries (including the notoriously censorious German market)." However, it seems "the actual impact of the change to the game is minor... and does little to detract from the well-received game - which was the best selling single-platform title in the USA last month." Update: 04/22 14:42 GMT by S : Simon Vivien explains what commenters also mention: "Germany still uses USK, which is another rating board dedicated to their market.
The rest of Europe indeeds use PEGI. A 16+ PEGI rating doesn't especially mean a 16+ USK rating - as was witnessed in our latest shooter, Painkiller, who received a 16+ PEGI rating but was banned in Germany."
Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:1, Flamebait)
(Sorry, mostly a joke, I swear...)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:3, Interesting)
I can import Japanese tentacle porn, but by no means does that mean that censorship isn't going on- it just means that the censorship has a "outlet" wherein domestic produ
Off-topic (Score:1)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:2)
Right now, this is fairly true. But until the Clinton administration, the Justice Department was actually fairly harsh towards the production of pornography. Of course, plenty of porn still got made, but plenty of people also got in trouble. And things may start to move back in that direction.
Re:All your nazi are belong to us (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:2)
Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this. (Score:3, Informative)
Not altogether scandalous (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not altogether scandalous (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Not altogether scandalous (Score:5, Informative)
Yep, there's an 18+ PEGI [pegi.info] rating (the voluntary game ratings system used in Europe, replacing the ELSPA ones in the UK.) However individual countries laws can go overrule this, such as the UK's Video Recordings Act (and associated laws), and Germany's laws, where they really don't like gore and so on. They might only want to prepare one PAL version of the game (rather than a rest-of-Europe and a German version), so bow to the German censorship requirements across Europe, or they just want a lower rating for sales reasons.
bah censorship... (Score:5, Funny)
Any idea if manhunt had a european release? I cant even see that game hitting the shelves over there.
Re:bah censorship... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:bah censorship... (Score:1)
Re:bah censorship... (Score:2)
Re:bah censorship... (Score:4, Informative)
AFAIK it was developed by Rockstar North, the same people as Grand Theft Auto (originally DMA Design, who also created the first Lemmings), who are based in Scotland. GTA games are also BBFC 18 rated.
Re:bah censorship... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:bah censorship... (Score:2)
And it's not at all uncommon for games to have a European release with MORE violence in it, because Americans are so conservative.
Great Game (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Great Game (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Great Game (Score:3, Insightful)
And considering the steep learning curve of the game, many people die a LOT.
Playing that boring death animation, fading to the game over, selecting "yes", then waiting for a reload translates to a lot of wasted time. Even worse if you're stuck on a fight that leads in with a cutscene.. ugh.
Re:Great Game (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Great Game (Score:1, Informative)
GAH! (Score:1)
What about me in Denmark? Here there's no such lame laws about fo shizzle "censoring"! Here it's only about ethics. And that's not something you can get sued for. Will DK get a special version? probably not, because nobody cares. Bloody BASTARDS.
Excuse me.
Re:GAH! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:GAH! (Score:2)
Re:GAH! (Score:2)
The joys of capitalism. Oh, well... it beats the alternatives.
Not the first time, won't be the last (Score:4, Interesting)
2) Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. They're definitely not ninjas.
Re:Not the first time, won't be the last (Score:5, Funny)
USA: Violence good. Nudity/Sex bad.
Japan: Violence ok. Nudity/Sex good. Tentacle rape better!
Different cultures/different attitudes.
Re:Not the first time, won't be the last (Score:1)
Re:Not the first time, won't be the last (Score:1)
Manhunt comes out here uncensored, but GTA3 is held back because after you have sex/bounce in a car with a prostitute you can kill her
Idea (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Euro demographics (Score:2)
Re:Euro demographics (Score:2)
Re:Euro demographics (Score:1)
Video games are rated by the industry organisation PEGI (www.pegi.info) which last year replaced a number of other ratings systems across Europe, such as the ELSPA one used in the UK (and probably other countries.) The ratings are 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+, which are displayed on the front of the boxes, with additional content icons (Sex, Drugs, Rock'n'roll[1] etc.) displayed with the rating on the back. These ratings
Re:Euro demographics (Score:2)
The PEGI system doesn't sound too different from the ESRB setup: advisory, vague descriptors, age ranges. I don't want to sound like a trol
Re:Euro demographics (Score:1)
It's not the developer/publisher's job to censor the game for people are cannot see that the game is obviously not for their ten year old kid.
PEGI is NOT valid in Germany (Score:3, Informative)
Furthermore there is the BPjM (Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien, federal testing centre for youth-endangering media), which can issue an indexing that makes it illegal to advertise the game to minors (means you are not allowed to put it on a shelf or write about it in a magazine if the shelf or magazine is accessible by minors). Most retailers don't stock or sell indexed games and since there'S no advertising that can be fatal for sales.
The PEGI is not an accepted rating system within Germany.
Re:PEGI is NOT valid in Germany (Score:1, Funny)
Just a darn minute... (Score:1)
What's scary is that America will be that way to if certain persons get their way.
Thank goodness (Score:2)
Re:Thank goodness (Score:3, Funny)
America vs. Europe (Score:1)
You can't even release a video game in Germany if it has red blood effects in it. It has to be another color other than red.
What's "Think about the children?!?" in Finnish? I'm sure you hear that as much in European countries and we hear it in the states.
Re:America vs. Europe (Score:1)
Re:America vs. Europe (Score:3, Interesting)
Germany truely is simply the exception to the rule really, a large majority of violent games can be released in the rest of Europe, and few people will bat an eyelid.
I believe they even banned Quake 2 in Germany for the longest time, whereas I don't think such a thing was even suggested elsewhere.
The general view here is that violent games usually have an 18 age rating, and it is enforced, anyone who even looks under 18 will nopt be ab
Re:America vs. Europe (Score:3, Interesting)
Too ma
Re:America vs. Europe (Score:1)
Doesn't Europe Realize (Score:2, Funny)
Mistake (Score:1)
USSR (Score:2)
How about... (Score:1)
Decapitation has been around since the c64, why should this change now?
In other news... (Score:3, Funny)
Ninja Gaiden censored AGAIN?? (Score:2)
The NES game was, um, changed a bit [nesretro.com] here - retitled to Shadow Warriors, and the box was slightly changed.
All this while C64 players whacked The Last Ninja - European games, by the way - without any discussion about silly retitling =)