List of regionally censored video games
Many video games have certain elements removed due to regional rating standards. While, in the past, games were often toned down when translated overseas, in terms of violence, religious references, profanity, drug use, etc., when compared to their Japanese counterparts [1], in recent years CERO, among other ratings organizations, have imposed harsher restrictions on violent games.[2]
Multiplatform
- Silent Hill Homecoming - The game had difficulties in passing censors in some countries before it could go on sale. The Australian classification board, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), refused to classify the game, due to "impact violence and excessive blood effects".[3] The objectionable scenes included various body parts being drilled into, as well as the bisection of a character by an enemy.[3] This had the effect of banning the game for sale in the country, and representatives for publisher Atari mentioned that they would be asking Konami to tone down the violence to allow the game to receive the needed MA15+ rating for its sale to be permitted in early 2009.[3] The German version of the game was also postponed to 2009 in order for cuts to be made to pass the German censors.[4]
- Fallout 3 - In the Japanese version the player no longer has the opportunity to detonate the nuclear bomb in the centre of Megaton, this is due to the similarities between this and the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also in the Japanese version, FatMan was renamed Nuka-Launcher also because "FatMan" was the codename of the atomic bomb that fell on Nagasaki.
- Call of Duty: World at War - The game had difficulties in passing censors in some countries before it could go on sale. The German and Japanese versions of game has removed the gore and gibing on shoot and explosions, the swastikas are replaced with iron cross and the Hitler in the picture is replaced with Luftwaffe officer.
- Parappa the Rapper 2 - In stage one, "Beard Burgers", the lyrics "Tastes better than wine" were changed to "You better get in line" in the North American version. Also, in stage three, every line that referred to Guru Ant as "The lord" were changed to "The man".
Some titles in the PlayStation 3 library have been censored according to the console hardware, resulting in consoles from certain regions directly altering game content, regardless of the region in which the game was produced.
- Resistance: Fall of Man - Blood was removed from the game when played on Japanese consoles. Players can work around this by using an altered save file or copying save data from a North American console.
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - Blood was removed from the game when played on Japanese consoles. The trophy patch will enable blood on Japanese PlayStation 3 consoles when using the UK/European version of the game.
- Fallout and Fallout 2 - Children were removed from gameplay in the UK and German versions of the games. The graphical portrayal of character deaths is affected by the reduction of violence options in Game Options. Fan made patches are available to restore the European versions of the games to the same level as the uncut US version.
- Command and Conquer Generals - In the censored German version, civilians were removed from urban levels, all troops were altered to look like robots, and the "terrorist" suicide bomber was replaced with a barrel loaded with bombs on wheels. It is also banned in China.
- Left 4 Dead 2 - In Australia, the game was originally banned due to the high levels of violence in the gameplay. Valve then submitted a 'censored' version of the game, which no longer contained images of "decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies". The game received the MA15+ rating (the highest possible rating in Australia), and was allowed to be released in the Australian Market.
The Witcher (video game) - In America the cards the player is given no longer have nudity showing.
- Final Fantasy IV - In the North American version, references to Christianity were altered or removed from the game, as well as certain images. The magic spell Holy has been renamed White. All references to prayer are eliminated; the Tower of Prayers in Mysidia is renamed the Tower of Wishes (though the White Mage in the tower still calls it "Tower of Prayers"); and Rosa's Pray command is absent. Direct references to death are omitted, although several characters clearly die over the course of the game. Anything considered too risqué has been censored, such as bikinis on town dancers (replaced by leotards). The Programmers' Room special feature (in which the player can find a Porno Magazine) has been removed.[5] New promotional character art was made for published previews.[6]
- Super Castlevania IV: Japan version has blood dripping on title screen. The tombstone in the opening cinematic doesn't have the cross showing in the American version.
- No More Heroes - In the versions released in PAL territories and Japan, blood spatter is removed. Decapitation scenes are implied, but not shown. Scenes of missing body parts after having been cut-off, are replaced with the same scene, but showing the body parts fully intact.
- Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition - In Japan, all versions of Resident Evil 4 do not show decapitations or various other portrayals of gory death.
References