Report: Dead Space Banned in Germany, China, Japan
Report: Dead Space Banned in Germany, China, Japan
September 5, 2008
Citing comments made by a Dead Space community manager, Destructoid reports that EA's upcoming sci-fi horror game has been banned in China, Japan and Germany:
We've also been told by Dead Space community manager Andrew Green that the title has been completely banned from the following countries: Germany, Japan, and China. That's right, there's just too much survival and way too much horror in Dead Space for these countries to handle. No word on whether EA has any plans to alter the game for a future release in those territories.
Oddly enough, in the U.K., the BBFC has rated Dead Space an 18, while quick-to-censor Australia has awarded it an MA15+. We're still checking with the ESRB, but GameStop's website is displaying an "M" on Dead Space packaging.
GP: I'm having a little trouble digesting this one. It's not hard to believe Germany would ban Dead Space, as they have been fairly quick on the censorship trigger of late. However, given that Japan is the home of Resident Evil, a ban on a survival horror game would be surprising. Also, I'm not even certain that EA distributes console titles in China, due to the piracy issues there. We have a request in to EA to confirm...
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Posted 11/08/09 at 09:02am
DarkSaber: http://tinyurl.com/yez7jyo
DarkSaber: http://tinyurl.com/yez7jyo
Posted 11/08/09 at 09:01am
DarkSaber: Oh for gods sake, the Gearbox pres is gobbing off about Valve again
DarkSaber: Oh for gods sake, the Gearbox pres is gobbing off about Valve again
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:53am
JDKJ: But cheer up, Austin. If the unemployment rate continues to double-digit as predicted for the next few years, your half-dozen stands a better than likely chance of returning to power.
JDKJ: But cheer up, Austin. If the unemployment rate continues to double-digit as predicted for the next few years, your half-dozen stands a better than likely chance of returning to power.
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:46am
JDKJ: @DS: If he had added the line about "or hiring illegals aliens under the table to work as nannies," it would have been a completely perfect descripition. And, yes, it's about the same difference between a six and a half-dozen.
JDKJ: @DS: If he had added the line about "or hiring illegals aliens under the table to work as nannies," it would have been a completely perfect descripition. And, yes, it's about the same difference between a six and a half-dozen.
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:31am
DarkSaber: My god, that description makes them sound almost Republican. Still what did you expect, Obama is only marginally more left than republicans.
DarkSaber: My god, that description makes them sound almost Republican. Still what did you expect, Obama is only marginally more left than republicans.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:07am
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:06am
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
If a game is banned somewhere I'm buying it. :D
Oh dear...
Absolutely. As I consider myself to be a well-educated person, the easiest way to find the most enriching and great content is to pay attention to what the ignorant fascists are trying to ban from the public eye. Obviously there is something contained within that is not contained in other faire, and they want that knowledge, which they consider to be dangerous, kept away from the public. Luckily, people who know how to read know that this idea is so utterly ridiculous that it sounds like something straight out of the Dark Ages.
The fact you implied Japan and China are "ignorant fascists" proves that your education may not be as well as you consider...
Aside from that, you also only have 1 single point of view on this particular event, which is how censorship of "dangerous" materials is an idea "utterly ridiculous" to the so called "people who know how to read."
I advise you to stay away from making biased and personal comments on any particular issues, especially in the public, and learn how to judge an event from multiple perspectives, and be as critical and objective as you can.
*blink*
Given the types of things that are sold OTC in japan, how messed up does something have to be to actually get banned there? Somehow I'm doubting that it is because of it's actual content.
GTAIV was not banned even. It was given a Z rating.
It seems like Japan's been cleaning up its game content more now. Apparently, their version of No More Heroes has no blood in it.
Aparrently- and I say that because there's every chance it's PR spin- blood was added to the US version so people would actually buy it. Japan and Europe have the original, bloodless version.
Whether or not you believe that is another thing. :D
/b
The Europe version (or at least the UK one but they are usually the same thing) has no blood. It was a descision made at the developer level (no one can understand why either as it's rating would allow blood anyway)
No, Suda 51 admitted that the game was going to be censored in Japan during the last couple of months of development. We got the real version. Grasshopper or Ubisoft didn't do anything else to the game. Not so surprising considering violence is usually what gets censored when censorship happens in Japan. IIRC, Europe was SUPPOSED to get the same version as the US.
Japan has been "westernizing" its censorship for awhile now. They've been cutting nudity out of kids shows, out of prime time TV, etc. Stopping with the extreme gameshows, ultraviolence in teenager programming, etc...
And you know what?
Their crime rate is going up.
Someday, somewhere, people will realize that the more chains you put on people, the more insulted they feel, and the more crime they commit.
this just proves George Carlin right about the inverse relationship between violence in fiction and violence in reality.
岩「…Ace beats Jack」
What routine/book/whatever? Must know now!
Does this post make my butt look big?
How "up" is "up" exactly?
Even now, Japan is still considered to have one of the, if not THE lowest crime rate of any industrialized nation in the world. I mean, the worst [crime] area in the country is supposed to be Osaka and even then the biggest crime there is pickpocketing.
Banned in Japan? I smell bs....
This doesn't sound right what so ever. (Unless it attacks the entire japanese culture viciously and insultingly). China and Germany banning games though? That doesn't sound too far fetched...
Garuntee you it's an M.
I have to agree with previous posters. While China and Germany (Austrailia included) are following standard course given the degree of moral "engineering" they attempt, Japan is a mystery. I'd hypothosize any number of political or economical reasons before I 'd even touch the moral objections.
Considering the average anime body has 52 gallons of blood, I don't see them banning something for blood. I'm not saying it isn't true, I'm saying it's stupid. Has anyone watched the unedited Dragon Ball Z or Naruto episodes? These are kids shows (not exactly, but for brevities sake) and they have a lot of blood in them (and impaling, dismemberment, death, ect...).
Also, I wouldn't call it "cleaning up" it's games, I would call it singling out a medium and censoring it. However, Japan really doesn't shy away from censorship, for them it's just a little step. Luckily censorship is a bad word in America. Doesn't stop them from censoring things, but they try and make it an economic censorship rather then a government censorship. Still ticks me off.
Banned in Germany - Makes sense. They ban games at the drop of a hat it seems. Gaming stores in neighboring countries must love the German government 'cause their ban-happy ways gives these retailers so many German customers.
Banned in China - No surprise there either.
Banned in Japan - What? Really? The same country that sells tentacle-rape video games? That spawned violent titles like Ninja Gaiden? (Where does all that blood come from anyway?) I have a gut-feeling that this was some sort of miscommunication. Though even if it's true, Dead Space is a FPS game and FPS games don't do so well over there anyway.
15 Rating in Australia - I wonder how long that's going to last...
I have a theory...Capcom is actually bribing someone under the table in order to ban non-Capcom survival horror games! What a devious way to dominate the survival-horror genre... :D
If true, the anti-videogame peopel iwll be all over a game being banned in Japan.
ARE YOU FUCKIN SERIOUS JAPAN IS THE MOST PERVERTED COUNTRY ON THE PLANET HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE LITTLE ANIME GAMES THAT HAVE MEN KISSING, NAKED CARTOON DRAWINGS AND THEY WANT TO BAN DEAD SPACE WOW I'VE SEEN IT ALL
FIRST OFF HOW ABOUT YOU LEARN PUNCTUATION AND A BUTTON CALLED CAPS LOCK
Secondly. Just, shut up, no. Sure, you could consider Japan perverted, but apparently you don't know, there's also a popularity aspect for hentai in the US as well. Also, y'know what, at least their ANIMATED. You want to know what happens deeper into Asia? In (I believe) eastern Europe. Girls are kidnapped, raped, sold as real sex slaves. And that is real. Mostly cause I'm not in the mood right now, I'm not going to touch your gay-hating, or hentai-bashing.
I think you've proven just how you are already.
So you have more problem with men kissing and naked cartoon depictions of people than you do with extreme violence... interesting. I think this says more about you than Japan though.
The stereotype of otaku culture is perpetuated by Western media as if all japanese people are (what we'd consider) perverted geeks. Here in europe, whenever Americans are mentioned on TV, all we hear about is a bunch of gun toting obese people.
Neither stereotype is true of the whole nation, and to believe media about it makes you far more stupid than any prejudicial stereotype.
True enough. Stereotypes of American Cities aren't even accurate. Visiting New York recently I was struck just how bloody friendly people are compared to say London. The only thing that was true was the 'New York Second' with regards to Taxis :)
HOORAY AMERICA! WE WIN AGAIN!!! XD
Agree with people about Japan, really strange that they would ban this. Myabe its due to that stabbing incident recently who knows. Even then, the games they put out are just as violent and gory, hell when playing the Ninja Gaiden 2 the only new thing I noticed over the first game was that I left a pile of dismembered corpses after each fight.
Germany and China, I'm not suprised they'll ban that game there. But Japan, why? Does this game have anything offensive? Maybe a image of the atomic bomb, or a image of nuclear bomb survivor in a game that could be offensive or insulting to Hibakusha (Hiroshima Survivor). Could it also be that US doing a Horror Survival game can be considered offensive to Japan because it insult Japan superiority on Horror Survival. Japan, I think you oughta think about it before you ban this game. We love your anime, manga, all the good stuff from your country, can you just un-ban it just for the love of people who love playing survival horror?
I don't think that would be the case or else Call of Duty 4 would have been banned (actually I think the impact of the nuclear scene is brilliantly executed).
Yeah, when have the Chinese government ever censored anything!
Lets put it this way, the only reason WoW was allowed to be released in China was for blizzard to remove the bones showing on undead characters and corpses. Ok. So considering this entire games revolves around strategically dismembering your opponents this would get banned ASAP. And since that dismemberment bit is an integral part of the game I doubt you could even attempt to remove it without basically redoing the whole game.
Not sure on Japan, they're usually not the banning type. Can't really see anything in that game that isn't available in Japan already, so that is really a mystery if true.
Germany, well the dismemberment and gore will do the trick quite nicely.
And once again, my beloved country won't give a damn! :D
Controversy + M rating = Yep Purchase for me
oh and fuck Anti-Video Gamists and Jack Thompson... they aren't important.
When Life gives you lemons, you find a new god.
This is an epidemy. This has to stop worldwide.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
"Oddly enough, in the U.K., the BBFC has rated Dead Space an 18"
The UK is a lot more liberal than the US, and while Manhunt 2 was censored here, it's very rare for media to be controlled here.
The BBC (not BBFC) is paid for by the government, and yet they can still crack as many jokes as they want about our leaders.
To be nit pickey, the BBC is funded by the public via the TV Licence.
To be even more nitpicky, what exactly is the difference between "funded by the punlic" and "funded by the government"? It's not like the government's money somehow materializes from thin air or the amount of this "TV license" is decided upon by magical faires.
The difference is whether the money of the public first goes to the government, is redirected there, and then the BBC gets their share, or if they get the money directly from the public, which they do (I think... I'm German, but our model is very similar). This gives the Government less influence over content.
Hey, I live in China! let me tell you some "insider news".
There are three types of consoles in China:
1. one type is banned, including Xbox360, PS3, Wii and more; they never get lifted.
2. the other type is smuggled, including Xbox360, PS3, Wii and more; they never get caught.
3. the rest is faked, including Xbox360, PS3, Wii and more; they never catch on.
don't get me started on how there are three types of console games.
Bioshock didint get baned in Gremany...oy do they have mood swings based on weather?
Stupid pittfull huamns....at least the UK is not doing dumb moneky tricks with this....
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
I don't think theres ever been a game banned in Japan. I find this report REALLY hard to believe...
I'd imagine this game getting Z-rated at the very least.
Dead rising was delayed a year or so until it was edited down, they have issues with high level violence in..er.... "mainstream"(mostly games) products.
Whitch is sad since OVA anime is not so censored yet TV anime is, they have learned from the US how to be crazy censorbots.... altho they still have a long way to go before the fcktartedness of the US.
FYI Z is used for porn games as far as I know.
I wodner if this will work
Descriptors aside here we go
Note: The exclamation points denote where a rating can have content “higher” than what normally seen in the US range of games.
A minus means violence may push it up a level with some form of regularity
An x means sexuality may push it up a level with some form of regularity
A B means a ban or the product needs to be edited for sell, this can mean a simple toning down of the product before sale or a wholesale redo to get it into a region.
A rating in () means it’s not used for games, Using the MPAA as a benchmark to show general ratings conscious.
Un-restricted.
Under 6.
6 or older.
8 or older.
12 or older.
15 or older.
17 or older.
Restricted 18+ only.
MPAA
(No rating)
(Unrated)
(Gx)
(PGx)
(PG13!x-)
(R!x)
(NC17+)
(Unrated)
ESRB
EC
Ex-
E10x-
Tx-
Mx-B
(AO)B
BBFC
UC
U-
PG!-
12!-
15!-
18!x-B
(R18)B
PEGI
3
7!-
12!-
16!
18!
OLFC
E
G-
PGx-
Mx-
MA15+x-
(R18)B
(X18)B
CERO
A!
B!
C!-
D!-B
Z!!
USK
Unrestricted
6x-
12x-
16x-
18x-B
B
it did! it did!
here the post I made voer the ratings baords
http://forums.theeca.com/showthread.php?p=85147#post85147
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
Let me get this straight. You think Japan is banning Dead Space, because they learned this from the "censorbots" in America? The same country that IS NOT banning Dead Space? That makes no sense. I think Japan is the one that reached "fcktartedness". Until the US gets used panty vending machines, Japan is the screwed up country, not US.
Until almost one percent of Japan's population isn't sitting in prison the US is the fucked up country, not Japan...
(meant to make you think)
Well,
I don't think that it will be banned in Germany. Btw there are only "12" Games are really banned in Germany.ZippyDSMlee got right with the mood swings. Here in Germany , the games are rated by a permanently changing committee.
It’s a shame the bureaucracy prevents a stable rating system but looking at the rest of the world it would mean more bans IMO unless they focus on keeping stuff "out of sight" of minors.
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
I too find the report of a ban in Japan to be incredulous.
Dead Space is not banned in Japan. It has been rated "Z" but the publisher won't sell games with this rating and therefore calls it a ban.
Similar situation in Germany - USK refused a rating and that's why EA won't publish it there OFFICIALLY. Of course any gamer above 18 will be able to buy the uncut Euro version from his local game store. However, big electronic chains won't sell it due to the lack of a rating.
Big deal. Terrible censorship...really;-)
I think this is because in Japan videogame industry feels american games are invading their market and they use the cesorship as excuse to defend their own products.
Anyways, american games aren´t so much popular in Japan, so I don´t think there is many people waiting for Dead Space.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
I beg to differ. Battlefield Bad Company made #6 in Japan sales chartthis week. Not to metion GTAIV and CoD4 when they were released. And those games are based in modern day. You think Dead Space, a fantasy sci fi game wouldnt be just as popular? Face it, western developers are the new power in the industry. Japan had their turn screwing it up. Now we're taking it back, where it started.
Z rated games are allowed to be sold in stores and played on systems. Its kinda like the AO rating here where its restrited to 18 and older. But the only difference is you can find it in stores and play it on systems. :P
As was postet earlier in this comments section:
THE GERMAN VERSION IS NOT BANNED.
It has been officially denied by EA. It is still in the ratings process.
Does anyone know if this will be banned in the U.S.; Is that even possible, considering EA widely distributes in the U.S.?
So clearly following this logic, football is the biggest peril that we know to man and should be clearly banned, made ilegal and all footbal couches should be sentanced to life in prisonment for the damage that they have caused society.
Clearly, this hasn't happened.
And why is this?
Because no study in football has been conducted without also looking into the positive aspects, rather than just the positive ones.
So anyone who says that games are completely harmless fun is obviously unaware to the geeks who can't hold down a social life, but clearly, this isn't true of all gamers, its the same with booze, one of the more social accetable bad habits, nearly everyone drinks but only a small percent of those people go on to comit DUI.
Another thing here, I see "unconsitional" thrown alot around here, and I also see the violent negative reaction that it is met with almost everywhere, but in this case i feel that the reaction is unjustified, for what I can make out what many in the anti-video game are trying to do is introduce laws which say that you can't be a 12 year old and walk into a store and buy GTA, and I whole heartily support them in this measure, and if you really feel that your, or your kids rights are being violated, buy it for your kids, really its that simple, the state deems that content A is not suitable for people a below a certain age and believe that the state is wrong in this conclusion, then by all means, buiy your son GTA, if you happen to be said son, I don't beleiev that as a child that you have the power to make a informed decesion and that the power of state and parent makes that decesion for you.
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