Kim Jung Il Left Out of Japanese Homefront

[Scott Bullock]

Kim Jung Il Left Out of Japanese Homefront

All mentions of the Kim Jung Il or North Korea have been edited for the Japanese release of Homefront, due to that country's gaming standards.

Spike, the company responsible for publishing THQ's upcoming shooter Homefront in Japan, has announced that certain changes will be made to the Japanese version of the game to conform to Japanese gaming standards regarding depictions of living people.

There are very specific CERO (the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization; Japan's version of the ESRB) guidelines concerning the portrayal of living people and of real countries. Homefront being a game concerned with North Korea's invasion of the United States after the death of Kim Jung Il, the guidelines obviously prompt some changes.

The changes include removing any instances of dictator Kim Jung Il's face or name, going so far as to also remove the term "Great Leader". He will now instead be referred to as "Northern Leader". Northern Leader of what, you ask? Well, since they are also removing all mention of North Korea, he will be the ruler of "A Certain Country to the North".

Homefront will be released in "A Certain Homogeneous Island Nation" this April, while us in "A Certain Western Superpower" can pick it up in March.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/04/homefront_changes/]


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[Fensfield]

Probably a good idea in a way, CERO guidelines or no.

America may have a lot invested in North Korea not going anymore rogue than it already has, but with that nutcase lobbing 'satellite launch vehicles' at Japan's borders semi-regularly and the general animosity.. it'd feel uncomfortably like someone was trying to stir up trouble were it published as-is.

 

[Bobzer77]

Fair enough.

 

[Fox242]

I think that the Japanese were also a bit upset over the fact that their homeland gets abosrbed into North Korea without a fight in the game's story. That probably had something to do with them editing the game.

 

[Woodsey]

Isn't it Kim Jong Il?

And not totally unexpected I guess.

 

[tomtom94]

And yet rape games are allowed.

I maintain there is a minimum level of drugs that must be present in your system before you are allowed into Japanese politics and lawmaking.

 

[Jonci]

Canada's going to take over the US!

 

[emeraldrafael]

I Could see why they would do this. To Japan, N. Korea is a much bigger threat then it is to the US, and most US citizens dont see the gravity and magnitude that the country's rather... eccentric... actions has on countries closer to it.

One man's joke is another man's serious business.

 

[RandV80]

Yeah I don't see a problem here, unlike the recent Taliban fiasco in the US & GB they're not cherry picking targets but rather have clearly defined guidelines.

On another note, I'm not really into FPS'ers so I wouldn't be following something like Homefront... but seriously? North Korea invading the US? Who the hell came up with that idea, that's just laughably bad fiction!

 

[Irridium]

...he will be the ruler of "A Certain Country to the North".

So... Canada?

Canada was secretly North Korea all along.

 

[Shakaar9267]

Taking his name out of the game won't stop him from:
Launching missiles over the Sea Of Japan.

Taking his name out of the game won't stop him from:
Firing artillery shells into South Korea.

Taking his name out of the game won't stop him from:
Kidnapping civilian's for ransom.

Etc, etc.

 

[Thedayrecker]

...he will be the ruler of "A Certain Country to the North".

So... Canada?

Damnit! I knew a Canadian invasion was inevitable!

To the syrup-proof bunker!

 

[therandombear]

Canada's going to take over the US!

You will get a form of apology in the mail a week ahead before it happens.
Canada apologizes for taking over your country.

I'm against any kind of censor so, I'm against this.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

"A Certain Country to the North"?

Oh dear.

Couldn't they come up with some stupid name or something.

If you really want to abstain from using North Korea, that's totally fine, but, man... come on.

 

[Infernai]

"A Certain Country to the North"?

Oh dear.

Couldn't they come up with some stupid name or something.

What about Korth Norea?

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

"A Certain Country to the North"?

Oh dear.

Couldn't they come up with some stupid name or something.

What about Korth Norea?

I was thinking about Northern Koreastan.

Or Russia.

Russia usually works, too.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

This is what really annoyed me about Homefront. If you're going to do, as MovieBob put it, "based on a True Story" or "Potential Future", then you've really got to push it away from areas where you'll draw fire from satire.

Red Alert is as far from historical accuracy as Apocalypse Lane, but you've got to take that distance, or market it as a satire on the real world.

If not, then it's gonna take fire from both camps. Look at how Black Ops takes fire from the guns being NOT REALISTIC!!.

That said, in today's society, what do we have left that's OK to hate? Zombies and Nazis.

Now, if there could be a game where Canada took on America, or Britain on France (on equal terms) that could be really well played out. Even Iran on Iraq, or China on Tibet.

But is it likely to receive the ESRB kicking the living hell out of it? Sadly yes. Even if totally fictional.