Age of Conan To Be Censored in U.S.
Oft-delayed MMOG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures [http://www.ageofconan.com/] is going to see some minor changes in the U.S. and Germany in order to meet with game rating requirements.
ESRB [http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/36515/Age-of-Conan-Censored-In-U-S-Germany], will not include nipples.
"Please note this isn't a design decision or something we can reverse," the message reads. "It's a legal (or as good as legal) requirement to sell the game in that particular territory." The game has been rated 18+ by PEGI [http://www.pegi.info/]in the rest of Europe, and will be available uncensored in those countries. Not all is lost, however; American and German gamers who think they have the fortitude to tolerate the sight of cartoon violence (or nipples) without being overtaken by fits of murderous rage can bypass the restrictions by purchasing the game from a different territory.
In development since 2003, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been plagued by Xbox 360 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/80759]version expected later in the year.
Update: Community manager Shannon Drake has posted a follow-up to the original message saying that while the German version will be censored, the U.S. release of the game will actually hit the shelves with nipples intact. "The ESRB reviewed our application and gave us a rating of Mature 17+," he said. "The full rating with descriptors has not yet been publicly announced but will be posted on the ESRB web site on 13 February 2008."
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Oft-delayed MMOG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures [http://www.ageofconan.com/] is going to see some minor changes in the U.S. and Germany in order to meet with game rating requirements.
ESRB [http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/36515/Age-of-Conan-Censored-In-U-S-Germany], will not include nipples.
"Please note this isn't a design decision or something we can reverse," the message reads. "It's a legal (or as good as legal) requirement to sell the game in that particular territory." The game has been rated 18+ by PEGI [http://www.pegi.info/]in the rest of Europe, and will be available uncensored in those countries. Not all is lost, however; American and German gamers who think they have the fortitude to tolerate the sight of cartoon violence (or nipples) without being overtaken by fits of murderous rage can bypass the restrictions by purchasing the game from a different territory.
In development since 2003, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been plagued by Xbox 360 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/80759]version expected later in the year.
Update: Community manager Shannon Drake has posted a follow-up to the original message saying that while the German version will be censored, the U.S. release of the game will actually hit the shelves with nipples intact. "The ESRB reviewed our application and gave us a rating of Mature 17+," he said. "The full rating with descriptors has not yet been publicly announced but will be posted on the ESRB web site on 13 February 2008."
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