ESRB Covers Up Racy Dead or Alive Cover

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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ESRB Covers Up Racy Dead or Alive Cover


Tecmo has made a minor alteration to the North American cover of Dead or Alive: Dimensions [http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Alive-Dimensions-Nintendo-3DS/dp/B004K1EA5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300987782&sr=8-1] after the ESRB decided that Kasumi kicks a little too high - and shows a little too much thigh.

As you might recall, Deep Silver announced a couple of days ago that it had "tweaked" the statement [http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Island-Xbox-360/dp/B004PAGJOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300987916&sr=8-1] that while the game itself remains untouched, the box art violates industry guidelines on advertising and marketing materials. Apparently the living dead are okay, but the dead dead cross a line of some sort.

In any event, it's not the only upcoming game that's run afoul of the watchful eye of the ESRB. Dead or Alive: Dimensions features the lovely Kasumi kickin' high on the cover and showing off a little bit of inner thigh in the process. But it's too much skin for the ESRB, which led Tecmo to make a very minor change to the cover; so minor, in fact, that if you weren't looking for it you'd probably never notice.

Which leads to the obvious question of, why bother? Was the original cover really so offensive that it couldn't go out as-is, and does the edited cover really change things up enough to satisfy any meaningful shortcoming? I'm all for age-appropriate gaming but this seems almost petty.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions comes out in North America on May 25, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/23/dead-or-alive-dimensions-box-art-deemed-too-leggy-by-esrb/]


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Ajna

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Mar 19, 2009
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I fail to see how that change helps at all. Or how it was required in the first place. I mean, really.
 

Veloxe

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Oct 5, 2010
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Hell if that's all it takes to get a covered changed I'm amazed DoA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball was even allowed to have a cover at all.
 

Celtic_Kerr

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May 21, 2010
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It was a little bit of underwear.

After having a few games DEDICATED to seeing these girl's in bikinis (and having the bikini clad girls on the box) why is a tiny bit of underwear so bad?

I mean, so I suppose if the DOA volleyball games hadn't come out this would be a tad more understandable... But... Really?
 

Celtic_Kerr

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May 21, 2010
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Andy Chalk said:
Tecmo has made a minor alteration to the North American cover of Dead or Alive: Dimensions [http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Alive-Dimensions-Nintendo-3DS/dp/B004K1EA5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300987782&sr=8-1] after the ESRB decided that Kasumi kicks a little too high - and shows a little too much thigh.
Too much thigh.... but JUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSST enough boob
 

therandombear

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Sep 28, 2009
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....This makes me think of the Critical Miss comic about the ESRB >.<

God forbid anyone seeing some skin...not like it's natural or anything.
 

Armored Prayer

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Mar 10, 2009
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Huh, I remember seeing a different cover of this in a Gamestop.

But yeah it looks like there is no actual difference. I also see no harm with the original cover.
 

RA92

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Jan 1, 2011
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For fuck's sake, your daughter probably wears less when she goes to the beach!
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Now this, this is just America's fear of the female body.

Seriously guys, even if it's close to the mons pubis, you're just exaggerating the problem.
 

Rayne870

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Nov 28, 2010
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It still isn't as offensive as all the bare ankles that will be appearing in the game.
 

Hashbrick

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Mar 20, 2009
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It's like they just want us to know they are still alive and doing "their job". Honestly it's all publicity and maybe making some over zealous, overly religious female smile in the process.
 

lord.jeff

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Oct 27, 2010
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Like I said for Dead Island, this box is displayed in stores that widely cater to kids so going for the safe side is just a good idea. Plus it doesn't ruin the game at all so I see no reason to even care.

I have a feeling to that the over monitoring of box art may be linked to past ad campaigns of EA for things like Dead Space 2 and Dante's Inferno, which if it does stop stupid ideas like those I'm in favor of it.
 

Gildan Bladeborn

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Aug 11, 2009
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Yeah, I don't get it - since when, in this day and era, is depicting any part of a women's bare leg considered offensive enough to be censored (by someone other than groups composed entirely of the extremely prudish)? Last time I checked this wasn't the 1800s - heck, you'll see women who are more naked than that in your bloody supermarket checkout aisle courtesy of magazine covers. The mind boggles.

The_root_of_all_evil said:
Now this, this is just America's fear of the female body.
Ha, we don't really have any such fear in actual practice - shamelessly exploiting the female form is a key pillar of the American entertainment industry after all - what we actually have is this vocal minority yelling "Think of the children!" and politicians/regulatory agencies/ratings boards/etc pandering to the people who respond to that stupid "Think of the children!" refrain (because they complain the loudest), along with a news media that's worked out that publicizing incidents that make people take up that stupid line are excellent at generating controversy (and we all know that boosts ratings).
 

risenbone

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Sep 3, 2010
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Well they do it because those who complain loudest at such things are indeed usually petty and will notice such things so they have something to complain about. Better to make slight alterations to these things before they go on sale than leave them and give Master Jack more reasons to open his mouth and dribble shit everywhere.
 

Phoenix Arrow

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Sep 3, 2008
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In the first one, it looks like she has thigh highs on.
In the second one, it looks like she has no tights on and pasty legs.