MGS: Rising May Have Problems in Japan

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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MGS: Rising May Have Problems in Japan


Goons and glowing-spined mecha might not be only thing cut in the Japanese release of MGS: Rising.

Possibly more than any other title in existence, Metal Gear Solid: Rising [http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=78135] is a game about cutting things with a sword. The trailer shows buildings, cars, watermelons and especially people all get sliced up by the cyborg Raiden with a impressive level of control. But this rather singular focus may cause problem for the game in Japan, as depictions of dismemberment are heavily frowned upon in traditional Japanese society.

Rising's trailer makes it pretty clear that chopping people up - sometimes in slow motion - is pretty central to the gameplay experience. Japanese ratings board CERO expressly forbids showing dismemberment, and games like Gears of War [http://www.gamefly.com/game/xbox-360/Dead-Rising/120415/] have had to be edited to remove scenes depicting missing limbs. While CERO says that it takes context into consideration when determining what is and isn't acceptable, it's hard to see how any conflicts on content can be resolved without a pretty big overhaul of the game.

Kojima did say that his next project would "challenge a certain type of taboo" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99984-Kojima-Vows-to-Leave-Industry-if-Next-Project-is-a-Failure ], but tweeted earlier today that dismemberment was not the taboo he was challenging: "When I said that my next project might violate a taboo, I was referring to my game design, another title that I'm directing."

Source: 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3179868]


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Fraught

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Aug 2, 2008
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Ha, I can't imagine what the game'll look like without it. I hope thay they aren't too prissy to not allow you to cut watermelons in half, at least.
 

thenumberthirteen

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Dec 19, 2007
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It's been said so many times but Japan sure has a strange culture. Not that dismemberment is shown on kids TV in the west, but considering what weird stuff Japan has I'd thought dismemberment would be ok.
 

TheGreenManalishi

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May 22, 2008
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There's a fair amount of dismemberment in fighting mangas. Hell, I can think of a few times in Dragon Ball Z when people lost limbs and such. Maybe it's the photorealistic dismemberment that is the issue.
 

Megacherv

Kinect Development Sucks...
Sep 24, 2008
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Slicing people can just be done with the standard 'Soul Caliber' slicing method i.e. Swords don't really slice anything off, it just hurts them. This should still make the game a bit visceral, but not too much.

Slicing buildings, robots and watermelons should be alright.
 

wooty

Vi Britannia
Aug 1, 2009
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Makes me wonder how the Japanese version of MGS went with the "Ocelot/Grey Fox" situation.

Hell, even Kill Bill, which I hear went down a storm in the far east
 

Jezzascmezza

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Aug 18, 2009
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Chopping people up however you want looks like one of the most appealing things in this game, so taking that out could be pretty disappointing.
As an Australian, I'm also hoping this makes it into my country. (Fingers crossed)
 

GruntOwner

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Feb 22, 2009
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... And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the Force Unleashed SHOULD have been.

I suppose that sucks for Kojima, given his dislike of censorship and his massive fanbase in Japan.

Off topic for a moment, exactly how much of the MGS lore would I need to be familiar with to enjoy that game? Story wise, that is.
 

Ragsnstitches

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Dec 2, 2009
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I'm weary if this title... but I'm also an MGS fan so I'll still get it.

The whole dismemberment issue in japan seems to be in relation to how realistic and gratuitous it is. The devs will probably compensate by adding decals on the model textures to resemble slicing... oh and lots of blood.
 

Dexiro

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Dec 23, 2009
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I'd actually prefer it if the people didn't actually get chopped into pieces, that level of violence just puts me off a bit. It'd be ok if attacking people just left them covered in blood rather than in pieces, but i still want to chop up cars and stuff!
 

Outright Villainy

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Jan 19, 2010
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TheGreenManalishi said:
There's a fair amount of dismemberment in fighting mangas. Hell, I can think of a few times in Dragon Ball Z when people lost limbs and such. Maybe it's the photorealistic dismemberment that is the issue.
When I saw Elfen Lied they went through limbs like no one's business.
Japan is an odd place...
 

Zenode

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Jan 21, 2009
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Logan Westbrook said:
as depictions of dismemberment are heavily frowned upon in traditional Japanese society.
They didn't mind during World War 2?

OT: Well, if it IS banned in Japan i guess there goes a few hundred thousand (if not million) sales due to the popularity of MGS in Japan
 

Adzma

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Sep 20, 2009
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Hmm if they don't like it in Japan there's no way the OFLC will let it through with an MA15 rating. Best be ready to jump on the import bandwagon.
 

Hybridwolf

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Aug 14, 2009
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It's one thing to cut a death scene or two from a game like dead rising (Adam the clown), but this is a whole new kettle of fish. I'm guessing they'll leave the robot dissection in, but people will just be "killed", left 4 dead 2 melee weapon style in the censored versions.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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Fraught said:
Ha, I can't imagine what the game'll look like without it. I hope thay they aren't too prissy to not allow you to cut watermelons in half, at least.
yeah, I mean...come on they deserve it! lol

Seriously though, I wont be best impressed if they cut like, nearly everyhting that might be too risque...
 

tehroc

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Jul 6, 2009
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Kojima says japanese gaming is dead. Kojima is stating he find his culture too restricting to realize his dreams. It seems to me the next logical step would be for Kojima (I know there's a language barrier there, but a translator can fix that issue) to work for a western company. This would allow him to meld eastern ideas and western ideas into a solid masterpiece enjoyed by all.