Ninja Gaiden Censored For European Release

Thanks to GamesIndustry.Biz for its article confirming that Tecmo's Xbox title Ninja Gaiden has been censored for European release, seemingly "to remove certain violent aspects such as decapitations." According to the piece, these changes "have been removed apparently at the request of European censors, and the final PAL code for the game has been granted a 16 rating by pan-European ratings body PEGI, which rates games for a wide range of European countries (including the notoriously censorious German market)." However, it seems "the actual impact of the change to the game is minor... and does little to detract from the well-received game - which was the best selling single-platform title in the USA last month." Update: 04/22 14:42 GMT by S : Simon Vivien explains what commenters also mention: "Germany still uses USK, which is another rating board dedicated to their market. The rest of Europe indeeds use PEGI. A 16+ PEGI rating doesn't especially mean a 16+ USK rating - as was witnessed in our latest shooter, Painkiller, who received a 16+ PEGI rating but was banned in Germany."

Comments

Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[Anonymous Coward]

Heil Hitler!

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[MCC-SMART]

It exists no cencoring in Europe. What in Europe exists is legal protection for children and young persons. When you are 18+ it's no problem to buy your non-defused version at retailer which imports the game's US-Version. Costs some Euros more, but so what? P.S. It is not Europe, which established an Gestapo with a law called Patriot Act I+II...

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[Dimwit]

No, it was Germany (you know, in Europe) which established a Gestapo with...well...the Gestapo.

(Sorry, mostly a joke, I swear...)

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually StaSi is a closer approximation of the name (and probably their role as well).

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[MCC-SMART]

Both, StaSi+Gestapo had the right to let people "dissapear". But the StaSi is inexistent, too. The PA II gives organisations of the US-government the right to do the same, without any kind of control.

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[captainktainer]

The difference is none. Europe is "protecting" children and young people- censoring what they are allowed to be exposed to. More importantly, because the censorship is applied to all retailers, it affects what adults can be exposed to as well. The appropriateness of the censorship can be debated all you want, but it is *still censorship*.

I can import Japanese tentacle porn, but by no means does that mean that censorship isn't going on- it just means that the censorship has a "outlet" wherein domestic producers aren't allowed to produce a certain work, but if it comes from overseas, it's just fine and dandy. (Yes, tentacle porn can be produced in the U.S. In fact, pretty much anything can be produced in the U.S. We don't have censorship on the order of the European countries. It is being used to illustrate a point.)

By the way, your obviously trolling and irrelevant crap about the Patriot Act isn't appreciated. Yeah, the USAPATRIOT Act was a POS. But Patriot Act II has not been passed- elements were just incorporated into an intelligence bill, and whatever anti-American biases exist in your mind, it isn't as bad as the Fascists, who raped, pillaged, shut people away in labor camps, and led them to their death simply because they looked different. If you're going to flame away about absolutely irrelevant American politics, know what you're talking about, mmkay?

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[Guppy06]

No, she's just... she's kinda straightening that picture.

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[The Evil Couch]

it doesn't matter if it's "legal protection for children", it's still censorship. if I have to go out of my way to get the original version, it's been censored. I have NO idea how you got modded up so high.

Re:Slashdot censors too. Watch this.

[Frizzle Fry]

In fact, pretty much anything can be produced in the U.S. We don't have censorship on the order of the European countries. It is being used to illustrate a point

Right now, this is fairly true. But until the Clinton administration, the Justice Department was actually fairly harsh towards the production of pornography. Of course, plenty of porn still got made, but plenty of people also got in trouble. And things may start to move back in that direction.

Not altogether scandalous

[wizarddc]

This is the equivilant of movie producers removing blood, titties and cursing after they get a NC-17, trying to at least sneak in an R. It just so happens that the Euros are censoring this when the US isn't. I don't see anything that big a deal about this, except for the fact that this might be the first major time this has happened.

Re:Not altogether scandalous

[Krandor3]

If I am reading the article correctly, it sounds like they were not forced to remove stuff, but that they would have just gotten a higher rating if they didn't remove it. If they had a choice to release the game with all the material in and just have gotten a higher rating, then it is not censorship. They decided to remove it to get a 16 rating. At least that is how ie reads to me.

Re:Not altogether scandalous

[Anonymous Coward]

What I find odd is that the RPG Sacred removed blood from the American release, but left it in for the European release (they are a European Company).

Now with this, I'm starting to wonder if Companies really care about which markets get which version, as long as it generates some press.

Re:Not altogether scandalous

[Fred Or Alive]

Yep, there's an 18+ PEGI rating (the voluntary game ratings system used in Europe, replacing the ELSPA ones in the UK.) However individual countries laws can go overrule this, such as the UK's Video Recordings Act (and associated laws), and Germany's laws, where they really don't like gore and so on. They might only want to prepare one PAL version of the game (rather than a rest-of-Europe and a German version), so bow to the German censorship requirements across Europe, or they just want a lower rating for sales reasons.

bah censorship...

[hookedup]

C'mon folks, HE'S A NINJA, it's what they do.

Any idea if manhunt had a european release? I cant even see that game hitting the shelves over there.

Re:bah censorship...

[GregChant]

Obviously, the EU hasn't discovered the real ultimate power yet...

Re:bah censorship...

[hookedup]

heh that's the exact website I thought of when I saw the article

Re:bah censorship...

[Fred Or Alive]

Manhunt was release in Europe, or at least in the UK. It doesn't have the PEGI voluntary ratings, it has a BBFC 18 certificate, which means that retailers would break the law if sell it to people under 18, the same as an 18 rated DVD (the Video Recordings Act 1984 and all that funk.) I don't know about other countries, as most games nowadays have UK specific packaging, so the UK BBFC rating is the only one on the box IIRC.

AFAIK it was developed by Rockstar North, the same people as Grand Theft Auto (originally DMA Design, who also created the first Lemmings), who are based in Scotland. GTA games are also BBFC 18 rated.

Re:bah censorship...

[Singletoned]

Europe is (as always) more liberal than America in these respects. It's just (as always) Germany ruining it for the rest of us.

Re:bah censorship...

[Deraj DeZine]

Yeah, not allowing decapitations IN A GAME is what I'd call more liberal.

You can't blame Germany, the other members of whatever censor board made this decision agreed on it. Face it, the USA has a more enlightened view of violence in video games.

(That last sentence is in jest =)

Re:bah censorship...

[Singletoned]

The point is that all of it is allowed. They just wanted a 16 certificate instead of an 18 certificate.

And it's not at all uncommon for games to have a European release with MORE violence in it, because Americans are so conservative.

Re:bah censorship...

[Anonymous Coward]

So conservative that they replaced all the humans in Half-Life with robots?

Re:bah censorship...

[Anonymous Custard]

Quoth Robert:

Ninjas can kill anyone they want! Ninjas cut off heads ALL the time and don't even think twice about it.

Apparently, the regulators in Europe are NOT ninjas, or they wouldn't be thinking twice about letting it go uncensored.

Great Game

[j.bellone]

This game is a great game, fun, well though out, well planned, there is almost nothing wrong with this game... almost. The front of the game box says "Online Enabled", I spent $50 on the game to go play some Ninja Gaiden online (in any form) only to find out when I got home that the whole "online tournament" didn't start until E3 (the middle of May). Very misleading.

Re:Great Game

[randomdef]

see, you gotta look out buddy, look for the super packages that say "Online Enabled NOW"

Re:Great Game

[Xzzy]

My only complaint with the game was the long recycle time when you died, it seemed completely unneccessary.

And considering the steep learning curve of the game, many people die a LOT.

Playing that boring death animation, fading to the game over, selecting "yes", then waiting for a reload translates to a lot of wasted time. Even worse if you're stuck on a fight that leads in with a cutscene.. ugh.

Re:Great Game

[j.bellone]

Did you ever notice that you absolutely cannot quit to the title screen once you're in a game? I've tired several ways, the damn exit thing on the menu just exits the menus.

Re:Great Game

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure you can. Hold down start + back + black + white.

GAH!

[Lord Graga]

I hate censoring. I hate it IHATEITIHATEIT!

What about me in Denmark? Here there's no such lame laws about fo shizzle "censoring"! Here it's only about ethics. And that's not something you can get sued for. Will DK get a special version? probably not, because nobody cares. Bloody BASTARDS.

Excuse me.

Re:GAH!

[WormholeFiend]

you dont know what "fo shizzle" means, do you?

Re:GAH!

[Guppy06]

I think he pretty much covered that with the "What about me in Denmark?" bit.

Re:GAH!

[captainktainer]

No, but he still has a good point. Denmark's laws are much looser than in, say, Germany, but Germany's bigger. Therefore, Germany's prudishness and lack of respect for freedom of speech and freedom of association end up adversely affecting him. Unfortunately, the EU has no interest in increasing the freedoms afforded to the citizens of its member countries; therefore, Denmark will continue to suffer.

The joys of capitalism. Oh, well... it beats the alternatives.

Not the first time, won't be the last

[BigJimSlade]

1) The Euro version of Contra was called "Probotectors" and featured robots. Because obviously a bunch of robots killing aliens is much less violent than two Rambo clones.

2) Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. They're definitely not ninjas.

Re:Not the first time, won't be the last

[buffer-overflowed]

Europe: Violence bad. Nudity/Sex ok.
USA: Violence good. Nudity/Sex bad.
Japan: Violence ok. Nudity/Sex good. Tentacle rape better!

Different cultures/different attitudes.

Re:Not the first time, won't be the last

[j.bellone]

Japan: Nintendo, Good. Microsoft, bad. USA: Nintendo, bad. Microsoft, evil. Europe: Nintendo, bad. Microsoft, satan. Anyone see a trend here?

Re:Not the first time, won't be the last

[PaganRitual]

curiously enough, Australia, which is a PAL country like the rest of Europe is in line with the US way of thinking.

Manhunt comes out here uncensored, but GTA3 is held back because after you have sex/bounce in a car with a prostitute you can kill her ...

Idea

[Sv-Manowar]

why dont they ever just release the original with a high rating , and then consider releasing a censored version - therefore not taking any away from the game for guys who really want to see every piece of tissue flying from their opponents brain. Of course it's all about the money for the publishers so your never going to see a version that won't be aimed at the biggest market

Euro demographics

[Anonymous Coward]

Do the publishers intentionally want to hit that under 16 rating? Or are the core of European gamers all in their teens, where the core in the US are in their very late 20s to mid 30s? Some how I don't think so of course.

What gives with the EU core gamer demographics and the rating system, can someone briefly explain?

Re:Euro demographics

[chrismcdirty]

I thought the US core market for video games was males, ages 18 to mid-20s. I could be wrong, though.

Re:Euro demographics

[Fred Or Alive]

I don't know about the demographics, but there is quite a lot of post-teen games in Europe.

Video games are rated by the industry organisation PEGI (www.pegi.info) which last year replaced a number of other ratings systems across Europe, such as the ELSPA one used in the UK (and probably other countries.) The ratings are 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+, which are displayed on the front of the boxes, with additional content icons (Sex, Drugs, Rock'n'roll[1] etc.) displayed with the rating on the back. These ratings are advisory. The previous ELSPA system was similar, expect without the content advisories, and different ages.

In the UK the Video Recordings Act and associated laws make most video games exempt from classification by the BBFC (www.bbfc.org.uk, see FAQs), but some are. These ratings are legally enforceable, shops selling the games to people under the age rating are breaking the law. Games with BBFC ratings I can think of are Grand Theft Auto games (all 18), Quake, Doom and Doom 2 (15) and Manhunter (18.)

[1] Only kidding.

Re:Euro demographics

[shadowcabbit]

You jest, but "Rock'n'Roll" is a valid reason to give a game a T rating (ESRB system). I find it absurd that the Tony Hawk line of skateboard simulations received T ratings solely for "Mild Lyrics". (Yeah, there's a little blood in there, too, but if you ask me that was put in there because Neversoft thought, "Hell, we already have the T rating, let's earn it now".)

The PEGI system doesn't sound too different from the ESRB setup: advisory, vague descriptors, age ranges. I don't want to sound like a troll here, but I can only wish that something like the BBFC system (read: enforceable and enforced) shows up in the US soon. I used to work retail at a game store and dreaded having to repeat the whole "you don't want to buy Grand Theft Auto 3 for your seven year old daugher, ma'am, I think she'd like Pac-Man World better; see, she's more interested in the one where you don't rip people apart spleen-first" bit. I'd much rather say "Sure, you can buy it, ma'am, but only once you sign this confession admitting you bought this game for a minor and I call the cops to have them haul your ass away; if you don't want to do that, then hey look over there, your daughter seems to be interested in Pac-Man World and oh goody it's on sale."

As I'd said in a previous post, I don't like over-regulation, but there should be a failsafe system at the very least for if and when the parents fail to do their job.

Actually, no, I have a MUCH better idea: Install interactive lookup terminals in game stores. The parents can then be directed to the terminal, scan the game, and actually see what they're buying. The terminal updates over a DSL line overnight and always has an up-to-date archive of games; or better yet, it's always connected and just caches popular game previews. Make it store policy, too-- like you can't buy the game unless you've watched the preview and get a little receipt. Damn, this sounds like it could make a killing for a game store, if it's marketed right: "Shop At GameHole! We Care About Your Kids: Preview A Game Before You Buy!"

Re:Euro demographics

[j.bellone]

As long as the stores enforce it and it doesn't fall back on the developers for creating the game - any rating system that follows those guidelines is good for me.

It's not the developer/publisher's job to censor the game for people are cannot see that the game is obviously not for their ten year old kid.

Re:Euro demographics

[DeadScreenSky]

You are wrong. It is mid- to late-20s males actually. Though obviously different publishers will aim more at lower (EA, Nintendo) or higher (some PC devs perhaps) markets.

Dope Nizzity

[Anonymous Coward]

I was gonna wait and buy this game used on the cheap, but now I see that it's good enough to censor. Time to go blow some cheese.

This is why we need Kazaa

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefulyl, Kazaa users in Germany will be able to bypass their Nazi government's censorship and download the game anyway.

PEGI is NOT valid in Germany

[Anonymous Coward]

Germany has its own rating board called the USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, entertainment software self-control), whose ratings are legally binding. That means you go to jail for selling a game without youth clearance (i.e. 18 and over) to a minor or any other game to a person younger than the minimum age the USK set.

Furthermore there is the BPjM (Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien, federal testing centre for youth-endangering media), which can issue an indexing that makes it illegal to advertise the game to minors (means you are not allowed to put it on a shelf or write about it in a magazine if the shelf or magazine is accessible by minors). Most retailers don't stock or sell indexed games and since there'S no advertising that can be fatal for sales.

The PEGI is not an accepted rating system within Germany.

Re:PEGI is NOT valid in Germany

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoa, hang on a second, you have umlauts displaying there! Does that mean Slashdot finaly supports characters outside the 7-bit ASCII range?

Test: é

Looks like it supports accented vowels now, but still no pound or Euro signs. Ah well, I guess I should be thankful for every little concession they deign to make to the unimportant parts of the world outside the USA...

Re:PEGI is NOT valid in Germany

[Anonymous Coward]

If you send me 50€ I'll tell you how I did that.

I hope you're enjoying the EU

[Anonymous Coward]

All those rules and regulations are turning you into a
continent of wimps.

Thank goodness

[Dr. Photo]

With such alert and sensitive censors, Europe may never have to witness a single decapitation! ;-)

Re:Thank goodness

[feyhunde]

Yes, we all know in France people qued up to get their hair cut during the revolution.

America vs. Europe

[Castaa]

In America, the powers that be are overly sensitive to sexuality in our culture. It looks like Europe has a similar problem with fictional/virtual violence.

You can't even release a video game in Germany if it has red blood effects in it. It has to be another color other than red.

What's "Think about the children?!?" in Finnish? I'm sure you hear that as much in European countries and we hear it in the states.

Re:America vs. Europe

[lupo_wot]

>What's "Think about the children?!?" in Finnish? "Ajatelkaa lapsia"

Re:America vs. Europe

[Shakey_Jake33]

There's actually a suprisingly lack of these kinds of people in Europe.

Germany truely is simply the exception to the rule really, a large majority of violent games can be released in the rest of Europe, and few people will bat an eyelid.
I believe they even banned Quake 2 in Germany for the longest time, whereas I don't think such a thing was even suggested elsewhere.

The general view here is that violent games usually have an 18 age rating, and it is enforced, anyone who even looks under 18 will nopt be abler to buy the game without some form of identification (I myself get refused sale of a game sometimes, dispite being over 18)...so kids shouldn't be playing the game anyway. If they are, someone's messed up along the lines... but certainly not the company. All but a few obsessive mothers recognise that, generally.

One exception to this however would be the game Hooligans, which caused a fair bit of controversy here in the UK, but that was largely because England has a pretty bad reputation for football hooliganism.

Re:America vs. Europe

[teddiesmooth]

I've been living in Germany for the past 9 months and you see lots of this on TV. They have no problems with showing sex in movies, or liquid soap commercials with a naked chick showering in a waterfall, or Britney's Toxic video, but they have major issues with censoring what would be considered virtual violence. I think our 'puritianistic' American society, which is run by the hypocritical bible-bound asses of politicians, should be a little bit more stringent about violent content on normal TV.

Too many parents rely on the TV as a babysitter. Maybe if we had better parenting in our society censorship wouldn't be as much as a problem!

I'll step down from my soapbox and put my two cents back into my pocket.

Re:America vs. Europe

[TheRoachMan]

I always wondered why Half-Life had these 'bot' skins, as seen here. I've been playing HL since 1998 and I've never understood why these skins are in, they're not even skins of characters in the single-player game, and all the other skins are. Then I read somewhere that those skins were made for the German version of the game, where the human Grunts (army soldiers, there to shut you up for good, yadda yadda) are replaced by robots gone totally friggin mad 0MGz0r! Talk about killing the story-line of the game... I also believe that scientists couldn't be killed by the player. You can always let them stand under an automatic door and let them get squished when it closes. ent_scientist1 was killed by func_door (or something) :)

Doesn't Europe Realize

[Mr.Dippy]

when decapitations are outlawed only outlaws will have decapitations.

Mistake

[keiki]

I remember when Mortal Kombat came out for the SNES and it was censored because of the blood and decapitations. It was still good but i felt i didnt get the whole experience of the game and feel it was a mistake from Nintendo(they lost sales to the Sega version which wasnt censored). Hope M$ doesnt make the same mistake in Europe that Nintendo made here.

All your nazi are belong to us

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, maybe you'd be able to get your point across a little better if you actually learned English instead of using Babelfish.

And if there's no censorship in Europe, explain this. If there was no censorship in Europe, Germans would be able to legally import a Wolf 3D strategy guide, wouldn't they?

Re:All your nazi are belong to us

[MCC-SMART]

You can't import a Wolf3D-guide, because it contains illegal signs. It is not allowed in Germany to show things like the SS-sign or the swastika. These signs had been used by the Nazis and where often used by the Neonazi-groups to identificate thmselves. In Germany it is not allowed to rush against minorities, jews or foreigners in a brainless way (like the Noenazis ones). So these organisations and groups are forbidden, and so their signs are forbidden. Medias (books, films, magazines, games etc.) which contain these signs for non-artistic way, are forbidden too. The Wolf3D-Guide contains SS-signs and swastikas.

Re:All your nazi are belong to us

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. The government banning the showing of any symbol, regardless of what connotations it has, is censorship. Which you just said there was none of in Europe. Hence, you are full of shit.

Just a darn minute...

[Spleener12]

Didn't Germany get RID of the Nazis? Like, back in 1940something? When the fuck did they get back in the government?

What's scary is that America will be that way to if certain persons get their way.

USSR

[Anonymous Custard]

In Soviet Russia, video game censors you!

Off-topic

[ElleyKitten]

The reason people complain about our government and compare them to the nazis is not because we're anti-american, it's because our country is better than that. We should be mad about what's going on in our country today. Jose Padilla has been in jail for over a year and a half without being charged with a crime because Bush has decided that he can ignore the constitution when it comes to terrorists. If we don't speak up and get mad when our country does something wrong, we will become as bad as the nazis.

Yeah, I'm off-topic. Screw Karma. =P

How about...

[Plammox]

Barbarian, anyone?
Decapitation has been around since the c64, why should this change now? ;-)

In other news...

[daVinci1980]

... and because it didn't affect the rating in Europe, the ninjas you will be facing in Ninja Gaiden are all naked women.

Ninja Gaiden censored AGAIN??

[WWWWolf]

The NES game was, um, changed a bit here - retitled to Shadow Warriors, and the box was slightly changed.

All this while C64 players whacked The Last Ninja - European games, by the way - without any discussion about silly retitling =)