TGS: Gears of War, WRU?!
by Christopher Grant 
{ Sep 23rd 2006 at 6:25AM }
Killzone 2 isn't the only highly anticipated shooter not rocking the TGS show floor this year. Epic Games' upcoming 360 would-be killer-app Gears of War isn't playable on the show floor, though it is represented in video and pamphlet form at Microsoft's booth.
So why is it that a surefire hit, just a couple months from shipping, isn't playable? Microsoft is doing everything they can to woo the heretofore elusive Japanese gamer, so why not trot out their prize-winning pony? Sure, they want to focus all eyes on Hironobu Sakaguchi's 360-exclusive JRPGs Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, but there's plenty of room for all three at TGS. And we know Japanese gamers tend to shy away from the hardcore shooters, but every little bit helps, right?
In reality, the real reason Gears of War isn't at TGS isn't as shady as the complete disappearance of Killzone 2 from all Sony communications, it's a problem with Japan's censors. You see, the extremely graphic nature of the game is currently giving Microsoft a little bit of trouble getting it approved. During a press screening of Gears, a Microsoft rep did note that while a TGS showing just wasn't to be, the game will be playable at next week's X06 event in Barcelona. Unfortunately, the European Xbox 360 market doesn't need all the help it can get. Japan does.
[Grotesque headshot image, courtesy carbonscoring.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eric Von Shpeel @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:37AM
Japanese gamers dont go for games like this, thats why MS is showing all the japanese RPGs and quirky stuff at TGS and will show this at X06..
Steven Tran @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:37AM
Actually, it is at TGS but behind closed doors. IGN had a small preview on it and said more will be shown at X06 next week.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/734/734793p1.html
Gizmondo_Hater @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:48AM
this game is gonna kik sony's ass.
It's going to be Gears of War vs la resistance.
thomas_h @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:19AM
gears of war and halo 3 are sure gonna sell some systems
geves @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:22AM
so wait... minstration hentai is perfectly legal and acceptable. but a violent game isn't. anyone else see a problem with this system?
if microsoft wasn't a dirty gaijin company, they'd probably have that game on the floor. i'm not calling japan racist...wait yes i am. MS should've named it "super happy fun time, shoot you sorry, it's ok super pals". this article would've read totally different, then.
Anonymouse Rep @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:45AM
Geves - that's because the rest of the world thinks that it's okay to see boobs on TV, complete with nipples, whereas in the U.S. that's a BAD thing. And vice versa, in the U.S. it's okay to pop a cap into someone's skull and watch the blood fly all over the wall while their brains leak out - but the rest of the world considers that pornagraphic.
And from a culture perspective, Japan IS a racist nation - very much so. Read the book - do NOT watch the movie - "Rising Sun" by Michael Crichton.
striderhayasa @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:57AM
As racist as it may be those mofos still got Half-Life in their arcades and resistance isn't exactly the most "family friendly" game around. I call bullshit on this one.
potato @ Sep 23rd 2006 8:12AM
how is being gaijin dirty?
lol I only know what that word is from the fast and the furious: td
Gabriel Asseily @ Sep 23rd 2006 8:42AM
In response to #5 geves
There is a huge difference between anime and other media in terms of censoring.
For instance, Kill Bill in the US to not get an R rating had to change the scene where Uma Thurman fights Lucy Liu and the 77 into black and white. The reason was that too much blood (i.e. red blood) would have made the film ultra violent. In black and white apparently it is not as graphic.
Now I am not sure why the Japanese are causing grief to MSoft about Gears of War but I guess it is due to the fact that humans are being totally munched down. In anime generally it is only some animes which are more graphic (read Ichi the Killer) which has a restriction on it.
It could be that the Japanese want that game to only be for mature audiences and in accordance MSoft cannot let it be playable on a floor which is exposed to the general public later on. TGS opens its doors to the public in its final couple of days.
Just to let you know.
LordAlu @ Sep 23rd 2006 8:46AM
My manager came back from the GAME managers conference in Telford last week having played Gears of War. And apparently it's astounding. In every way possible. It plays as good as it looks. It looks as good as it plays. And it's all he ever talks about. Every day. "Gears of War was amazing".
Damn him for being allowed to go and play it whilst we had to do the actual work!!! GRRRRRR!!!
Pedro Van Faulk @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:37AM
Rising sun was dreck.
As is most of Chrighton's work.
George @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:57AM
Every country is racist people wake up. people in general are judgemental a-holes. nobody can see someone just as a person they have to judge them by whats on the outside.
as for usa not wanting nudity but saying violence is more acceptable.... i think other countries have it right by saying nudity is heathier than violence. nudity isnt going to hurt anyone, or give them nightmares or depression or any feelings like that. to me it just seems much more healthier the way japan and china think about violence.
J.Goodwin @ Sep 23rd 2006 10:18AM
Actually, among Japanese gamers who did purchase an Xbox or Xbox 360, FPS games remain amongst the top selling titles.
People who play Xbox like Halo. The lack of Halo 3 in Japan is hurting uptake of 360 by Xbox owners right now probably more than it is here.
Chris @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:46AM
This game looks like it will be the best fps since halo and halo 2 killzone 2 has nothing on it microsoft is definitaly ahead of sony in the fps area of gaming
Jeff @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:56AM
"so wait... minstration hentai is perfectly legal and acceptable. but a violent game isn't. anyone else see a problem with this system?"
Uh, think you got that backwards, dude. Sex is a perfectly natural part of life - heck, it's *necessary* for our continued existence. Violence, on the other hand, is not.
Japan's focus on controlling violence in media makes a lot more sense than our obsession with controlling sex.
As for Gears of War, I would argue that focusing on this game at TGS would *hurt* Microsoft in Japan. It would only serve to cement the 360's reputation as a system for "kusoge" - crap games that don't appeal to Japanese tastes. They're doing the smart thing by focusing instead on games they think will appeal to the TGS crowd. This ain't E3, guys - this is the Japanese public here. I still sometimes get the feeling like the Joystiq crew haven't quite grasped that fact yet.
Will @ Sep 23rd 2006 12:06PM
You're right Jeff, Violence is not at all a natural part of life... but you might want to inform that to the lions, bears, tigers, sharks, and... yeah... basically all forms of life... I think they must have been watching too many of our movies or playing too many of our games
FSK405K @ Sep 23rd 2006 12:18PM
"among Japanese gamers who did purchase an Xbox or Xbox 360, FPS games...." That's like 100 consoles a week, right?
anonymous coward @ Sep 23rd 2006 12:31PM
> 10. My manager came back from the GAME managers
> conference in Telford last week having played Gears
> of War. And apparently it's astounding. In every way
> possible. It plays as good as it looks. It looks as
> good as it plays. And it's all he ever talks about.
> Every day. "Gears of War was amazing".
Nice shill. Kudos to the MS marketing department. Very subtle.
Wild Homes @ Sep 23rd 2006 1:11PM
11. nudity isnt going to hurt anyone, or give them nightmares or depression or any feelings like that.
I don't know guys, there's been one or two people I've seen nude and been depressed by. and one I can think of that gave me nightmares (let me just say 'armpit hair.') I'm sure the point you meant was that nudity on the part of stunningly attractive people never caused depression.
I think the Japanese are culturally elitist, but I can't make a stink about it because I'm not too fussed about their culture, either.
Matt @ Sep 23rd 2006 1:28PM
This game is very playable. I played it the first week of august at Microsoft's "Unwrapping Holiday 2006".
I wrote a bit about it here:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/glach/archive/tags/Gears+of+War/default.aspx
spacehotel @ Sep 23rd 2006 1:50PM
Unreal has always been fairly violent (rooms full of gibs). Detailed headshots in GOW are the next step. We can handle it. Most people objecting to this kind of "violence" most likely haven't played many related titles on PCs.
Can't wait for GOW hope it doesn't slip!
LordAlu @ Sep 23rd 2006 2:00PM
> Nice shill. Kudos to the MS marketing department. Very subtle.
Honestly, that's pretty much _all_ he talks about. That and how annoyed he was that Nintendo didn't have the Wii playable there.
Tim @ Sep 23rd 2006 5:35PM
This game is going to be awesome
Eggman @ Sep 23rd 2006 7:56PM
As much as I'd like to be proven wrong about this, the Japanese people do kind of give off a racist aura. It's not just the console wars, if anyones played FFXI they know how hard it is to get japenese people to play with european/N.American/other people. I've never EVER seen a NA/EU player in that game discriminate in terms of nationality when searching for a group (it's easy to notice in search comments) whereas the majority of Japanese players will have "JP party only" in their comments (which is on the mild side, i've seen some pretty anti anything but JP comments there).
That combined with this one website I saw which showed pictures of numerous restaurants/bars/stores/etc in Japan that only serve japanese people (they have signs on the door forbidding foreigners from entry) really portray a negative image of the country.
Anyway, not sure how this degraded into a discussion on racism but I'd have to say most of the Japenese people i've met IRL are good people. Have a few Japenese friends that are just as open to other people as others here. GOW is a great game and i'm really not sure why they aren't milking it more especially since playable demos have been around since E3. Also they keep making excuses about how they can't release a demo on live cause it would take too much time yet theres already that demo from E3 they could just release.
maylon @ Sep 24th 2006 6:28PM
I have to agree with #15. By trhe way, most of the responses to this are drawing a line between violence and nudity, I would like to take this chance to point out that Hentai contains a mixture of the 2, in fact some of the most graphic in the world. Microsoft not demoing GOW at TGS is simply because the Japanese like their violence and nudity in a specific way, wherein an underage female is raped and mutilated in some way. I call it animated snuff. So please, don't get on some high horse about Americans allowing only violence but no boobs, even if it is true.