After bringing Metro 2033 and Red Faction: Guerrilla to Japanese retailers, Spike has been tasked with adapting THQ's Homefront as well. Unlike the previous titles, however, Homefront's main themes clash with acceptable game content standards in the country, according to Japan's CERO game rating guidelines. In order to bring the game up to code, Spike has detailed three main changes on the game's official Japanese website (via Andriasang):
In one live action sequence in the game's opening movie that depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as having died, the image of Kim Jong-il has been removed.
In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing country, said country is now referred to as 'A Certain Country to the North.'
In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing person, said person is now referred to as 'Northern Leader.'
We've dropped edited and unedited versions of the game's opening after the break for comparison's sake. Glory in the Great Leader or not -- the choice is yours!
@Nofriendo Hell not, they're far more terrified of him than we are. They are, after all, within missile range of a country with a crazed leader and a bitter grudge.
hmmm, after watching that trailer, im inclined to pick it up... i thought it would be pretty crappy... but that story is super interesting... doesnt look like Japan is getting too shafted either... those videos arent too terribly dissimilar (aside from the ommision of the leaders) but it looks like it could still draw in people interested in the story)
Why does the edited one seem to be actually less edited? There's more footage, specifically of America being attacked. Are we too sensitive for that stuff?
Japan's just (or more) aware of what a dick he is. The rules are a hangover from post-WWII occupation, aimed against talking up hatred against any other country. Tentacle monsters are fine, unless its "Tentacle Monsters Go to South China".
Looks like the edited Japanese trailer is the newer one while the uncensored one is from a while back. I'm assuming the newer, longer trailer is what will be in the US version. Note the fatter Nork leader which is true to life.
Waiting for this game, Deus Ex, and Brink very patiently.
Also, I recently watched a documantary on Netflix called "A State of Mind". And, while it's primarily about gymnastics in North Korea, it also offered an interesting look into the people's perceptions of the world around them. I'd recommend watching it if anybody is interested in their point of view. It's on instant watch.
Are this changes only for that dictator ruled region ,cause if i get a half ass version of this game here in the states. cause some short troll people starving villain,am gonna be pissed.
It's really not a surprise, considering Japan isn't allowed to erect a standing army nor can they invest too heavily in arms research. They can't go around pissing off countries that spend more GDP in arms thAn feeding their own citizens. Sure they got US troops stationed in Japan, but those troops are there to keep the Japanese at bay and not really to defend Japan. If a war in Asia breaks out, how many people actually believe that the US would invest heavy military resources in the pacific theater and defend Japan?
@Redeemer Seeing as Japan is an economically poweful US ally in a region with a lot of economically powerful US enemies, I'd be willing to bet that America would in fact be very interested in maintaining Japan's well-being were it to come in conflict with the likes of Korea or China. "Keeping the Japanese at bay"? Pretty sure that hasn't been the case for about half a century. And, as Redeemer pointed out, it's not as though they don't invest in their own armed forces.
@lazurus Also also, it should be pointed out that North Korea is not a special case; Japanese media ALWAYS employs this kind of censorship to works featuring a message that could be construed as offensive to a political or corporate entity.
@lazurus After using japan as a nuke testing ground, I think we kinda owe it to them. Also japan is to important to us our military would step in and help out. as a citizen I would be pissed if we didn't.
Yeah, Japan could really use to cut down on their censorship standards. In addition to likely causing more harm than good in terms of social and political issues, it's also patently ridiculous. I was recently reading a manga from the 70's about a conspiracy involving "Nation X", which could not possibly have been less subtly spelled out to be the United States (one character even says he's from Kentucky!!). It just goes to show how this kind of censorship is arbitrary, pointless and downright absurd.
@Bluebreaker Note: The following post is directed at an American audience. If you are from any other country, please don't read this.
Wrong. It's Canada. Take a look at a map. See, I knew the Canadian invasion of America is real. Using my History Channel logic, I realized that this game is predicting the future, man. We'll all be tied up, and forced into the Canadian military, were we'll have to use hockey sticks to kill our symbolical brothers.
The year is 2027. The world as we know it is unraveling after fifteen years of economic meltdown and widespread global conflict over dwindling natural resources. A once proud America has fallen, her infrastructure shattered and military in disarray. Crippled by a devastating EMP strike, the USA is powerless to resist the ever expanding occupation of a savage, nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic. Abandoned by her former allies, the United States is a bleak landscape of walled towns and abandoned suburbs. This is a police state where high school stadiums have become detention centers, and shopping malls shelter armored attack vehicles. A once-free people are now prisoners, or collaborators,or revolutionaries. Join the Resistance, stand united and fight for freedom against an overwhelming military force in Homefront's gripping single player campaign penned by John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn). Stand alongside a cast of memorable characters as an emotional plot unfolds in this terrifyingly plausible near-future world. Experience visceral, cinematic first-person shooter action as you fight your way across Occupied USA using guerrilla tactics, and commandeer military vehicles and advanced drone technology to defeat the enemy. Multiplayer brings epic warfare to the online arena as infantry, tanks, attack helicopters and combat drones battle across huge, open battlefields. A rich feature set offering layers of tactical depth combined with a game-changing innovation in the multiplayer space will set a new benchmark in online warfare.
