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[jimi_dini]

the european release has altered scenes of 5-10 seconds. let EmptySpace repeat that: 5-10 seconds in a 13-hour game.

cancelling an order over those is just plain and utterly pathetic. no one is going to lose sleep over a 5-10 seconds worth of altered scenes, just as no one cancels their movie tickes when movies have minutes edited out of the theatrical release.

If noone lost any sleep over 5-10 seconds, then why not just LEAVE THEM IN. God damn. Fucking Germany and their idiotic censorship game ratings laws.

Sony already censored 2 other games before that on PS3 because of fucking Germany (God of War, The Last of Us). They censored every single version in Europe. That's how crazy it is. And Sony wouldn't have to censor it in whole Europe. Create a separate version for Germany, that noone will buy and be done with it. I didn't buy any of those two games. I will not support this bullshit. Will not buy Beyond as well. May import it in case there actually is an uncensored version.

Principles matter. Mine include not supporting petty censorship

this

Fucking Sony will notice that less people buy those games. And maybe - just maybe they will figure out that it's because of their idiotic censorship.

 

[JWong]

So EU cuts out violence, and US cuts out 'erotic scenes'?

Hah, EU wins.

 

[timetokill]

Eh... Cage's record on sexual stuff isn't great anyway. In Heavy Rain it came off as really exploitative and ... creepy, honestly.

I probably won't even notice, to be honest.
Censorship sucks, though. Shame there's not a way to get the "uncut" version.

 

[jimi_dini]

PEGI was setup to act as a 'lowest common denominator' of sorts across Europe/EU.

...

So yes, Germany has USK, but PEGI still takes into account violence sensitivities in countries such as Germany, regardless of binding status. It's a perfect example of trying to please everyone, but satisfying none.

wat? please explain this:

And in UK Far Cry 2 was rated (18). If what you posted was actually true, PEGI wouldn't have been able to give out a 16+ rating.


And to even top this, Far Cry 1 was rated the same as Far Cry 2 in Germany. Far Cry 1 was even censored in Germany. Guess what PEGI gave out back then... 16+ for the uncensored version. For further study: http://farcry.wikia.com/wiki/Far_Cry#German_release_controversy

 

[dragonbane]

If noone lost any sleep over 5-10 seconds, then why not just LEAVE THEM IN. God damn. Fucking Germany and their idiotic censorship game ratings laws.

Sony already censored 2 other games before that on PS3 because of fucking Germany (God of War, The Last of Us). They censored every single version in Europe. That's how crazy it is. And Sony wouldn't have to censor it in whole Europe. Create a separate version for Germany, that noone will buy and be done with it. I didn't buy any of those two games. I will not support this bullshit. Will not buy Beyond as well. May import it in case there actually is an uncensored version.



this

Fucking Sony will notice that less people buy those games. And maybe - just maybe they will figure out that it's because of their idiotic censorship.

This isn't about Germany. It's about PEGI. Heavy Rain got a higher PEGI rating as well compared to USK. Beyond is USK 16, however PEGI was going to give Beyond PEGI 18 again just like Heavy Rain because of 10 seconds where Ellen Page

Spoiler

kills someone using a metal bar

. The dev team felt that this was wrong since the game was created from the beginning with a 16 rating in mind. So they willingly altered these 10 seconds to get the rating they felt was right. Now Ellen Page

Spoiler

still kills the dude using a metal bar, but the camera is slightly moved so you can't see how it goes through his head.

That's all and no one feels that it compromises the game in any way. These changes were done a long time ago and were not on the behalf of Sony, the dev team did it themselves. No one of them thinks that the game is "censored" in any way, quite the opposite many think the altered version is better. So no, you are not buying a censored version this time. It's just a different version, no content was removed. Just buy the one you think is better if you really care that much.

 

[Amir0x]

fuck off with this censorship shit. I don't even like these games and find his nude scenes pointless and frankly a little creepy, but shit let the man do what he likes. There's a rating for a goddamn reason.

 

[jimi_dini]

This isn't about Germany. It's about PEGI. Heavy Rain got a higher PEGI rating as well compared to USK. Beyond is USK 16, however PEGI was going to give Beyond PEGI 18 again just like Heavy Rain

So it's just the other way round. Which means Sony could in theory just release the uncut version in Germany (for a change, normally it's the exact opposite) and release a censored EU PEGI version.

In UK Heavy Rain was rated 15+. Normally they are giving out lower ratings.

For example they also gave Call Of Duty Modern Warfare a 16+. Where Germany on the other hand gave out 18+. And like in the Far Cry 1 case, CoD MW was even censored in Germany and the 16+ PEGI version was uncensored.

These changes were done a long time ago and were not on the behalf of Sony, the dev team did it themselves.

Oh right. The dev team just changed some content just because they felt like it. And at that day, they felt like changing content for Europe and some other content for US. Sony had nothing to do with it. Sure.

They just felt that they wanted to get a 16+ rating. Sure. That's their "artistic vision".

So no, you are not buying a censored version this time. It's just a different version, no content was removed.

"It's not censored. It's just different content." Of course.

Hey, Command & Conquer - the version in Germany. With robots and oil instead of human soldiers and red blood. That's also just a different version. No censorship involved. I swear.

I tell you something: Sony wanted a 16+ rating this time. Mass market appeal. More people that may buy it. PEGI told them that they would have to give the actual Beyond a 18+. Sony asked them why. They said "this scene, those 10 seconds. everything else is totally fine". Sony then sent a memo to the developers to cut it out/change it/make it fuzzy/whatever. I call that censorship.

Sadly I want to play the actual Beyond. The actual original artistic vision. Sony could even create a censored 16+ version and then give out those missing seconds as DLC. But that would be work for them. And they don't want to. They don't want the actual Beyond to get released in its original form.

If Sony doesn't sell it, I simply won't buy it. There is this nice thing called the internet. Someone will play through both versions. Cut them together. And voila, I get the original version. Sure, I won't be able to play it. But I also won't have to spend any money on it. I would call that fair.

 

[Soriku]

Is there proof that an M rating hurts sales? I mean I look at how much GTA V or The Last of Us sold or whatever and I'm not really seeing it.

 

[pizza dog]

...10 seconds...

...original artistic vision...

I mean yeah, it's cool to grandstand about censorship because Censorship is Bad but hoe about a little sobriety here. How about the developers get to decide what their artistic vision is.

If they're comfortable changing ten lousy seconds of a game, those seconds probably don't have much bearing on the artistic vision of the team.

Sure, it sounds like a silly thing to kotow to, but is this edit going to be the difference between The Great Work enlightening me and revealing Great Secrets and not? I sincerely doubt it.

Sobriety, people. It's healthier.

 

[dragonbane]

...

Not supporting a game or a developer over 10 seconds sounds weird to me.

But here is what the actual executive producer of the game has to say about this matter, the man who speaks on the behalf of his entire team and is the one responsible for bringing the artistic vision together:

"There is virtually no difference between Euro and US versions of Beyond=much ado about nothing...More important things to write IMHO!"

@GdeFondaumiere "so no censorship on us/eu version of beyond two souls?"


G de Fondaumiere: "no, only extremely marginal, as with a lot of other games btw. To be honest, I did nor even remember exactly what these were!!"

"Why could it not have just remained uncensored and you wouldn't have had to compromise on the artistic vision of the studio?"

G de Fondaumiere‏: "again, Beyond wasn't censored!"

"Any thoughts on Beyond being censored in the EU to receive a PEGI-16? I'm bitterly disappointed."

G de Fondaumiere: "you don't have to as there is virtually no difference between the EU and US versions!!"

The same man just held a presentation about why censorship needs to go away and they refuse to do it and how rating boards need to change 1 month ago. Surely he wouldn't feel this way if Sony forced them to censor their game, which as he said, they categorically refuse to do.

 

[Night Angel]

There's an awful lot of outrage over speculation in this thread. I need that this is neogaf gif please.

Here you go.

 

[Ghazi]

Yeah, it was The Saboteur.

The Saboteur, I believe.

EA did something similar with one of their titles, if I remember right.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/03/the-saboteur-day-one-dlc-unlocks-nudity-self-loathing/

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

 

[Pezking]

So...the US version isn't censored after all, right?

 

[Billen]

Bloody Germans.

 

[NolbertoS]

What?? I just ordered Beyond. If its censored, I blame the damn Puritans, errr American Censor Board for saying its OK to show guts spillin on the street or decapitations, but a boob or some below the equator shots, not acceptable :|

 

[Hobo Zombie]

What's the under-over on these nude scenes being completely gratuitous and out of place?

I don't think there is any question. It's a David Cage game.

 

[Setsuna]

What's the under-over on these nude scenes being completely gratuitous and out of place?

she takes a shower big whoop and its optional

 

[Riposte]

Pegi 16 audience > Pegi 18 audience... I also don't get it.

Wow, it really is like a movie.