www.Tobold.com
Tobold@GMail.com
A blog with my thoughts regarding games I am playing and other stuff in life. Please read my Terms of Service
RSS Feed
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Age of Conan censored versions by country
Germany has very stringent laws against the depiction of ultra violence in media, including video games, but isn't all that worried about sex. The USA doesn't mind violence, but having any sex in it can kill a video game there, because many retailers don't carry "Adult Only" rated games. Being European myself I have an easier time understanding the German position, after all you'll probably want your children to have sex one day when they are grown up, but you'll don't want them to decapitate people at any age. :) Anyway, via Joystiq I read of Funcom's official announcement that Age of Conan would ship in different versions, censored according to the sensitivities of the different markets. So Germans will get a version of AoC without decapitation, while Americans get a version of AoC without nipples. Living in Belgium apparently I have the right to see decapitated females *with* nipples. Isn't freedom of speech a wonderful thing?
[EDIT: Apparently Funcom accidentally sent their uncensored version with nipples to the ESRB and got away with a Mature rating, so nipples (but not full nudity) are in the US version. But that might not matter. Leaked info from the beta (via Common Sense Gamer) says that Age of Conan is currently so bad, even Britney Spears in full frontal nudity couldn't save the game.]
- posted by Tobold @ 1:37 PM Permanent Link
Comments:
<< Home
Newer› ‹Older
Funcom have announced that their upcoming MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be censored for...wait for it...the German market. The German version won't feature excessive violence, such as dismemberment and copious amounts of gore. It will, however, be the only edited version: contrary to reports from earlier today, the US version of the game will ship uncensored, and that includes lady-nipples. As for classification, it's got an M rating in the US, while it'll carry an 18+ rating in Europe
Thats According to Kotaku.
Thats According to Kotaku.
Just to clarify: the US version isn't technically being censored. The developers are simply aware of the negative effect an AO rating will have on sales. An argument could be made that this is simply a stealth censor system, creating a situation that makes it financially unrewarding to include certain content, but it's still not outright censorship. They can make a game with nipples in the US...they just aren't.
# posted by 
: 6/2/08 15:02
: 6/2/08 15:02
Old news on Broken Toys said the same as I did, only funnier. New news on Broken Toys have the correction: The US version of Age of Conan is rated M for Mature, but will not be censored, and thus will have nipples. How they got the nipples past the ESRB board I don't know.
Simple boss, nudity does not equal AO - plenty of games like God of War have simple nudity and are MATURE rated - oh, and Oblivion - but that's another story.
It takes Some kind of Graphic SEX to earn AO.
It takes Some kind of Graphic SEX to earn AO.
# posted by : 6/2/08 15:22
: 6/2/08 15:22
Ah, well then they are consistent Tobold at least.
Conan for the 360 and PS3 has nipples but not full nudity, as did God of War on the PS2.
Conan for the 360 and PS3 has nipples but not full nudity, as did God of War on the PS2.
Britney Spears in full front nudity would destroy (not save) any game, even WoW. Just to clarify.
# posted by : 6/2/08 16:31
: 6/2/08 16:31
Well, that forum post certainly sounds like the game is not finished, and like it has a long way to go until it is. I think the best bit would be to close out all beta testers and start bringing it to an actual beta version before letting them in, because people have somehow come to expect not testing but playing when they hear "beta". Which is silly. In other words, wee, he broke the NDA and made a fool of himself to tell the world "I'm in a beta that actually deserves the name".
What a dork.
What a dork.
why do funcom think nipple and blood equals to a mature game ? mature doesnt mean sex and violence.
if they think sex and violence will help them sell MMO they are wrong, it will drive some ppl away for sure.
i for one wont play conan but im looking forward to WHO
if they think sex and violence will help them sell MMO they are wrong, it will drive some ppl away for sure.
i for one wont play conan but im looking forward to WHO
# posted by : 7/2/08 04:36
: 7/2/08 04:36
I'm having troubles believing the poster was actually in any recent AoC beta, when many of their points are very old news.
But hey, you were never once interested in the game Tobold, so why bother posting anything indepth or actually accurate about it eh?
But hey, you were never once interested in the game Tobold, so why bother posting anything indepth or actually accurate about it eh?
# posted by : 7/2/08 17:55
: 7/2/08 17:55
why bother posting anything indepth or actually accurate about it eh?
I link to the information I can find. If you have something more in depth or accurate to offer, post the link to that. Otherwise I'll have to assume that you are just a fanboi dissing any negative post about your favorite game whether it is true or not.
I link to the information I can find. If you have something more in depth or accurate to offer, post the link to that. Otherwise I'll have to assume that you are just a fanboi dissing any negative post about your favorite game whether it is true or not.
First, the point is the irresponsibility of questionable leaked beta information, so no I'm not providing any links in that regard. Even just a cursory glance at Funcom's AoC forums and you can see easily enough that many of these are old issues, some from as far back as a year ago.
You've claimed previously to be respectful of NDAs. Does that only matter when you're in on the beta and it's a game you like?
You know very well I'm not just a "fanboi", we've previously exchanged email. And the subject then too was if you're going to be more than a casual blogger, then you've got the same responsibilities as any other journalist.
When you do it right it's good stuff Tobold. Please, stick to stuff that's a wee bit more valid.
You've claimed previously to be respectful of NDAs. Does that only matter when you're in on the beta and it's a game you like?
You know very well I'm not just a "fanboi", we've previously exchanged email. And the subject then too was if you're going to be more than a casual blogger, then you've got the same responsibilities as any other journalist.
When you do it right it's good stuff Tobold. Please, stick to stuff that's a wee bit more valid.
# posted by : 7/2/08 20:55
: 7/2/08 20:55
So I'm not allowed to link to a blog which copied and pasted a text from a third person who might or might not have broken an NDA? How am I supposed to know there *is* an NDA and what exactly it entails? You can't hold me responsible for other people breaking their NDA, I didn't sign anything.
You're going to seriously claim ignorance that an NDA would be in place in a closed beta the info is supposedly "leaked" from?
Yes, I'd say that posting commentary and opinion based upon questionable information is irresponsible.
The guy who posted that nonsense didn't break an NDA either, he just rounded up a bunch of old information and regurgitated it for folks like you to fall for it.
Grow some integrity.
Yes, I'd say that posting commentary and opinion based upon questionable information is irresponsible.
The guy who posted that nonsense didn't break an NDA either, he just rounded up a bunch of old information and regurgitated it for folks like you to fall for it.
Grow some integrity.
# posted by : 7/2/08 22:12
: 7/2/08 22:12
Grow some brain. Leaking info when under an NDA is illegal. Linking to a blog that copies information that is leaked is certainly legal. You can't sue somebody for reporting information somebody else leaked, ask Valerie Plame. Do you really want to hold me to a higher standard than the New York Times?
What you call "integrity", I call toeing the party line. Cameron wrote an article about people like you, trying to hide any possible negative information about a game until it is released and it is too late, because people already wasted $50 on it.
Leaked information is often the only source we have to know whether a game is really fun, and whether it lives up to all the hype. And other blogs posting information about an upcoming game is what counts as news in the blogosphere. Look at my blog! I didn't even repost the leaked information, I just linked to it. And I will continue to link to any information I can find about upcoming games, positive or negative. If I only wanted to write positive reviews, I'd work for Gamespot.
What you call "integrity", I call toeing the party line. Cameron wrote an article about people like you, trying to hide any possible negative information about a game until it is released and it is too late, because people already wasted $50 on it.
Leaked information is often the only source we have to know whether a game is really fun, and whether it lives up to all the hype. And other blogs posting information about an upcoming game is what counts as news in the blogosphere. Look at my blog! I didn't even repost the leaked information, I just linked to it. And I will continue to link to any information I can find about upcoming games, positive or negative. If I only wanted to write positive reviews, I'd work for Gamespot.
Integrity isn't legality.
If someone had said a year ago that you'd take potshots at games using junk baitposts as material, I'd have said Tobold has more integrity than that. I'd have been wrong apparently.
Towing the line? It's not about the game in question, it's about abusing FUD and "leaked" BS to support you're own predictions. I'd have said the same regardless of the game.
I agree, don't work for Gamespot. But then, don't work for Kotaku either. You want an expressive link for what this is all about, this is a whole lot closer to the topic at hand: http://www.f13.net/index.php?itemid=547
Throw about as many insults as you wish, but let's make integrity about integrity shall we?
If someone had said a year ago that you'd take potshots at games using junk baitposts as material, I'd have said Tobold has more integrity than that. I'd have been wrong apparently.
Towing the line? It's not about the game in question, it's about abusing FUD and "leaked" BS to support you're own predictions. I'd have said the same regardless of the game.
I agree, don't work for Gamespot. But then, don't work for Kotaku either. You want an expressive link for what this is all about, this is a whole lot closer to the topic at hand: http://www.f13.net/index.php?itemid=547
Throw about as many insults as you wish, but let's make integrity about integrity shall we?
# posted by : 7/2/08 22:50
: 7/2/08 22:50
To be fair, there IS a problem (and has been for a very long time) with videogame journalism that just rehypes press releases and promotes the games for the publishers, intentional or not.
But that doesn't mean the answer is to jump after any "leaked" news without any sort of verification either. Especially when it seems like just an attempt to solidify an already entrenched position.
Even the ratings portion of the post is a slanted twist on old news, it was announced back in October, the U.S. rating and the included nudity (nipples) is no surprise, but you've presented it like it was an unintentional mistake.
There's no doubt about it to me, this is "junk" news. The only question is whether you're a willing participant or a victim. Either way though, that's exactly why posting this kind of junk IS irresponsible.
The answer to one problem isn't to create another. =(
But that doesn't mean the answer is to jump after any "leaked" news without any sort of verification either. Especially when it seems like just an attempt to solidify an already entrenched position.
Even the ratings portion of the post is a slanted twist on old news, it was announced back in October, the U.S. rating and the included nudity (nipples) is no surprise, but you've presented it like it was an unintentional mistake.
There's no doubt about it to me, this is "junk" news. The only question is whether you're a willing participant or a victim. Either way though, that's exactly why posting this kind of junk IS irresponsible.
The answer to one problem isn't to create another. =(
# posted by : 7/2/08 23:06
: 7/2/08 23:06
So how do you propose I verify leaked news for a game where I wasn't invited to the beta? Just because you don't like the leaked info doesn't make it "junk". At the very least it represents one beta testers opinion, skewed as it may be. How reporting that could have anything to do with integrity is beyond me. Am I supposed to only report news about AoC that was officially sanctioned by Funcom? How integer would that be?
1. Granted, a lot of these points are somewhat old news, but it proves that they did the right thing to delay the game a few motnhs. In fact, I'll bet we see another delay to September - if they are smart.
2. Most of the points in that post seem to be of th"not in the game yet" flavor, not "the implementation of this feature is crappy". Again, this doesn't mean the game will suck, just that it is very far from release quality.
3. All those folks flaming Tobold for discussing this post - if you come to one man's blog expecting "journalism", then you have only yourselves to blame when you find one man's opinions and musings. I like to know when to expect this game, and whether to buy it now or wait until it is release-quality (see PoTBS for more such examples). I'm peering very hard at this post, but not seeing this "lack of integrity" you seem to derive.
Adjust your expectations, please a.k.a. stop being sour idiots.
Post a Comment
2. Most of the points in that post seem to be of th"not in the game yet" flavor, not "the implementation of this feature is crappy". Again, this doesn't mean the game will suck, just that it is very far from release quality.
3. All those folks flaming Tobold for discussing this post - if you come to one man's blog expecting "journalism", then you have only yourselves to blame when you find one man's opinions and musings. I like to know when to expect this game, and whether to buy it now or wait until it is release-quality (see PoTBS for more such examples). I'm peering very hard at this post, but not seeing this "lack of integrity" you seem to derive.
Adjust your expectations, please a.k.a. stop being sour idiots.
<< Home
