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Capcom's Deep Down is an online multiplayer RPG for PS4
Capcom's Deep Down, first unveiled at February's PS4 reveal event, is being teased as an online multiplayer game. As 4Gamer reports, at a conference in Tokyo today Capcom revealed it'll exhibit the PS4 role-playing game at the Tokyo Game Show in late September. Today's new teaser doesn't show much of the game, or the new Panta Rhei engine it's running in. For a better, less haunting idea of what's up with Deep Down, we'll refer you back to its first trailer, complete with swords, arrows, and an irate dragon.
Sony streamlining ratings for PlayStation Mobile
Publishing a game on PlayStation Mobile will be easier than usual, thanks to an initiative by Sony. Developer relations exec Shane Bettenhausen revealed during a Fantastic Arcade panel that Sony has collaborated with ratings boards for a simpler method of ratings. "ESRB lite, PEGI lite, CERO lite," he called it.Under the new system, developers are able to self-report content by checking spaces on a form. That saves time and overhead required for ratings boards to check the content manually. It also means that games on PS Mobile are subject to the same content restrictions as console games – and not, say, at the mercy of Apple.
Sleeping Dogs receives adults-only rating in Japan
Sleeping Dogs, the upcoming Hong Kong-based gritty action title from Square Enix received a Z rating from the Japanese rating organization CERO (the equivalent of an AO rating from the ESRB). As a result, the game will be modified for Japanese audiences, particularly to penalize players for attacking civilians, according to CVG.Additionally, a sex scene in the game will be softened, and the game won't include a character that signals the start of a street race. Z-rated games in Japan are not displayed on store shelves, so buyers will have to ask for the game by name at retail store counters (much like the Xbox 360 version of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise). The practice of adapting a game for Japanese audiences isn't uncommon, as THQ's Homefront shipped without Kim Jong-il images in 2011.Sleeping Dogs received a Mature rating from the ESRB, and is set to launch on August 14 in North America.
Homefront intro cuts Kim Jong-il images for Japanese market
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!
Square Enix 'Extreme Edges' is new label for publisher's violent games in Japan
As Square Enix continues to expand globablly, it's starting to publish titles in Japan that aren't traditionally "Square Enix," like Modern Warfare 2 and games from its newly acquired Eidos subsidiary. According to Famitsu (via Andriasang), president Yoichi Wada has announced a new box label to be used by the publisher that will differentiate its "mature" Western games from its usual slate of more innocent fantasy products: "Square Enix Extreme Edges." Wait -- didn't Wada say he wanted Japanese gamers not to discriminate against Western games? The "Extreme Edges" label will be used for Western-made games bearing CERO "D" (17+) or "Z" (18+) ratings, though Square Enix has yet to publish any CERO Z titles. The Z rating is legally age-restricted, and games bearing it are often not displayed in stores. Square Enix, however, will release Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days in Japan on August 26; a game that at least seems "edgy" and "extreme" enough for the new label and probably worthy of the CERO Z rating, as well.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker losing a scene in Japan
How is Twitter like Metal Gear Solid's codec system? Two ways: you see a picture of the person speaking next to every statement, and Hideo Kojima writes a lot for both. Andriasang pointed out a Tweet from the game designer, revealing that cuts had to be made to the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to keep the game at a CERO (Japan's equivalent to the ESRB) "C" rating. "The PSP is supported by the younger generation," Kojima said. "That is why we avoided the animation of bloodspill. However, 'A Scene' that is critical and essential to the series was pointed out by the rating board." Kojima lamented the fact that the anti-war and anti-nuke messages of the game were ignored by the ratings board, while one bloody scene was seized upon. The American and European releases of the game will be uncut. We believe the scene in question is likely to be a torture sequence, a staple of the Metal Gear Solid series. It is most assuredly not the scene in which Snake fights a giant dragon-type creature. Celebrate the uncensored nature of the localized game by watching the American trailer above, originally posted on the PlayStation Blog.
Mature-themed Wii games get the black box in Japan
Nintendo of Japan has launched a new program to better differentiate its diverse Wii software lineup. According to the company, future Wii games that earn a CERO C rating (equivalent to ESRB's Teen rating) or above will be packaged in new black boxes. Likely, this initiative was started due to the upcoming release of Zangeki no Reginleiv, Nintendo's first CERO D–rated game (ages 17 and up) in Japan. It seems this is a platform-wide mandate, as Biohazard: The Darkside Chronicles looks to become the first third-party game to sport Nintendo's black packaging. By differentiating "hardcore" games from the rest of the Wii lineup, core gamers should have a much easier time identifying the titles they might like. As for helping "casual" folk make the quick decision, it's as yet unconfirmed if Nintendo will continue to use that striking red box for all Mario-themed games. [Via Siliconera]
Xbox 360 release of No More Heroes may be censored in Japan
Japanese retailer Amiami includes a note on its listing for the Xbox 360 version of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise that suggests that because it is based on the North American version of the Wii original, it is likely to carry the CERO Z rating (think an ESRB M rating, but harsher) when it is released in February. Because it is the North American version (with "bloodshed" intact), the site says, it will hold a special appeal for game fans. The same message doesn't appear on the PS3 version's listing, suggesting that it'll be the same censored game that was originally released in Japan. CERO Z-rated games often don't get displayed on shelves, so if this is accurate, it'll ensure that only the hardcore will even know about the Xbox 360 version of the game. That would limit sales severely, if sales weren't already limited severely by its status as an Xbox 360 game in Japan. %Gallery-78530% [Via Siliconera]
GTA Chinatown Wars is the first Z-rated DS game in Japan
The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (Japan's equivalent of the ESRB) reserves its most restrictive rating, Z, for games intended for ages 18 and up. There's a slightly less restrictive D rating for ages 17 and up, which gives Z-rated games a sort of stigma almost equivalent to the ESRB's AO rating -- Z-rated games require the buyer to provide proof of age, and often have little or no display presence in stores.Which isn't exactly good news for the first CERO Z-rated DS game ... Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, whose North American sales suggest it doesn't need any more disadvantages. Like every other GTA, Chinatown Wars will carry the adults-only rating in Japan. Unlike every other GTA (except for IV on the PC), this one will be published by Cyberfront instead of Capcom when it comes out in the fall.
Japan rates Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox Originals
With all the games that are uncovered via the ESRB and Germany's USK, we often forget about Japan's CERO rating board. Thankfully, our tipsters haven't forgotten it, and now we have what appears to be confirmation that Panzer Dragoon Orta is headed to Xbox Originals, at least in Japan. Ratings boards tend to be dead accurate when used to predict upcoming game releases, so this is pretty solid evidence that the game will be heading to Microsoft's download service. Whether or not Panzer Dragoon Orta makes it to the US remains to be seen. Oh, and for what it's worth, the game was rated B, which translates to everyone ages 12 and up.[Thanks, sacra]
