Red Dead Redemption 2 Japanese Version Comparison Has a Few Key Changes, and Here They Are

Check out the changes Rockstar Games has made to the Japanese version of Red Dead Redemption 2. Watch the video or check the list in the article for the condensed version!

[UCForce]

So let me get this straight. Western Gaming have no problem with blood and gore, but no sexual content. Eastern Gaming have no problem with sexual theme, but no blood and gore. Isn’t that obvious ?

[excaliburps]

There is an issue with Japan and explicit nudity it seems.

[UCForce]

Japan never banned video game before. I afraid to say this. But Japan will banned a game if there is AAA WW2 game that set in China and you play as Chinese soldiers and controversial scenes know as “The Nanking Massacre”. If you don’t know what that is. Let just say that this was much worse than Nazi German did to Jew. If this game released in Japan, Japan government will censored it or completely banned it. Japanese Game and Anime Industry won’t be same again. I know I will get disagreements for this, but I have to say it.

[Felix_Argyle_Catbro]

There's blood and gore in Japanese games as well.

[UCForce]

Yes, but those are over the top violence. We talk about realistic violence video game.

[UCForce]

Tell me this, have you ever see Japanese developer made realistic violence game ever like Western Developer made ? Well, there could be. But most of time, Japanese Game made over the top violence that is unrealistic which I do enjoy it. But in the end, it’s very odd from Japan. Shadow of Tomb Raider also got censored in Japan.

[rainslacker]

I don't think he accurately explained the sexual content laws over there. You can show nudity, so long as it doesn't show the genitalia. Which leaves pretty much the butt of both genders, and the breasts of women. Just look at the recent censorship stuff from Sony. One of those games has pretty explicit nudity in it. If it was Japan that prevents it from being in games, then it wouldn't be coming to the Switch uncensored. If it were Japan that made some new laws I'm unaware of, then there is no reason to blame Sony over it, and once again, the "journalist" did their jobs terribly. However, I think its still on Sony making that decision.

Also, the excessive blood and gore doesn't make sense. As they have games which do that. The body parts thing I couldn't say, but I'm pretty sure there are games which have body parts laying around.

[UCForce]

True. The censorship between USA and Japan are odds and backward.

[rainslacker]

In the past, the censorship of sexual content in Japanese games has always been at the publishers will. NISA has come under fire for their adding some mild censoring in some of their localized games. But I don't believe they've ever stripped out the content completely. Just changed it to not show some naughty bits as much. All the intent of the scene or features was still in tact.

Sony is taking it a pretty big step forward, and actually saying some features have to be removed if they're too explicit or allow too much intimate interaction. At least that's what reports are from the devs are saying. I haven't come across the policy myself, I can't say for sure what all it entails, but it's quite interesting that this is something applicable to games being released in Japan given what is generally been allowed in the past.

That being said, RDR2 is pretty graphic at times. I'm curious how God of War would be censored under these new rules, as that game is pretty popular in Japan as well. It has graphic violence, and while the new game did tone down the nudity quite a bit...in fact I can't even remember any, they weren't ashamed of it's gratuitous use in the older games. Kratos would either happily have sex with a partially nude woman, or just as easily kill her in a violent way, and ripping off of body limbs was quite common. Helios he ripped his head off and used it as a flashlight, and Hermes he graphically cut his legs off while he was crawling away begging for his life, just to get a pair of kicks. I know it was a different time, but Sony has itself produced games which pass the line of what they're saying is acceptable now.

However, in the case of RDR2, I don't know if the censorship is because of Sony, or R* feeling it necessary, or because of local laws....so I can't blame Sony for that as of now. If it is Sony though...then maybe people should start being more concerned over this new policy.

[LOLcheeseORZ]

The Japanese one got gimped hard.