BBFC Cuts Games

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon because I DON'T KNOW!

Cut for trivial language for its European release

See article from movie-censorship.com:

The characters Flame Princess and Princess Bubblegum engage in a heated discussion and Princess Bubblegum uses the word tart. It seems that the developers found this to be too rude for the EU version and muted or skipped it.

Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland

Cut for international release. Uncut in Japan

The age of the characters is specified in a a profile. The characters have been nominally aged in the profile text by 3 years, but there is no change in terms of graphics.

Battlefield 4

See article from slashgear.com:

Following a newspaper campaign and due to the supposed discrediting of China's national image in the futuristic plot line of the game, Battlefield 4 has been banned from sale as of this week. The Chinese Ministry of Culture said the game is to be removed from physical shelves as well as all China-based online sales channels.

Those that've already downloaded the game in China will be unable to access any online content and are encouraged to delete the game from their consoles and PCs. The Chinese Ministry of Culture suggests that Battlefield 4:

Is an illegal game, with content that endangers national security, and is all about a cultural invasion.

Battlefield 4 relevant available downloads, patches, news, and other requirements [shall be] deleted within 24 hours.

Apparently the bit in the game where American soldiers must march into China to help in a state of social instability is not entirely welcome as a possible futuristic outcome in the country at the moment.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2's Favela map wastemporarily removed after users discovered Islamic text on a bathroom painting.

The presence of such text within a bathroom environment is apparently offensive to Muslims, prompting Activision to take action.

Apologising for the error, a spokesperson for the Modern Warfare 2 publisher told Kotaku that the map would be taken offline while the team issues an update to remove the texture:

We apologise to anyone who found this image offensive. Please be assured we were unaware of this issue and that there was no intent to offend.

Activision and our development studios are respectful of diverse cultures and religious beliefs, and sensitive to concerns raised by its loyal game players.

The scene later re-appeared with the picture frames blacked out

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3

Withdrawn from Europe and the US on grounds of political correctness

US

Team Ninja Has announced that the console game Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 won't be released in North America or in Europe. And there are no plans to change that decision.

The developer explains that political correctness does allow for a game with so many sexy bikini scenes: Team Ninja write:

Do you know many issues happening in video game industry with regard to how to treat female in video game industry? We do not want to talk those things here. But certainly we have gone through in last year or two to come to our decision. Thank you.

Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition

The original scene sees demon antagonist Mundus discussing his evil plans with fellow demon and mistress Lilith.

Mundus: I will control the world through debt. I have absolute power.

Lilith: The world is at last your bitch, as am I. Nothing left but to grab it by the hair, bend it over and -

Mundus grunts

Lilith: What's the matter? Wait - what's the matter?

The latter part of the dialogue in bold is cut from the definitive version.

Chief creative director Tameem Antoniades unconvincingly claimed that this wasn't a PC clean up. He said:

We did make an edit to the opening cut-scene. It wasn't a case of censorship as there are far more suggestive scenes in the game. We felt that scene in particular drags on a little bit for the opening sequence and frankly, we didn't like the line.

The edit does not affect the game play.

The Evil Within

Cut for a 17 rating in Japan but uncut elsewhere

Summary Notes:

Shinji Mikami, the father of survival horror, is back to direct The Evil Within -- a game embodying the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story weave together to create an immersive world that will bring players to the height of tension.

See article from siliconera.com:

Bethesida Softworks have delayed Shinji Mikami's upcoming survival-horror game, The Evil Within. ZeniMax Asia general manger Tetsu Takahashi explained how the game will now be cut for a CERO D (17) rating in japan:

If we were to make it the same way as the foreign version, it'd be rated CERO Z [18 and up] and we felt that it'd be best to release it the way the creators make it. However, that would limit the sales and advertising, so we'd lose the opportunity to reach out to as many customers possible.

However there will be a downloadable upgrade to an uncut CERO Z (18) version. Takahashi  said:

The Evil Within will have two types of CERO D and CERO Z, with both of them having passed the CERO inspections, but the retail version will only be done using the CERO D versioni. Those who preorder the game can also get the CERO Z version's representation through the Gore Mode DLC.

See pictorial cuts details from kotaku.com

Fallout 3

Banned in Germany, Australia and India. A cut version was later distributed in Germany and Australia. Unbanned in Germany in 2016.

Germany: Cut after being banned

Germany: Banned in 2009. Unbanned in 2016

Hatred

Hyped via controversy over it being the latest 'sickest game ever'. Notably AO rated in the US but didn't trouble censors elsewhere. However many outlets have refused to sell it anyway.

US: AO (Adults Only)

Banned by outlets GOG.com and Twitch

Germany: Banned in Germany and implemented by ge0-blocking on Steam

Hotline Miami 2

Banned by the Australian censor.

The censors were offended at an implied rape featured in the game. The censors wrote in a report:

In the sequence of game play footage titled Midnight Animal, the protagonist character bursts into what appears to be a movie set and explicitly kills 4 people, who collapse to the floor in a pool of copious blood, often accompanied by blood splatter. After stomping on the head of a fifth male character, he strikes a female character wearing red underwear. She is knocked to the floor and is viewed lying face down in a pool of copious blood. The male character is viewed with his pants halfway down, partially exposing his buttocks. He is viewed pinning the female down by the arms and lying on top of her thrusting, implicitly raping her (either rear entry or anally) while her legs are viewed kicking as she struggles beneath him. This visual depiction of implied sexual violence is emphasised by it being mid-screen, with a red backdrop pulsating and the remainder of the screen being surrounded by black.

The Kingdom Hearts 2

Cut outside of Japan

Summary Notes:

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.5 ReMIX is an HD remastered compilation of KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX and KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX. Previously exclusive to Japan, both games will be available for the first time across Europe and PAL regions for the PlayStation3 system. HD remastered cinematics from KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded will also be included in the compilation. The game is a sequel to last year's KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX and will lead into the highly anticipated KINGDOM HEARTS III.The KINGDOM HEARTS saga continues with three magical journeys in one package!

ESRB cuts included:

• no green Hydra Blood
• Pirates can not be set on fire
• Axel's death scene was edited

Manhunt 2

The BBFC famously banned both the original version and then the cut ESRB M rated version. The BBFC ban was overturned on appeal.

The Video Appeals Committee announced that the result of their reconsideration of the Manhunt 2 appeal remains that the appeal against the rejection of the work by the BBFC is upheld.

The Board’s decision to refuse a certificate to Manhunt 2 was successfully challenged on appeal to the Video Appeals Committee. The Board challenged the VAC’s decision by way of Judicial Review before the High Court, which quashed the decision on grounds of errors of law. The VAC has now reconsidered the appeal in the light of the High Court’s directions on the law but has decided, again by a majority of four to three, to allow the appeal on the basis that Manhunt 2 should be given an ‘18’ certificate.

In the light of legal advice the Board does not believe the VAC’s judgement provides a realistic basis for a further challenge to its decision and has accordingly issued an ‘18’ certificate.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: As I have said previously, we never take rejection decisions lightly, and they always involve a complex balance of considerations. We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an ‘18’ certificate to the game.

The BBFC also provided a statement about the 18 certificate:

MANHUNT 2 is a violent action game based on a psychological-horror theme. The player takes on the role of Daniel Lamb, a seemingly disturbed patient in a mental facility, who escapes from the institution in an effort to discover who he really is. As he progresses through various environments collecting clues and information about his identity, he is confronted by numerous thugs employed by "The Project"; a secretive experimental organisation, whom he must either evade or kill in order to ensure his own survival.

MANHUNT 2 has been classified '18' for very strong bloody and sadistic violence, which takes the form of stealth executions. In order to successfully despatch a target, the player-character must creep up behind the victim quietly and kill before he is discovered. The killings are achieved through a number of common items such as syringes, glass shards, pens, crowbars, spades, power-saws, clubs, baseball bats, axes, pliers and, later on in the game, firearms. Each killing is graphically portrayed as a brief video scene where weapons are seen to impact on various parts of the victim's body coupled to realistic sound effects and blood spurts. The cumulative effect of these killings creates a very strong impression of almost continuous violence and horror which is too strong to be contained at any category below '18'. The game is entirely unsuitable for anyone below this age.

In October 2007 the censors banned the toned down version which is presumably the M rated version as to be released in the US.

The BBFC issued the following press release:

The BBFC has rejected a revised version of the video game Manhunt 2. This follows the rejection of the original version of the game in June. The distributor had set in motion an appeal to the Video Appeals Committee against that decision, and this was suspended while the revised version was considered for classification.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said:
We recognise that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version. The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient. There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the ‘execution kills’, but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature.

We did make suggestions for further changes to the game, but the distributor has chosen not to make them, and as a result we have rejected the game on both platforms. The decision on whether or not an appeal goes ahead lies with the distributor.

The original uncut PS 2 and WII versions were rejected in June 2007 with the following BBFC statement:

The BBFC has rejected the video game Manhunt 2. This means that it cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK. The game was submitted in both a PS2 and a Nintendo Wii version. The decision was taken by the Director and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Lord Taylor of Warwick and Janet Lewis-Jones.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board’s published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game’s unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified ‘18’ in 2003, before the BBFC’s recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category.

Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

The game is as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Western version will feature the vocal talents of actor Kiefer Sutherland as Big Boss, while the Japanese version will keep long-time Japanese fan favorite, Akio Otsuka, in his regular role .

See article from kotaku.com:

Hideo Kojima, in an interview with Weekly Famitsu , mentioned that thanks to the Computer Entertainment Ratings Organization (CERO), the Japanese video game ratings board, part of the Japanese version has been censored.

That part got flagged by CERO so the production was changed that way, but in the North American version [of Ground Zeroes ] you can see everything, Kojima said when his interviewer expressed amazement of how far the content of Ground Zeroes went.

Reports mention that the missing details are from a waterboarding torture scene. other reports mention a candidate rape scene.

Monster Monpiece

 January 2014: Monster Censorship

A cut version has been rated as M for Mature by the ESRB for spring 2014 release in the US.

It is a digital card battle game in which the player summons various monster girls onto the game's battlefields. Those girls then fight the player's opponents. The girls power-up and become stronger by stripping through the use of in-game mechanics called First Crush Rub and Extreme Love.

The artwork will be censored for US and European releases as revealed in a statement emailed from the game publisher:

We kept the same number of cards in the game as the original Japanese version, but replaced some of the higher level Monster Girl images with the less exposed lower level versions of the corresponding Monster Girls due to some intense sexual imagery.

The number of censored cards is about 40 out of the approximately 350 card images available in the game. This means that over 300 cards are left untouched from the original images. That said, each card that has had its image removed will still have the same number of levels for the player to increase, but the higher level card images will be the same as the lower level, even though they have leveled up and have become more powerful.

This was a very difficult decision since we work very hard to satisfy our fans and want to bring the same content being offered in Japan. However, Western society is not as lenient as that of Japan when sexual images are involved-especially images of humanoids that appear to be younger than a socially acceptable age. The borderline of what is acceptable will always be extremely gray and vary from person to person, but as a responsible company working in the U.S., we had to make the difficult decision that we did. We sincerely apologize for those who do not agree with any level of censorship, but we greatly appreciate your understanding with the decision we have made.

Mugen Souls

December 2013. See article from movie-censorship.com

Endured several alterations for its international version. NIS America stated that they censored the game for these markets because they feared the ESRB's AO rating and that they also wanted to distance themselves from sexual acts that featuring childlike characters. 

Mugen Souls Z

December 2013. See article from movie-censorship.com

The official message board reveals that a mini game featuring characters bathing. Players can soap and rub female group members and caress them, as well. This results in characters blushing and/or moaning). It should be noted that there's no nudity involved, even though the players can certainly create the illusion by choosing a skin-toned color of the bathing suits. The issues is that the characters are involved are rather young looking.

Not cut but has a place in censorship history as it was the first game given an R18+ rating in Australia.

Paranautical Activity

Banned in Australia in 2016.

See article from kotaku.com.au
See censorship details from classification.gov.au 
See game from desura.com

The game was originally release in 2014 but reappeared in February 2015 as a Deluxe Atonement Edition. But this has now been banned by Australian censors.

The Classification Board listing is dated 5th January 2016 and lists the film as banned or 'Refused Classification' The Australian censor does not give reasons for the ban beyond vague words about it not fitting within the censorship rules.

Current distributors Digerati told kotaku they would look at removing the 'offending item' to comply with the Classification Board's requirements:

The reason they gave was 'illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives and rewards' -- the prescribed drug in game is Adderall and picking up the item gives you a 15% speed increase.

I have asked if we can resub [Paranautical Activity] without the item, waiting for a reply.

Phantasmagoria 2

• Phantasmagoria : A Puzzle of Flesh
• Phantasmagoria II: Fatal Obsessions

See article from en.wikipedia.org

Though Phantasmagoria was controversial for its use of graphic violence and a rape scene, in A Puzzle of Flesh sex was considerably more explicit: as sexuality plays a major part in the game's plot, which includes four sex scenes featuring bare breasts, bondage, sadomasochism, public sex and offscreen oral sex. Various death scenes include graphic images of gore, including disembowelment and exsanguination, and A Puzzle of Flesh was also rated harshly for strong language, including two uses of the word fuck, which in 1996 was a rare occurrence in video games.

Due to its amount of sex and violence, A Puzzle of Flesh was heavily censored in UK and banned in Singapore and Australia, although a re-cut version was eventually made available in the latter. In the United States, the game was given an RSAC Rating Level 4 (of 4) for its sexual content and a Level 3 for its violence and language.

• Ending Murder. Reduce violence in scene featuring scantily-clad blonde woman (Therese) in rest-room, as follows: After close-up of woman's chain-bound hands, remove all shots of suspended feet bathed in blood and shaking, electrocution detail, and woman's head convulsing from electric shock, resuming on ball-gag dropping into pool of blood.
• Bob's Murder. In crime scene interior featuring man in spectacles (Curtis) remove close-ups of hand being impales, of victim's mouth spewing blood as he is struck, of victim's mouth being stapled with staple-gun and of victim's mouth dripping blood as chest is slashed, resuming on victim inside body bag.

Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water

• Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Skimpy costumes for the Japanese version but head to toe cladding for western versions

Skimpy costumes for the Japanese version but head to toe cladding for western versions

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Uncut and PEGI 18 rated. Cut in Autsralia for an R18+ rating

South Park: The Stick of Truth is available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March 2014

US: Uncut and M rated

February 2014. See article from eurogamer.net:

Ubisoft has censored the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of 18-rated comedy role-playing game South Park: The Stick of Truth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The PC version remains unaffected.

BT.com reported on a note sent to press alongside copies of the game that revealed the changes, which amount to seven scenes of about 20 seconds each:

• A mini-game in which the doctor is performing an abortion on the player.
• A mini-game in which the player is performing an abortion on the character Randy.
• Five anal probing scenes involving someone actively being probed. The scenes play out as normal before and after the active probing sequences.

Each censored scene is replaced by an image background and a description text selected by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Ubisoft said.

Speculation suggests that the censorship was applied to the entire region to appease the lowest common denominator of game censors, ie those in Germany.

See article from escapistmagazine.com

South Park wouldn't be South Park without a healthy dose of controversy, so it should come as no surprise that the just-released Stick of Truth South Park video game has its fair share. Originally, when it was revealed that the game would be censored in Australia, absolutely no-one was surprised, as Australia censors pretty much everything these days. What was a little more surprising was the news that the same offending scenes would be cut from the European versions of the game.

First up is the anal probe scene, in which the player character is dragged past three other characters who are being actively probed, is then probed himself, and then has to help rescue Randy Marsh without accidentally probing him.

The second sequence, the abortion scene, starts with the doctor performing an abortion on the player character, and ends up with the player performing an abortion on, once again, Randy Marsh (poor Randy).

See article from escapistmagazine.com: De-censorship Mod

South Park fans living in Australia, Europe, Africa and The Middle East were somewhat dismayed to learn that their version of South Park: The Stick of Truth . would be censored . I was able to upload the scenes so affected users could see what they were missing out on, but now, those clever PC modders have done one better, creating a patch for the Steam version of the game that allows everyone to enjoy it fully uncensored. Hooray for anal probes!

You can find the patch on the Steam community forums here , and to install it, you simply need to download this file and extract it into the game's directory. Fans are reporting that the patch works perfectly, allowing them to see the removed anal probe and abortion scenes, as well as the Nazi zombies for those users in Germany.

February 2014. See article from gamespot.com:

The German version will not feature any swastikas, Ubisoft has confirmed:

With regards to the German version, all Nazi symbols have been removed from the game in accordance with German law.

February 2014 See article from gameplanet.com.au: Cut by 5 minutes

Ubisoft said in a statement:

A modified version has now been approved for release, under the guidance of R18+. No full sequences have been removed from the game, only small sections amounting to less than five minutes of game play. These modifications in no way detract from the narrative of the game, meaning the player will still enjoy an authentic South Park experience.

December 2013. See article from movie-censorship.com:

South Park: The Stick of Truth has been cut by the Australian Censorship Board.

The version to be released in Australia is missing an entire interactive sequence in which the player character, among others, is subjected to anal probing by alien technology.

The scene is a homage to the very first episode of the TV series and includes that an alien probe is inserted anally into various characters within an interactive animated sequence and - mainly - with no indication of explicit or implicit consent .

The game was resubmitted in a slightly modified version. The censor's report doesn't exactly how it was changed cut it seemed that the victims of the anal probe are now sleeping or sedated and thus don't respond painfully to the probe. However this version did not allay the censor's concern about the lack of consent, and so was refused again.

In the third and successful submission, the alien probe scene was totally removed and replaced by a simple text that describes the events. It is framed by a picture that shows crying koala bears and the word CENSORED in big red letters placed right next to it.

The censors also criticised an abortion scene with an amateurishly executed abortion using a coat hanger and a vacuum cleaner. However the censors did not push this point and the scene remained unaltered.

Street Fighter V

Cut to avoid offence

The reported cuts were:

In the previous build for Street Fighter 5, R. Mika would hold her opponents legs in a split during a move, this is not longer the case. Now her opponents legs are much closer together. Maybe coincidently but comparison shots also show some cleavage being lost in reframing.

R. Mika's invaluable butt slap has been replaced with a very different camera angle -- one that shows her upper body, instead of her very robust lower body.

Capcom's Yoshinori Ono in a recent interview to Jogos confirmed cuts to the game. He explained:

Our objective with 'Street Fighter V' is to start over from zero explains Ono. We want the professional players and the casual fans of the series to return, but we also want to reach those who have never even touched a fighting game. So we can't have something in the game that makes people think, 'This is not acceptable'

We didn't make any change because of external influences. Those changes came up internally. We decided to remove that because we want the biggest possible number of people to play, and we don't want to have something in the game that might make someone uncomfortable

Probably we won't be able to remove everything that could offend someone. But our goal is, at least, to reduce that number as much as possible so that they think 'Ok, there is this issue here, but it is within the limits'. We want that everyone can play and enjoy without worrying about anything else Ono said.

Tropico 5

Promotional Material

You, as El Presidente, will first take control of the infamous island of Tropico during early colonial times and then guide it through the centuries as the world changes and moves ever forward. You must tackle the changing needs of your people, as well as opposing governments and factions, and thus lay the foundations for your own dynasty. As you move through your years in office you can promote members of your extended family on the island to positions of power: such as ambassador, commanding general or even Supreme Ruler, to ensure your legacy thrives through the eras. As your influence and wealth grows, so do the threats to your burgeoning island superpower. Can you survive both World Wars, prosper through the Great Depression, rule as an iron-fisted dictator through the Cold War and advance your country to modern times and beyond? From the 19th to the 21st century, each era carries its own challenges and opportunities

See article from abcnews.go.com

Following a newspaper campaign and due to the supposed discrediting of China's national image in the futuristic plot line of the game, Battlefield 4 has been banned from sale as of this week. The Chinese Ministry of Culture said the game is to be removed from physical shelves as well as all China-based online sales channels.

Those that've already downloaded the game in China will be unable to access any online content and are encouraged to delete the game from their consoles and PCs. The Chinese Ministry of Culture suggests that Battlefield 4:

Is an illegal game, with content that endangers national security, and is all about a cultural invasion.

Battlefield 4 relevant available downloads, patches, news, and other requirements [shall be] deleted within 24 hours.

Apparently the bit in the game where American soldiers must march into China to help in a state of social instability is not entirely welcome as a possible futuristic outcome in the country at the moment.

Until Dawn

Cut in Japan

The YouTube channel Censored Gaming has published its latest video, this one highlighting how the PlayStation 4 horror game, Until Dawn, was amended for its Japanese release.

Josh's death by saw cutscene was crudely censored for Japan by totally blanking out the video.

See video from YouTube

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Cut for Nazi symbology in Germany