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Martha is dead to be censored/edited on PlayStation platforms, PC and Xbox unaffected.

kingfey

Banned
Funny thing that all these defenders of censorship weren't up in arms at the time for that innit? (Nah, not really. Console warriors will be console warriors).

I do *love* Outlast though. Such a simple and fun little indie game. The DLC was even better. I need to get back into II at some point.
Is it me, or are these lurkers chat only during big topics? I only see few people engage in topics these days. Yet, all these spawn on big events like bethesda/bungie/Activision purchase. And this too.

This silly topic, seems to be bigger now for some reason.
 

kingfey

Banned
I see people still falling into the trap of "why would anyone find this fun?". Now maybe some of the people saying this are Nintendo soyboys who took Reggie's "if it's not fun, why bother?" quote too literally. But I jest.

I've said in other threads about game difficulty and censorship the same thing: people don't understand that games have moved on. They are no longer just a children's toy and so, like other medium, will try to elicit a wide range of emotions. So no, cutting the face off a woman (it's not a baby or a child for fuck's sake) and wearing it is not meant to be 'fun'. I'm pretty sure everyone would be concerned if someone thought it was. It is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and dirty when doing it. It's the fucking point.

It's not like this is some bait-and-switch on the part of the developers either. Many seem to be thinking of the game as "lol it's a walking sim", and that everything is just boring and fine until out of nowhere it springs some dismemberment on you. No - it advertises itself as a dark psychological thriller up front:

horror1otjob.png


It places the reviews describing it as 'horror' front and center:

horror279j06.png


It's M / 18-rated and clearly places warnings of the content on both Steam and the PS store:

pegi18rrjxp.png


horror36rjvb.png


warning2psj9k.png


So the game passed all of the rating organization reviews without cuts (which is important, because there are still products banned from sale till this day). It even received cultural monetary support from the EU:

eufund3yjhr.png


Do you think they would happily offer up money to something like this if it was just interactive gore porn and didn't have artistic value? Will people be writing angry letters now to the EU demanding they pull their support? Are the EU - dare I say it - now based?

This decision was purely because of Sony wanting to virtue signal, nothing more. The ratings agencies deemed it okay, many players have expressed anger that they now cannot play it as is, and so the whole thing reeks of Sony acting as a moral arbiter. It's unsurprising though, now that the company's balance of power has tipped from glorious Nippon to woke Californians with a clueless English bloke at the helm.

If Sony hadn't done this, it would simply be another case of "if you don't like it, don't play it". It's that simple. Choice would be placed back in the hands of players. It is one game out of literally 10s of thousands released yearly. Which, as an indie game, let's face it: you wouldn't have known about if not for this news.
This kinda changes the perspective. If those big guys approve it, then there is nothing there to complain about it.
 
Yeah I don't see how this contributes anything besides just being disturbing for no reason
Years ago, neogaf went apeshit about the last of us multiplayer having skull stomping removed.

They can either publish it on PlayStation or not. If they change it, it’s their decision. They admit they are getting the “uncut” version out to 2/3 of the market, so no one is being harmed here.
 
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Ladioss

Member
On the bonus side, it's good publicity for the title. Never heard of it before.

Still, it's funny how the neo-puritanian crowd succesfully took over Playstation.
 

Fredrik

Member
Hasn't Sony even banned revealing clothed girls just to turn around and let ND have a nude sex scene. I guess it's rules for thee but not for me for Sony.
ND made sex scenes with girls who looks like men, that’s all fine, it’s only the feminine forms that are shameful, apparently.
 

xBlueStonex

Member
TLOU2: Multiple scenes of incredibly realistic violence, pregnant women getting stabbed, men getting their heads pulverized with golf clubs, comically buff looking females getting stripped and fu*ked from behind.

Sony: Video games are art, it's okay.

Martha is Dead: Dream sequence in which an obviously fake corpse is defaced.

Sony: Oh hell no.
 

GHound

Member
Thank you for posting this, I probably wouldn't have ever seen this bit otherwise. This honestly just further drives the point home for me that it's the same perpetually offended asswipes in the company that have been forcing censorship on Japanese games for a while now and don't care about anything but their own overly sensitive feelings much less integrity or creative freedom.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
I dont understand why they dont take the Modern Warfare No Russian approach and just ask if you're a pussy when you first start up the game

Then the pussies would cry about being called pussies. We already have gaming “journalists” and some sad folks who got offended when Wolfenstein suggested they are crying babies for playing on the easiest difficulty.
 
I see people still falling into the trap of "why would anyone find this fun?". Now maybe some of the people saying this are Nintendo soyboys who took Reggie's "if it's not fun, why bother?" quote too literally. But I jest.

I've said in other threads about game difficulty and censorship the same thing: people don't understand that games have moved on. They are no longer just a children's toy and so, like other medium, will try to elicit a wide range of emotions. So no, cutting the face off a woman (it's not a baby or a child for fuck's sake) and wearing it is not meant to be 'fun'. I'm pretty sure everyone would be concerned if someone thought it was. It is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and dirty when doing it. It's the fucking point.

It's not like this is some bait-and-switch on the part of the developers either. Many seem to be thinking of the game as "lol it's a walking sim", and that everything is just boring and fine until out of nowhere it springs some dismemberment on you. No - it advertises itself as a dark psychological thriller up front:

horror1otjob.png


It places the reviews describing it as 'horror' front and center:

horror279j06.png


It's M / 18-rated and clearly places warnings of the content on both Steam and the PS store:

pegi18rrjxp.png


horror36rjvb.png


warning2psj9k.png


So the game passed all of the rating organization reviews without cuts (which is important, because there are still products banned from sale till this day). It even received cultural monetary support from the EU:

eufund3yjhr.png


Do you think they would happily offer up money to something like this if it was just interactive gore porn and didn't have artistic value? Will people be writing angry letters now to the EU demanding they pull their support? Are the EU - dare I say it - now based?

This decision was purely because of Sony wanting to virtue signal, nothing more. The ratings agencies deemed it okay, many players have expressed anger that they now cannot play it as is, and so the whole thing reeks of Sony acting as a moral arbiter. It's unsurprising though, now that the company's balance of power has tipped from glorious Nippon to woke Californians with a clueless English bloke at the helm.

If Sony hadn't done this, it would simply be another case of "if you don't like it, don't play it". It's that simple. Choice would be placed back in the hands of players. It is one game out of literally 10s of thousands released yearly. Which, as an indie game, let's face it: you wouldn't have known about if not for this news.
In Germany is it forbidden to have red blood in a game, its green as far as i know....
 
I see people still falling into the trap of "why would anyone find this fun?". Now maybe some of the people saying this are Nintendo soyboys who took Reggie's "if it's not fun, why bother?" quote too literally. But I jest.

I've said in other threads about game difficulty and censorship the same thing: people don't understand that games have moved on. They are no longer just a children's toy and so, like other medium, will try to elicit a wide range of emotions. So no, cutting the face off a woman (it's not a baby or a child for fuck's sake) and wearing it is not meant to be 'fun'. I'm pretty sure everyone would be concerned if someone thought it was. It is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and dirty when doing it. It's the fucking point.

It's not like this is some bait-and-switch on the part of the developers either. Many seem to be thinking of the game as "lol it's a walking sim", and that everything is just boring and fine until out of nowhere it springs some dismemberment on you. No - it advertises itself as a dark psychological thriller up front:

horror1otjob.png


It places the reviews describing it as 'horror' front and center:

horror279j06.png


It's M / 18-rated and clearly places warnings of the content on both Steam and the PS store:

pegi18rrjxp.png


horror36rjvb.png


warning2psj9k.png


So the game passed all of the rating organization reviews without cuts (which is important, because there are still products banned from sale till this day). It even received cultural monetary support from the EU:

eufund3yjhr.png


Do you think they would happily offer up money to something like this if it was just interactive gore porn and didn't have artistic value? Will people be writing angry letters now to the EU demanding they pull their support? Are the EU - dare I say it - now based?

This decision was purely because of Sony wanting to virtue signal, nothing more. The ratings agencies deemed it okay, many players have expressed anger that they now cannot play it as is, and so the whole thing reeks of Sony acting as a moral arbiter. It's unsurprising though, now that the company's balance of power has tipped from glorious Nippon to woke Californians with a clueless English bloke at the helm.

If Sony hadn't done this, it would simply be another case of "if you don't like it, don't play it". It's that simple. Choice would be placed back in the hands of players. It is one game out of literally 10s of thousands released yearly. Which, as an indie game, let's face it: you wouldn't have known about if not for this news.
You do know these rating organizations don’t play the game? They get a video from the makers of the game, sorta like a trailer and then rate it.
 

arvfab

Banned
In Germany is it forbidden to have red blood in a game, its green as far as i know....
Sarcasm/joke?

Germany got a lot better regarding censorship. For some reason they seem to have something against the Dying Light games, as both are prohibited to be sold in store here and only part 2 can be bought digital, but censored. Beside them, I can't remember if any other games in the past 5-6 years had any issues with the USK.
 

Ladioss

Member
Thank you for posting this, I probably wouldn't have ever seen this bit otherwise. This honestly just further drives the point home for me that it's the same perpetually offended asswipes in the company that have been forcing censorship on Japanese games for a while now and don't care about anything but their own overly sensitive feelings much less integrity or creative freedom.
Agreed. American friends often don't fully grasp how cancerous the UE is.
 

Pedro Motta

Member
You've said nothing here. Yet another one trying to derail and bring up a bullshit ban (for saying Sony has no big exclusives this holiday) for a legit criticism.

You guys can't attack the argument so it makes sense to attack the users. I'll make this simple for those who have this obsession with me.

Rather than derail, dm me and arrange to met up just to how much of this energy translates in person.
Long overdue. He is not the first one to call a pedophile or insinuate pedophilia to other users. I see a pattern here.
 

Prison Mike

Banned
You've said nothing here. Yet another one trying to derail and bring up a bullshit ban (for saying Sony has no big exclusives this holiday) for a legit criticism.

You guys can't attack the argument so it makes sense to attack the users. I'll make this simple for those who have this obsession with me.

Rather than derail, dm me and arrange to met up just to how much of this energy translates in person.
Step Brothers Fighting GIF by reactionseditor
 

yurinka

Member
Thank you for posting this, I probably wouldn't have ever seen this bit otherwise. This honestly just further drives the point home for me that it's the same perpetually offended asswipes in the company that have been forcing censorship on Japanese games for a while now and don't care about anything but their own overly sensitive feelings much less integrity or creative freedom.

Do you think they would happily offer up money to something like this if it was just interactive gore porn and didn't have artistic value? Will people be writing angry letters now to the EU demanding they pull their support? Are the EU - dare I say it - now based?

This decision was purely because of Sony wanting to virtue signal, nothing more. The ratings agencies deemed it okay, many players have expressed anger that they now cannot play it as is, and so the whole thing reeks of Sony acting as a moral arbiter. It's unsurprising though, now that the company's balance of power has tipped from glorious Nippon to woke Californians with a clueless English bloke at the helm.

If Sony hadn't done this, it would simply be another case of "if you don't like it, don't play it". It's that simple. Choice would be placed back in the hands of players. It is one game out of literally 10s of thousands released yearly. Which, as an indie game, let's face it: you wouldn't have known about if not for this news.


In the EU getting a PEGI 18 you can put games with gore and sex in the retail stores. In Japan or USA don't if you get a ESRB AO. Gore is censored for all the games released on Japanese retail stores for all platforms, not only PlayStation (example: Resident Evil games). It has to do with the age rating system (not controlled by Sony, and the same for all platforms) that retail stores get.

When only happens in PS is because -as happens in Martha is Dead- that version is the only one released there in retail.

Something very similar happens in USA with ESRB AO. Since retail stores can't display there AO games to kids they don't buy it, so some publishers -as it is the case of Martha is Dead- decide to self censor the platform(s) that is getting a retail release to make sure they get ESRB M.

Platforms where the game is only released digitally don't have to follow the more strict and expensive ESRB rating needed for retail games. They instead get ESRB via IARC, a way less strict, shorter and less expensive method for digital only indie games with way less paperwork that gets less supervision so it's easier to get here ESRB M when featuring gore.

Typically indies get the IARC rating for the digital versions, and later they make the 'full' ESRB for the retail if they are going to release it on retail for USA for one or more platforms. If the physical version gets rated AO (again, by the ESRB, not Sony), the publisher can self censor the game and resubmit it again. Pretty likely this is why they delayed the retail version in USA.

Sony has no problem with boobs or gore, tons of PS games feature them. Sony didn't censor the game, the publisher decided to self censor the game for the version they will release on retail (the PS one) pretty likely tto skip an ESRB AO rating with the more strict ESRB rating proccess applied tto physical releases.
 
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GHound

Member
Platforms where the game is only released digitally don't have to follow the more strict and expensive ESRB rating needed for retail games. They instead get ESRB via IARC, a way less strict, shorter and less expensive method for digital only indie games with way less paperwork that gets less supervision so it's easier to get here ESRB M when featuring gore.
fV0nXLQ.png



qm7zfqn.png



66UUOJu.png



Sony has no problem with boobs








 
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Sony doesn’t want to deal with the horde of parents. It’s a clearly business decision, so it makes sense to avoid overtly shocking content from being associated with their platform. I can’t force a publisher to sell a Rapefield 2042 or a game about Robocop shooting dicks.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
So do you think Sony should just let anything on their console? Where should the line be?
Is Sony a willing participant in the rating system of games? Yes. Is the game rated M? Yes. This is where you draw the line, rating exists for a reason.

If you want to be super anal about it just make an info screen about disturbing scene and if someone wants to skip it / it will play automatically with no impact from the player.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
Sony doesn’t want to deal with the horde of parents. It’s a clearly business decision, so it makes sense to avoid overtly shocking content from being associated with their platform. I can’t force a publisher to sell a Rapefield 2042 or a game about Robocop shooting dicks.

Parents you say? https://www.esrb.org/ratings/38016/Martha+Is+Dead/

Also the two games you mentioned would have been (or are) rated AO - Adults Only. Here the case is clear since all console manufacturers ban AO material automatically.
 

arvfab

Banned
fV0nXLQ.png



qm7zfqn.png



66UUOJu.png














Clear as day that it's non-Japan Sony forcing this bullshit. Probably a single blue haired pussy in the wrong position.
 

Whitecrow

Banned
Sony is not censoring gore, is censoring the awful extreme of it.

There's violence, there's gore, and there's there's psychopathy and illness.

Tlou2 and Mortal Kombat are not backed up by psychopathy and it's easy to place their actions in the correct context.

If characters kill each other, gory or not, and you can understand the reasons and find it realistic, your mind doesnt get too fucked.

It does get really fucked tho when there's no ground for the gore to be there and its backed up only for the sole purpose of wanting you feel as bad as possible.

Sony have the rights to not want this kind of experiences in their ecosystem, and I respect their decision.

Personally, Im not sure if I agree or not.
 

Fake

Member
Tlou2 and Mortal Kombat are not backed up by psychopathy and it's easy to place their actions in the correct context.

If characters kill each other, gory or not, and you can understand the reasons and find it realistic, your mind doesnt get too fucked.

You need to play the game to find the context, not seeing someone at Twitter get specific parts. The role point is, Sony is listening those degenerate at social media, those people post short clips, post short phrases with too little context on purpose.

Look at https://www.neogaf.com/threads/mart...c-and-xbox-unaffected.1630258/#post-265585908
for example. The guy take information from twitter for his reply.
 
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Beechos

Member
Please to the people defending this. Tlou2 has a scene of you killing a pregnant person in pretty graphic detail. Now sony can do whatever they want with their censors but apply it consistently. Whats next in open world games theyll put an invisible barrier to avoid people from jumping off roofs and standing in front cars?
 
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Mabdia

Member
Each time I see Sony doing something stupid about games I remember:





Well... at least for some time it used to be for the players.


It's really funny and baffling how easy Sony makes to me not have a PS5. And Sony doing this all by themselves.


stupid youtube GIF


Also...

X90JLr0.png
Really fun how media call censorship nowadays lol.
 
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Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Sony is not censoring gore, is censoring the awful extreme of it.

There's violence, there's gore, and there's there's psychopathy and illness.

Tlou2 and Mortal Kombat are not backed up by psychopathy and it's easy to place their actions in the correct context.

If characters kill each other, gory or not, and you can understand the reasons and find it realistic, your mind doesnt get too fucked.

It does get really fucked tho when there's no ground for the gore to be there and its backed up only for the sole purpose of wanting you feel as bad as possible.

Sony have the rights to not want this kind of experiences in their ecosystem, and I respect their decision.

Personally, Im not sure if I agree or not.

Literally the entire point of Mortal Kombat is to revel in the gore. Hell, TLOU2 can even be said to be designed to be enjoyable to maim/murder people. A horror game, such as Martha is Dead, is designed to make you feel disgust which it clearly succeeded in. Its supposed to fuck with your mind, that is the entire point of being a god damn horror game.

If you don’t like it, guess what? You could always *not buy it*. But by celebrating/promoting the censorship, you are telling others what they should be able to experience while hypocritically defending things that are just as, if not more violent.
 

Mabdia

Member
The pubs/devs says the word modify in their tweet BTW.
Does that change the fact that this is censorship?

I mean journalist should name the things as it is, not as people calls it. At least that was the way that journalist worked back in the good old days. Facts matters a lot.
 
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reksveks

Member
Does that change the fact that this is censorship?

I mean journalist should name the things as it is, not as people calls it. At least that was the way that journalist worked back in the good old days. Facts matters a lot.
It's also moderation. censorship and moderation overlaps in this case. if you want to use to use censorship, feel free to describe it as such.
 
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