Jump to content

South Park: Stick of Truth


deanb
 Share

Recommended Posts

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/05/south-park-stick-of-truth-game-censored-europe

 

I'm kind of hoping a bigger stink is made about this. Basically Ubisoft have censored Stick of Truth in Europe and for some reason trying to pass it off onto the government despite (apart from Germany) them having very little to do with games ratings which is all done through PEGI which can't censor stuff (and as the article covers they'd already rated the uncut version at 18 anyway).

 

Bit of a dick move and I don't really understand what Ubisoft expects to gain. They're knocking out a South Park game that they've censored and unless Ubisoft has some weird thing going on with politics they've nothing to gain from trying to make it look like EU is doing it.

censored-version-of-south-park-the-stick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And in Australia they're blaming the koalas!

 

South-Park-AU-610x343.jpg

 

I don't think that the text of these replacement scenes places the blame on the governments of the EU or Australia. I rather think that the protest of censorship comes from Matt and Trey (and *maybe* Obsidian) and is aimed at Ubi, or Ubi's EU and Asutralian divisions. This sort of snafu smacks of idiot corporate management meddling more than anything. I don't think there's any evidence that Ubi or Obsidiana re blaming governments for the censorship; the Guardian rightly points out that the uncut version is rated Pegi 18.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding mana... it seems to be just items that can refill it. No way that by level nine that I won't find at least one add on that refill my mana. It is kind of making me a mis-classed mage who does mostly warrior things.

 

Anyways... I freaking love the Cartman chants during the overworld (lack of better term) theme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because it's a symbol of the EU, which is the region in which it's censored.  If it were censored in the US and they'd put a US flag behind a picture of a crying buffalo or something I wouldn't assume they were saying the government did it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's actually censored in Europe as a whole not just for EU (and also Australia, and a bunch of straggler countries). Anywho it was only after I posted last comment I realised Americans might not fully grasp why it's a bit of a dodgy move to implicate EU in censoring a video game when they EU isn't involved at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They used the flag as a symbol for Europe because there aren't many widely-accepted symbols for Europe other than that flag and a map. The map probably just didn't look as good. I am quite certain Ubi and Obsidian and Matt and Trey aren't blaming European governments for the censorship. Well, maybe the German government for however that ends up getting censored.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would you need to put the flag of the EU up at all? Why is a "symbol of Europe" required to show that Ubisoft have chosen to censor their own game in several territories around the globe? What's wrong with a bit of South Park imagery, a blacked out screen, happy fun trails, why a face palming David next to the EU flag with "Censored" splashed across it?

Within Europe it's Germany that actually has the censorship rules, and those only apply to Nazi symbols (which weren't removed  :rolleyes:). Australia doesn't like the whole anal probe stuff, we know this from Saint's Row. But everything else in the rest of Europe? It's all fine and dandy. EU has nothing to do with any part of the game or game ratings or whatever (well beyond trying to give gamers rights that Valve don't want us to have). The fuck up with the German version not removing the only thing that should have been censored and the PC version within Europe being uncensored just paints it as one massively major fuck up on Ubisoft's part that is likely never going to be resolved and probably going to end up with some "Uncut" DLC further down the line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would it need to indicate it's censored in Europe? Especially as it's censored in Australia,Taiwan, Middle East, Singapore and several others as well.

 

The flag of the country who does have censorship laws within Europe is:

germany-flag.gif

So why not use that one if Ubisoft feels they really needed to use a flag in Europe to show that the game was needlessly censored rather than using the flag of a government not involved with the game or it's ratings in any way. As noted PEGI actually fully okayed the uncensored game. Ubisoft then censored the game with an EU flag and resubmitted the game. The only country where the censorship laws apply within EU, Germany, doesn't use PEGI but has it's own board the USK, oh and the history with the Nazis that kinda cause issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I grasp it fine. It's perfectly straightforward: it is censored in various regions, in each of those regions they choose a picture that they felt was thematically appropriate to the region, in the Europe region that picture is the EU flash, that in no way implies the EU government was involved in the censorship but just represents the region.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't step to me about knowledge of the workings of the EU, Dean. I've worked at a Frankfurt law firm on transnational EU corporate deals and regulatory compliance. I am fully aware the EU as a political entity had nothing to do with any scrubbing of content in the Stick of Truth. I also know that Germany's getting its very own special actually-censored edition without swastikas and with other cuts. What I am saying is that the flag is there to indicate that the geographical area in which the EU sits is deprived of content. That is why in Australia the cut-content screen features a koala. The EU flag represents the geographical area, not the political entity. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But the EU flag is for the government. As you've already noted yourself, there is no flag for Europe as a continent. Also Australian flag looks like:

aussie_flag_rec.jpg

Not a koala.

 

The funny thing here being that the Australian government does actually run the Australian Classifications Board and is therefore directly responsible for the censorship. But hey, Koalas.

 

 

By creating a version of the game that is needlessly censored and associating this censorship and restriction with the EU government Ubisoft is doing something very Wrong. I understand that you understand that EU isn't involved with the games ratings board. I (think) I understand that you understand that Ubisoft is self-inflicting the censorship on the game. The problem is, for a nation where we're currently steamrolling towards a decision that could have pretty big impact on the general way of life for decades to come, it'd be nice to not have video game publishers playing politics and not clarifying that "this is a thing the EU is absolutely not at all involved with despite us putting their flag on the censored bit as a sign that despite EU only contains 27 countries and only one of them has censorship laws and there's another 25 countries not in the EU affected by it too, as well as other nations around the world".

 

But hey, I guess that's just us old "butthurt Europeans" eh?

 

My final say on the matter, now to just hope a fucking South Park video game of all things won't be the sort of game that EDL and UKIP louts will be drawn towards. Oh wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys are arguing over not being able to see Randy get anally violated. Jesus Christ guys. 

totally read that in Mr. Slave's voice.

 

 

 

Anyway--

 

Playing the game on 360, only ran into a few bugs causing me to either dashboard out of the game and back in (one time) I think because I walked by, not into an area that attempted to trigger a cutscene I technically wasn't ready for, or reboot my 360 (one time).  Nothing utterly devastating or experience ruining so far, unlike Kotaku's review.  

 

I just finished night 2, and um, that certainly was something.  I have noticed, like others, the classes don't seem to really matter squat, just give you different powers with your PP.It is nice looking for ways to use the environment to take care of enemies for you, especially in areas (read: any) where another battle can be tedious.

 

 

and video game bush.  That's a first.  figures it'd be a South Park game.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...