Sleeping Dogs Too Hot For Japan, Gets Dreaded AO Rating
Sleeping DogsWow, we're used to writing such headlines for Australia, but it isn't often that Japan is forced to play the "AO" card.
Not only has the United Front title received the AO - Adults Only - rating in the Land of the Rising Sun, the game has also been cut and altered. According to CVG, the Japanese rating board had a big problem with civilian casualties.
Therefore, the game now features a penalty for attacking civilians "during certain missions." They've also removed a "less gratuitous sex scene" and a character who signals the start of a street race (apparently so players don't run him over). So now we'll be interested to see how other ratings boards, including the ESRB, handle the potentially harmful/offensive content in Sleeping Dogs. This is starting to remind me a little of the Manhunt controversy...
Sleeping Dogs currently holds an August 15 release date. And Square Enix really doesn't want it to have the AO rating here; it means major retailers won't even stock it, and in stores that do have it, you'd have to ask for it by name, as the product is kept behind the counter. Kinda like what we did with that Playboy game when I was workin' at EB.
Related Game(s): Sleeping Dogs
Tags: sleeping dogs, true crime hong kong, sleeping dogs rating
6/27/2012 8:23:31 PM John Shepard
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Comments (18 posts)
dbyzforce
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 10:40:22 PM
Reply
8 up, 1 down
duomaxwell007
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 10:54:28 PM
2 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 11:00:41 PM
1 up, 0 down
duomaxwell007
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 10:54:56 PM
Reply
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 11:01:20 PM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
cLoudou
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 11:56:17 PM
1 up, 0 down
letherclad
Monday, July 02, 2012 @ 1:47:31 PM
1 up, 0 down
Dancemachine55
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 1:48:17 AM
Reply
Wasn't really interested in this game anyway, looks like a poor man's GTA but without the hilarious fun of Saints Row.
2 up, 0 down
Lawless SXE
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 2:16:18 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
___________
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 7:48:46 AM
wonder if it got edited or not though.
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 2:24:38 AM
Reply
Like a really bad b-movie.
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/28/2012 2:24:55 AM
0 up, 0 down
Axe99
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 4:42:27 AM
1 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 5:14:02 AM
0 up, 0 down
Kevin555
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 5:02:23 AM
Reply
Meanwhile, i can watch The Human Centipede 2 & The Divide whilst eating lumpy fruity yoghurt in my undergarments if i so desire. :/
I'm not too interested in this one regardless, so if it does come out before our R18 comes in & gets the chop i won't be too bothered as it shares too much of a likeness to True Crime for my liking, & those games were hairy donkey balls.
0 up, 1 down
___________
Thursday, June 28, 2012 @ 7:50:40 AM
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we probably got the botched japanese version though, so i might think of importing it.
from what ive seen though id be surprised if it has not been edited, i mean a roof top fight where you throw a guy into a air conditioning duct slicing up his face?
OUCH!
while blowing a zombies head off in L4D2 is a no no.
sigh.
0 up, 0 down
LimitedVertigo
Reply
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 @ 9:22:18 PM
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 6/27/2012 9:22:32 PM