MGS: Rising May Have Problems in Japan

Goons and glowing-spined mecha might not be only thing cut in the Japanese release of MGS: Rising.

Possibly more than any other title in existence, Metal Gear Solid: Rising is a game about cutting things with a sword. The trailer shows buildings, cars, watermelons and especially people all get sliced up by the cyborg Raiden with a impressive level of control. But this rather singular focus may cause problem for the game in Japan, as depictions of dismemberment are heavily frowned upon in traditional Japanese society.

Rising’s trailer makes it pretty clear that chopping people up – sometimes in slow motion – is pretty central to the gameplay experience. Japanese ratings board CERO expressly forbids showing dismemberment, and games like Dead Rising and Gears of War have had to be edited to remove scenes depicting missing limbs. While CERO says that it takes context into consideration when determining what is and isn’t acceptable, it’s hard to see how any conflicts on content can be resolved without a pretty big overhaul of the game.

Kojima did say that his next project would “challenge a certain type of taboo”, but tweeted earlier today that dismemberment was not the taboo he was challenging: “When I said that my next project might violate a taboo, I was referring to my game design, another title that I’m directing.”

Source: 1up