Darvond: Preface: This is not a thread to debate censorship or concepts thereof. Those are entirely subjective. If you want to discuss such concepts, do it in another thread.

As one tends to do in the dead of night, I was browsing forums. I found a thread titled similarly to this, but inside it hadn't made much progress.

I think I have a perfectly valid example of a game improved by excising content in international release.

In one of the more recent Fire Emblem games, there was a "petting" minigame. What this otaku pandering was doing in a turn based strategy game on the 3DS of all things, is a mystery of the Earth itself.

Now, the challenge I issue is this: Can you think of any other examples where a game is actually improved by the removal of content in this manner? I suppose "comedic" examples such as South Park might work, even though I think that show should have ended eons ago and most of the humor is beneath me.

For a minor discussion, does replacing foul language with Woolseyisms work in your eyes? (IE "Son of a Submariner!")

darthspudius: Removing some of the fowl language in GTA and their Gangsta characters would be a huge improvement. I am all in for swearing a like a trooper, but when it sounds this forced and corny, I just don't want it. But that never happened.

Darvond: This is not a thread to debate censorship or concepts thereof. Those are entirely subjective.

Can you think of any other examples where a game is actually improved by the removal of content in this manner?

Darvond: In one of the more recent Fire Emblem games, there was a "petting" minigame. What this otaku pandering was doing in a turn based strategy game on the 3DS of all things, is a mystery of the Earth itself.

Crosmando: Homo detected

dtgreene: I suspect Unepic might qualify. When you start the game for the first time, you get to choose between a 12+ and a 16+ version, which can't be changed later (without manually editing a file). From what I understand, the 16+ version contains a lot of profanity, which is largely unnecessary; the 12+ version is more tame language wise. I remember seeing a forum post from somebody who wanted to switch from 16+ to 12+ after starting the game, because the profanity was just too much for them.

Also, Final Fantasy Legend 2 (English version of SaGa 2) replaced an illegal drug with bananas. "For some reason, bananas are not allowed in this world." (The whole plot of that world involves the trafficing of the drug in question, so in the English version, they're trafficing illegal bananas.)

dtgreene: I suspect Unepic might qualify. When you start the game for the first time, you get to choose between a 12+ and a 16+ version, which can't be changed later (without manually editing a file). From what I understand, the 16+ version contains a lot of profanity, which is largely unnecessary; the 12+ version is more tame language wise. I remember seeing a forum post from somebody who wanted to switch from 16+ to 12+ after starting the game, because the profanity was just too much for them.

Also, Final Fantasy Legend 2 (English version of SaGa 2) replaced an illegal drug with bananas. "For some reason, bananas are not allowed in this world." (The whole plot of that world involves the trafficing of the drug in question, so in the English version, they're trafficing illegal bananas.)

Darvond: Preface: This is not a thread to debate censorship or concepts thereof. Those are entirely subjective. If you want to discuss such concepts, do it in another thread.

drmike: I don't know about games but the lovely person they had at the bar last night who had to used the f word every third word was a delight.