Gears of War 2 too violent for Germany and Japan
by Dustin Burg 
{ Oct 22nd 2008 at 12:45PM }
Coming as no surprise seeing that the original shared the same fate, Gears of War 2 has been deemed too violent, resulting in a sales ban in the great country of Germany. Then again, we don't quite understand the ban seeing that Microsoft could have made the German edition locked into Gears 2's new family friendly mode. But we digress.Even more odd is that Gears 2 has also been banned in Japan. We guess the Japanese market just can't handle the awesomeness that is Gears of War 2. Sucks for them.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
offday @ Oct 22nd 2008 12:51PM
Doesn't Japan have game shows where topless women race around on pogo sticks. Why is Gears banned?
Evan @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:21PM
Perhaps because real-life violence is illegal and harmful. Nudity is neither.
Type2Compensator @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:50PM
Does Gears 2 have 'topless women race around on pogo sticks'?
Vcize @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:10PM
"Perhaps because real-life violence is illegal and harmful. Nudity is neither."
Then why the hell do I get arrested for indecent exposure every time I want to do a little nude walking around in public?
Gemini Ace @ Oct 22nd 2008 12:57PM
Why do we care about this? It's always "news" when something is banned in another country and I just don't get why anymore.
Muffin_man @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:52PM
Because if you go on the xbox Japan forums they link to X3F news articles maybe?
Not everyone on the planet comes from USA! USA! USA!
Maybe if you thought about what was over the horizon you would know about the existence of other countries.
david @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:15PM
Because we need to make it clear that we are not like those other countries. If you don't think that we'll eventually face things like that someday, then apparently you don't pay attention to much.
Nanny states are becoming more and more prevalent in the world today, and we are even seeing the beginning of it in our country right now.
What people forget is that the government does not know best.
I'm not saying that violence in video games is good, nor bad. What I am saying is that by letting OTHER people tell you what is right or wrong for you do is fascism. All you have to do is look at California for the latest news of fascists in our own country.
david @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:19PM
And Muffin_man is correct, they call it the world wide web for a reason...
Doug @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:34PM
David, what are you afraid the government is going to take away? Your right to chainsaw a guy from his crotch to his forehead and watch geysers of blood spill all over the screen? Well, you live in a country that will allow you to do that all you want. Even in California.
But while you are conditioning yourself to want more and more gore to feed your bloodlust, there are people out in the world trying to make kids who aren't where you are see that they don't need it. That's called the other side.
And your comment about California is a joke, you can do practically anything here. If SF passes Prop K, prostitution will even be legal.
The Fuzz 53 @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:39PM
I think david meant to say New Jersey instead of California. This hell hole get more ridiculous by the day.
DBoyFlex @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:05PM
Wow, maybe I will shed a tear of empathy while ripping a locust up with my lancer. Hmm, not likely. Sorry. We all have our own problems.
bshot @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:06PM
yea, Japs would be okie with it if there was tentacle rape & the german are just being repressed from getting any ideas
as for america, it would surely get banned if there was some sex scenes
so yea, the world is a bit odd
joeybeast @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:15PM
banning violence V.S. banning sex
Doesn't it make you wonder who's got it right?
Mr Khan @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:39PM
indeed. banning the act of bringing people into the world vs banning the act of taking them out of it
an interesting contrast
bigC24 @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:07PM
The land of the octopus tentacle pron has deemed that Gears of War is unacceptable?!
josh @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:30PM
I'm moving to Mars.. too much bull shit on earth. no wonder it stinks... lol
joeybeast @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:12PM
That's weird, Gears sold reasonably well in Japan.
elmersglue @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:26PM
this is actually a pretty big deal. Microsoft is losing the potential of having a pretty good seller on their system in a very important region to them at this point...
Doug @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:21PM
Dustin, you're a smart writer until the subject of game violence comes up. It seems to tank your IQ 100 points.... ;)
We all know Germany and Japan have a good historical reason to be sensitive to extreme violence, especially nauseating violence that's being consumed as entertainment. (GOW2's trailers are nauseating if you're not hardened to its stylized depictions of gore, flesh and blood.)
We should be impressed that societies with bad histories of some of the worst war violence ever would have a sensitive view of extreme gore.
I know it goes against your "anything the game maker wants to throw in there should be gospel" approach. But that's why there are other countries, and other approaches to living.
How about trying to understand that, and maybe even say, good for them? Even if it goes against your game-violence-religion that seems to be pushed on this site every few weeks?
sparkster @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:17PM
I don't see the point in this. Banning games is just the wrong approach. But in this case: Better banned than cut!
So people who want it, can import it and a castrated freak version will never see the light of day. I'm used to import games from the UK anyway. Specially titles with original English language, since German versions usually get horrible voice overs and translations in general.
Carbonize @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:22PM
So one of the most anticipated games on the 360 is banned in the home country of it's main rival?
Alexkapone @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:27PM
Typical day in the life of German & Japanese Game regulator daily schedule:
1:30pm- Meeting in order to decide video will be banned due to excessive violence
2pm- Participation as an extra in filming of "Bukkake Orgy #15"
Societies that try to censor this stuff end up just provoking some of their people to rebel with the product they produce being worse than the original censored material.
This never would have happened if GoW was a sony exclusive or for that matter Epic was a German or Japanese developer....
So much for a free market...
Gamertag: GOPAL892005 @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:33PM
Its REGION FREE, import it.
ebay, play.com
LuckyEMS @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:51PM
Tai dies, Dizzy disappears and there are massive plot holes
Dom is a dickhead to Carmine all the way through until Carmine dies as well.
LuckyEMS @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:55PM
fuck wrong place, damn my tab newbness
Vcize @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:13PM
Wow, if that is true you are the biggest douche on the planet. I hope they ban your ass from here forever.
LuckyEMS @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:15PM
if there was an edit button/delete button or anything like that it wouldnt be here, it was a mistake and i wasnt paying attention
wb @ Oct 22nd 2008 8:15PM
Germany, birthplace of the Nazi regime, finds a video-game too violent?
This is sounds like the work of a publicist who flunked history.
Aero @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:28PM
Has it actually been banned in Japan or is it just not being released there? It could be possible that the costs of taking it to Japan would outweigh the profits there so they just aren't releasing it there.
bigwilly @ Oct 22nd 2008 3:26PM
oh so japan thinks its ok to release rape simulating games but gears 2 ... oh no some kind of in-bred texas chainsaw shootin lootin kinda games. And germany?this game is nuffin compared to what they did in the history books...
R_Fusion @ Oct 22nd 2008 3:56PM
That is ridiculous! Did they tag-team to ban Gears2?? Germany, I love you but living in the US makes me enjoy my stay fur immer!
Vcize @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:14PM
So if Gears 1 wasn't banned from Japan, why is Gears 2? From all the vids the violence/gore looks basically the same.
Marrvia @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:24PM
GOW2 is too violent for the Axis Alliance?
cocobunny @ Oct 25th 2008 2:21AM
I guess a headline titled "Axis Powers ban game featuring grisly war violence" would have been in poor taste.
CABALLOTE @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:56PM
Could it be another Sony conspiracy? Gears 2 won't sell in Japan so xbox360 won't continue selling well and beat out PS3? Hmmm... makes you wonder if it's true or not.
Trekster_Gamer @ Oct 22nd 2008 7:31PM
I don't get why they ban the game given you can tone the game way down. Stupid and silly of both countries. How about letting the adult decide what they want to play, a little thing called FREEDOM...
Falcom @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:44PM
I bet this game would be banned in the US if it had a hot coffee mod. Murder and killing spree's, fine! blowjob? now you're going straight to hell.
Shadow @ Oct 22nd 2008 8:07PM
the real problem here is that the DLC will be a pain in the ass to get if you're from one of those countries
B-rad @ Oct 23rd 2008 9:06AM
I think what it comes down to is how you view sex. Do you view sex as something that is sacred, selfless, loving, intimate, private, special, treasured? Or something that is selfish, perverted, abusive, voyeristic, something to throw away when you're done like fast food?
I think societies like Germany and Japan have become so jaded about sex that it has lost any meaning and substance to them. Sex's primary function is to procreate children. Its also tremendously fun too, but creating people is the #1 reason. I think Germany and Japan have forgotten this and have broken sex down to nothing. Maybe thats why there won't be any more Germans or Japanese in a few generations due to their abysmally low birthrates.