R-Type Final 2 was released by Granzella Inc. and NIS America on 30th April 2021 for previous-generation consoles and PC. It’s a sequel to the 2003 PlayStation 2 exclusive, R-Type Final, and an instalment to the long-running R-Type video game series. Recently, DLC Set 4 for the game was released by the company and the final boss has already been censored by NIS America on two of the consoles for resembling male genitalia.
As found by Censored Gaming on Twitter, “R-Type Final 2 is having to change a boss’ appearance outside of Japan due to potentially resembling a phallic-like object.” This was announced by the game’s publisher, NIS America, which stated, “Please note that due to differing storefront policies in North America, the final boss within Stage Y1.0 in DLC Set 4 will differ slightly from the original Japanese release.”
R-Type Final 2 is having to change a boss' appearance outside of Japan due to potentially resembling a phallic-like object. It will be uncut worldwide on PC and Xbox. For PS4, it will be uncut in Europe. And, on Switch, it will be modified in both NA and EU. pic.twitter.com/jpc3EWOViw
— Censored Gaming (@CensoredGaming_) October 21, 2021
Of course, this announcement is referring to Barakus, which is the second boss from R-Type II, encountered in The Cave and also encountered in R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate, and has now been introduced to Stage Y1.0 in DLC Set 4 of R-Type Final 2, too. The modifications have only been implemented on the PlayStation 4 in the United States and the Nintendo Switch in the United States and Europe, while the content on all other platforms will remain unchanged.
Considering that R-Type Final 2 is rated Everyone 10+ on ESRB, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo could also change the rating on the game soon. Surprisingly, it wasn’t either company that censored the game this time. Instead, the censorship comes from the publisher itself. Of course, players aren’t satisfied with this news.
This is stupid censorship though ngl, SMT3 remastered and P5S both released uncensored having Mara in it on PS4 and Switch so I guess the publisher wanted to censor R-Type to lower the age rating. pic.twitter.com/V9tRnpbD6d
— SS (@PokefanZX03) October 21, 2021
It’s still not certain how the final boss has been modified in the game. However, the character could be changed completely to change its resemblance from male genitalia, since it’s very obvious. In December 2018, Atsushi Morita, the ex-President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia, stated as a response to a fan’s question, “About the censorship, we tried to meet global standards … Regarding the balance of the freedom of expression and safety for children, it’s a tough problem to deal with.”
It seems like publishers are forcing developers to create different versions of their games for release outside of Japan. Since sexual content is common in anime-styled animations, developers will certainly have a tough time completely revamping their games to comply with “storefront policies.” Hopefully, this doesn’t change the standards of the games that are released as a result of this.
What do you think about this? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below!
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