Medal of Honor: Rising Sun released in Japan

[Oobgarm]

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/medalofhonorrisingsun/news_6084198.html

WTF

I'm shocked that they're releasing the game over there. The premise of the game is understandable on THIS side of the Pacific, but over there? They would take on the role of killing Japanese soldiers.

Anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[Ed Oscuro]

I noticed that it was being released on some console or other over there last week, and I found that a bit surprising. Ah well.

[Sniderman]

Huh. How bizarre. I know that WWII (and games with lots o' military-type violence) are forbidden in Germany and the like. But this is surprising.

[SoulBlazer]

I don't see the big deal, myself. I play war games all the time where I'm commanding some other kind of soilder or army and killing Americans. My grandfather served in WWII and my Dad in Vietnam. Do I ever think the person I'm killing might be them? No, because they are'nt real people. It's JUST A GAME.

I KNOW the old game 1942 was made in Japan originaly -- no qualms about shooting down Japanese planes there? :hmm:

Seriously, I think the Japanese are too uptight sometimes.

And I know games have been released in other countries where you can kill that countries soliders. No biggie.

BTW -- never played a Medal of Honor game, but I LOVE the commercials for this one. Might have to check it out. Looks like it could be good. :D

[kai123]

The japanese uptight about games. :hmm: What are you talking about? The game is still going to be released. Unlike here in America if the game has an ounce of blood or swearing the senators are all over how it demoralizes everyone. I wonder if this story would be the same if they had you bombing pearl harbor? Or being some part of a hate group maybe then it would hit home for more people.

[briskbc]

I don't see the big deal, myself. I play war games all the time where I'm commanding some other kind of soilder or army and killing Americans. My grandfather served in WWII and my Dad in Vietnam. Do I ever think the person I'm killing might be them? No, because they are'nt real people. It's JUST A GAME.


Things might be a little different there. I understand how playing a soldier of a countrythat nuked you twice would stir something inside of them. I proably wouldn't play it if I was Japanese. The release wouldn't outrage me. I just wouldn't play it.

[esquire]

I don't see the big deal, myself. I play war games all the time where I'm commanding some other kind of soilder or army and killing Americans. My grandfather served in WWII and my Dad in Vietnam. Do I ever think the person I'm killing might be them? No, because they are'nt real people. It's JUST A GAME.


Things might be a little different there. I understand how playing a soldier of a countrythat nuked you twice would stir something inside of them. I proably wouldn't play it if I was Japanese. The release wouldn't outrage me. I just wouldn't play it.

Quite frankly, I don't give a rat fart what the Japanese think about this game. Why should it be a controversey to play the Americans? I am sure they aren't concerned about playing as the Imperial Japanese Army, an army that butchered, raped, disembowled thousands of Chinese at Nanking; that sent hundreds of Americans to their death along the Bataan Death March; that used Koreans as forced laborers and sex slaves; and developed chemical weapons to use on civilian populations. I find the Japanese very hypocritical when it comes to remebering WWII.

[kai123]

Why is the American side any different? Didn't we make interment camps for Japanese citizens in the good old USA? Besides the land of the free was founded on the exploitation of Native Americans. "Hey there are people here let's take everything that they own and claim it for our own." Let's face it almost every country has done horrible things in the past.

[Ed Oscuro]

I am sure they aren't concerned about playing as the Imperial Japanese Army, an army that butchered, raped, disembowled thousands of Chinese at Nanking;

Well, two things. I thought it was quite a bit more than just "thousands," more like hundreds of thousands :/

Second, I do think there's an issue with playing as the Imperial Japanese Army. I haven't seen very many games that have you playing as the Japanese coming out of Japan, but plenty of games that put you down as a Marine or some type of U.S. military person (Super Contra for a good example :P) Wouldn't be too quick to say that, myself.

[E Nice]

Iron Storm, P.T.O.


Didn't we make interment camps for Japanese citizens in the good old USA?
And I'm sure they rivaled Japanese prisoner of war camps. :roll: Beheadings, lack of food and medical care, torture sessions.

[Gamereviewgod]

$10 says this one ends up in the Battlezone. Who's with me?

[Half Japanese]

Iron Storm, P.T.O.

kai123 wrote:
Didn't we make interment camps for Japanese citizens in the good old USA?

And I'm sure they rivaled Japanese prisoner of war camps. Beheadings, lack of food and medical care, torture sessions.


What about returning to your home to find it had been sold and all your possessions with it? I'm pretty sure I recall hearing about instances such as this. And yes, this one's probably in the carpool lane headed towards BZ.

[AB Positive]

Well, since it's heading there anyway...

War sucks, both sides had horrendous POW camps, and they erase most mention of these camps in all american school textbooks. Revisionist history, don't you know.

screw the world, I'm moving to Switzerland. Chocolate and clocks, people. Chocolate and clocks.

-AG

[Dr. Morbis]

screw the world, I'm moving to Switzerland. Chocolate and clocks, people. Chocolate and clocks.

And cheese! Man, don't forget the delicious cheese...

[kai123]

Well my point with the camps was that most of those people came over here to get out of that kind of treatment. Then they were treated like crap. Besides I don't hear about any protests or anything going on about the game. They interviewed like 3 people or something. That is the only mention of it anywhere that I have seen.

[GaijinPunch]

I think everyone's taking this way too seriously. not only is the game being released here, it had a freaking huge walk-thru booth at the TGS2003 (with a line to check it out, I might add).

The only time I hear this stuff come up in Japan is when US invasion becomes a topic. Most Japanese are anti-war when it comes down to it. Doesn't make a country with a war-monger dickhead as the president very popular when they go killing brown people... something their well known for. Oh, well. He's out in a year.

[E Nice]

And cheese! Man, don't forget the delicious cheese...

Don't forget ill gotten Nazi funds, the finest neutrality it can buy and Swiss seized Jewish bank accounts. No survivors or records, finders keepers.


The only time I hear this stuff come up in Japan is when US invasion becomes a topic. Most Japanese are anti-war when it comes down to it. Doesn't make a country with a war-monger dickhead as the president very popular when they go killing brown people... something their well known for. Oh, well. He's out in a year.

Thanks to the actions of a war mongering crippled president the Japanese are pacifist, now.
Brown person? That's something I take point at, since being such, in no way do I consider those people you're referring to as brown. They're white, just not European white.
Though the Japanese would know about war-mongering leaders who kill brown people, what with their bombing of a declared open city of Manila.


What about returning to your home to find it had been sold and all your possessions with it? I'm pretty sure I recall hearing about instances such as this.

In perspective it doesn't rival anything the Japanese did to Chinese citizens.


And yes, this one's probably in the carpool lane headed towards BZ.
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

:P LOL

[Ed Oscuro]

Huh, so Dr. Ramone's from California? Wild guess.

[BrAInDeD]

Hah well rising sun makes those japanese soldiers look stupid the AI isnt all that great i mean they can just shoot you but they choose to run after you with that gun blade thing and i dont really like the environment i like better allied assult to me is the best in the medal of honor series i like the urban stuff better than always those forests and all i like the rising sun intro tho that was pretty sweet and the guns seem a little weird i wouldn't really wanna buy that game unless i get it used or something.

[Oobgarm]

Wow, your post reeks of intelligence.

/sarcasm

Please write coherently next time. x_x

[GaijinPunch]

The stupidity of notion that one countries rape and pillage is worse than anothers (this could go back to the crusades, ladies) inspired me to do some reading.

I urge anyone to read this:
http://journalism.missouri.edu/~jschool/nanking/index.htm

Also -- I can't claim "bombing brown people" line, no matter how true it is. It's George Carlin's.

Paul

[Flack]

Most Japanese are anti-war when it comes down to it.

Dropping a couple of nuclear bombs on a country tends to do that ...

[geelw]

a teeny-tiny bit of perspective before this gets to a shootin' match:

japanese gamers have been on the receiving end of MANY military-themed games (mostly strategy titles) for YEARS. looking at some of the more complex strategy games (and the crazy amount of detail that goes into some of the manuals), you'll see that the folks who make these games have a great sense of military history (particularly WWII) .

while some titles focus on playing as the japanese side (fleet commander, tora tora tora, zero pilot), there have been some good and truly great games that MORE than balance out the equation like any of system soft's advanced world war series (hell, any system soft war title), ascii's sgt. saunder's combat (which has a d-day scenario that's amazing), and a couple others i can't think of off the top of my head. there are even a couple of shooters like the aforementioned 19XX games, fire mustang (you play a p-51 pilot), and the like.

if anything, there are a hell of a lot more good games in the genre that were never released here (and should have been), but that's one more reason to play imports. as for any political jumping in, i prefer to keep my gaming life and what i think of kings and countries quite and very separate, lol...

btw, traditionally, fps games aren't as huge in japan as they are here, but the historic value of the game is probably why it'll do well there. i'm sure folks will pick it up as a learning experience as well as entertainment, which is why both moh games were made in the first place...

[KJN]

Some reviews

Famitsu
MOH Rising Sun PS2: 9,9,8,8
MOH Rising Sun GC: 9,8,8,7

Dorimaga
MOH Rising Sun (PS2/GC): 7,7,8

That's better scores than most mags have given it here.

[Nature Boy]

Anybody here heard that bit about the newest Syphon Filter having to be cut because of section where you have to stop some Quebecois seperatists from blowing up a part of Toronto?

WWII is old news people.

[GaijinPunch]

WWII is old news people.

And Japanese seem to be the only people that think so. After spending extensive time in both countries, I can say that white people are the only ones that bring it up.

My grandmother-in-law is without a doubt a WWII survivor, and my parents-in-law can probably remember at the minimum the sirens going off, if not seeing their city set abloze... They were nothing but smiles when we met.

[Stamp Mcfury]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2003/20031126l.gif

Sorry i just read this comic and wanted to post it on this topic

Just a thought People do Civil War reinactments all the time people do them in the south too. That means some southerers will dress up in Union outfits and play that there killing Confederates. They do it mostly because there history and old war buffs. Isn't that the same people Medal of Honor would appeal to?

[SoulBlazer]

Well.....historical accuracy is NOT something that the creators of Medal of Honor were going for here. :P But that's fine, I understand they were making a game first and following history second. Just that since I have a MA in American History and did my thesis on the Pacific War of WWII, I REALLY know my stuff here.

Gameplay is the number one question. I would HOPE that the Japanese are able to accept a game for what it is -- a game -- the same way that people in this country accept games where they play as terrorists, for example, and kill American people and soliders.

Sometimes in life it's possible to read too much into things.

[geelw]

Well.....historical accuracy is NOT something that the creators of Medal of Honor were going for here. :P But that's fine, I understand they were making a game first and following history second. Just that since I have a MA in American History and did my thesis on the Pacific War of WWII, I REALLY know my stuff here.

Gameplay is the number one question. I would HOPE that the Japanese are able to accept a game for what it is -- a game -- the same way that people in this country accept games where they play as terrorists, for example, and kill American people and soliders.

Sometimes in life it's possible to read too much into things.

i'm sure EA would disagree a teeny tiny bit. if some gamer were motivated to crack a book and read about the actual pacific war based on the game, they did their job. the historical accuracy here is more about actual weapons and costumes and a few other period elements, obviously...

also, it's funny that the people that seem to be getting all heated about any controversy count amoung their number some u.s. gamers who can't grasp that, yes, good games get played anywhere no matter what the subject matter...

g.

[calthaer]

I don't think EA cares how offensive it is one way or the other as long as they can get their hands on some of those Japanese yen. GIMME YOUR MONEY WHILE I SHOVEL OUT GAMES! We killed Richard Garriott, we killed Joe Kucan and all the others at Westwood Studios, and we will kill all those Japanese game-makers, too by PLUNDERING THEIR COUNTRY!

[geelw]

hmmm. according to his doctor, garriott is still alive and kicking...

[tom]

Kampfgruppe, Panzer General, First over Germany. and many more SSI War games were/are available in Germany (for over 18's only); being German, I played them and I enjoyed them.

WWII? we came a close second!!

[Nature Boy]

WWII? we came a close second!!

heh heh heh - good one.

In this day and age that would've earned you a "Participant" ribbon :D

[GaijinPunch]

Here's an interesting point.
How many Vietnam War games are there? I've never seen a one.

[Sotenga]

Here's an interesting point.
How many Vietnam War games are there? I've never seen a one.

Oh, that's easy! NAM-1970. I think it's the first Neo Geo game ever. Stage 3 of Time Pilot also takes place in the Vietnam War, I think. It's never said exactly where you're fighting, just when you're fighting.

[SoulBlazer]

Plus there's some FPS and strategy games that take place in Vietnam. And there's Platoon, the NES game.

[geelw]

Here's an interesting point.
How many Vietnam War games are there? I've never seen a one.

there was an awful fps released here ages ago for the pc, but i forget the name. also, i believe that someone is working on a new game that's set there, but i just woke up and, yes, the name also escapes me. must be all that LSD (the playstation import, not the drug)... :eek 2:

[Oobgarm]

Here's an interesting point.
How many Vietnam War games are there? I've never seen a one.

there was an awful fps released here ages ago for the pc, but i forget the name. also, i believe that someone is working on a new game that's set there, but i just woke up and, yes, the name also escapes me. must be all that LSD (the playstation import, not the drug)... :eek 2:

I know this isnt the one you're thinking of, but here it is anyway:

http://www.vietcong-game.com/us/index.html

[Parodius]

good games get played anywhere no matter what the subject matter...

g.

Too bad this one is such a turd then.



I find it utterly amazing that a totally censored game that essentially glamorizes war becomes a best-seller.

Spielberg would have been run out of town if he would have released Private Ryan without any blood or violence.
-------------------------------------


Hmm.....this piece-of......almost non-game got a 34 in Famitsu!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To compare: Halo got a 33!!!!

[Spartikcus]

Yeah, my dad served as a covenant warrior and when he saw me playing Halo...lets just say my Xbox doesn't work good with a huge Laser hole through the middle. LOL