KAKUTO CHOJIN revisited

[dsullo]

Do you remember : The most controversial XBOX Game was pulled from the Shelves and destroyed.

Did you buy one in hopes of having the next super rare game of the century?

Are you still holding a factory sealed one in your basement , waiting to cash in and retire?

Well maybe next year. Kakuto Chojin is still worthless. :P

BTW I am holding onto one too :(


Hear is the story behind Kakuto Chojin:


KAKUTO CHOJIN PULLED IN US AND JAPAN

Potentially offensive religious references cause Microsoft to recall the Xbox beat-'em-up

15:15 Microsoft has pulled Xbox first-party title Kakuto Chojin from shop shelves in the US and Japan, according to reports. The news about the beat-'em-up follows our exclusive revelation that the title will not see a release in the UK and Europe.
Apparently, the decision to pull the title from shelves has come as a result of concerns over certain religious references in the game that it's deemed some might find offensive. You may remember that Eidos recalled its stealth-action hit Hitman 2 for similar reasons.

Interestingly, Kakuto Chojin does not currently appear on the games listings on Xbox.com.

At the moment, the eventual fate of Kakuto Chojin in the US and Japan hasn't been made clear. The title's developer, DreamFactory, may rework the beat-'em-up and remove the potentially offensive material, with a view to Microsoft re-releasing the game in the two countries.

UPDATE:

Following the posting of this news piece we have since been contacted by Microsoft.

A senior spokesperson for the company has informed us that the original press of the Kakuto Chojin disc contained religious chanting background sound that may have offended those of the Muslim faith.

Microsoft quickly moved to remove this from the game, thereby providing consumers with an amended product. Original game discs that were pressed were destroyed; but apparently a number still managed to find their way onto shop shelves. It is these copies of the beat 'em up that have been recalled.

"As a company, we value and promote diversity and remain sensitive to cultural and religious backgrounds," the Microsoft senior spokesperson told us. "We apologise for the mistake and have taken all appropriate actions to rectify the matter."

Unfortunately the spokesperson was unable to comment on the disappearance of Kakuto Chojin on the games listings on Xbox.com.

[ManekiNeko]

"As a company, we value and promote diversity and remain sensitive to cultural and religious backgrounds," the Microsoft senior spokesperson told us. "We apologise for the mistake and have taken all appropriate actions to rectify the matter."


Read: "Please don't crash any airplanes into Microsoft headquarters."

This is insanity. What kind of religious wacko would get offended over song lyrics inspired by the Koran? This decision makes about as much sense as pulling Dance Dance Revolution off store shelves to appease the Amish. I've said it once, and I'll say it again... if Christians had to take their lumps with games like Xenogears, Muslims need to swallow Kakuto Chojin with a tall glass of STFU.

JR

[PapaStu]

The lyrics were not inspired by the Koran, they were verses, and the ones that were used and in the manner they were used, can be taken as a mockery of the phrases to put them into the song AND have it be the background music to characters fighting. Ive had numerous talks with my roommate who is Muslim about stuff like this. Its just something that is not accepted, at all in any Sect of Islam. Its one of those taking the lords name in vain, kinda things, and it is not put up with, and hasnt been for centuries.

That and it was a way for them to remove such a horrible game from the shelves... LOL Man it was a bitch getting a copy, and its still not even worth anything. I dont even think that they ever even released the "patched" version of the game, with the songs removed. As far as i know, it was never re-released.

[cheesystick]

is there a way to check for sure to see if a certain copy is one of the "pre-ban" copies? without buying it anyways?
-crispy

[PapaStu]

I would think maybe by the SKU...Though im almost 100% sure that there never was a re-release of the game. Cause once the comotion hit about the game (although there wasnt much) it was gone. I dont really remember places "pulling" it, but i do remember it was ni on impossible to find. My local TRU had A copy, as did the local Circuit City, and those were the ONLY copies that I could find. I got mine, and waited for the re-release, which never came (to the best of my knowledge)

[ManekiNeko]

That's an interesting viewpoint. However, I would hope that your roommate would understand the importance of freedom of expression (even if it challenges your beliefs) and that Islam is not the only religion that video games have cast in an unflattering light.

I just think it would be nice to see a little balance here. When something like Xenogears is released, it's heralded as daring and inspired. On the other hand, when Kakuto Chojin inadvertantly insults Islamic beliefs, it's quickly condemned and swept under the rug by its manufacturer. I don't like the double standard, and I don't like peoples' willingness to dilute the message of their creations to appease those who *may* be offended by them.

Life isn't a bed of roses. There will be times when your beliefs are called into question and your viewpoints will be challenged. You don't have to like that, but that doesn't give you the right to run crying to the nearest lawyer because someone hurt your feelings.

JR

[crashdummycow01]

yea having the verses in the song would be kinda like having a movie released showin Jesus getting beaten... and u know we wouldnt allow that.

[ManekiNeko]

yea having the verses in the song would be kinda like having a movie released showin Jesus getting beaten... and u know we wouldnt allow that.

"We spent eighteen dollars on a two hour long snuff film! We want our money back!"

JR

[Syxx573]

Crap game but I enjoyed playing the demo with my brother for 15 minutes.

[captain nintendo]

I got that game for a penny. A friend of mine worked for GameStop at the time and he made sure we got copies. Not a bad game for a penny ;)

[youruglyclone]

yea having the verses in the song would be kinda like having a movie released showin Jesus getting beaten... and u know we wouldnt allow that.

"We spent eighteen dollars on a two hour long snuff film! We want our money back!"

JR


well I sure hope you don't torture me with that rope ovathere....

but seriously that game should've been destroyed whether it offended muslims or not, it was a pretty shallow fighting game which had really creepiy renderings of "humans"

only plus...the fighting stance of the jet kee do (sp) fighter looked like he was doing a jitterbug...someone get that man some prozac

that and the fighters were geographically coherant...supposedly everybody spoke the langauge where they came from which you rarely see in games

[Syxx573]

that and the fighters were geographically coherant...supposedly everybody spoke the langauge where they came from which you rarely see in games

Microsoft does that in Age of Empires as well.