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[Grizzled Ghost]

They brought it on themselves.

Requiescat in Pace

 

[Idleyes]

To keep my access to NeoGAF, I self-censor daily. Sure, members here might be missing out on some content, but nothing is stopping them from finding me elsewhere. In other words, if you're a console player, tough luck. Meanwhile, PC gamers will enjoy uncensored gore and fully destructible shrines, and there's absolutely nothing the Japanese parliament can do about it.

 

[Lokaum D+]

To keep my access to NeoGAF, I self-censor daily. Sure, members here might be missing out on some content, but nothing is stopping them from finding me elsewhere. In other words, if you're a console player, tough luck. Meanwhile, PC gamers will enjoy uncensored gore and fully destructible shrines, and there's absolutely nothing the Japanese parliament can do about it.

at least you arent a Era member ( i guess ) otherwise you would need to self-censor every minute or else...

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Don't pretend politicians don't make empty threats either then. I agree with you that Ubisoft should have stood up for themselves, but this was a PR battle they surrendered to. Nothing more.

Actually PR wise I think they came out on top. An intriguing ~ forbidden game ~ talked about at the highest level of a nations government and generating global buzz on the day of release. With the actual changes made being almost inconsequential, and even bringing it more inline with the series, where you aren't supposed to kill civilians anyway.

I want to say that Ubi is too incompetent to orchestrate this kind of maneuver, but I'm starting to think we might be getting Keyser Soze'd.

How did 4 separate head monks find out about this shrine issue at the same time... and arrange press conferences?

Let alone getting the matter escalated to parliament so quickly?

Changing the character descriptions on the JP site... The Boba Tea... Yosuke... mysteriously delaying the game's release to co-inside with Japan's spring break... It's all falling into place now

 

[Topher]

Actually PR wise I think they came out on top. An intriguing ~ forbidden game ~ talked about at the highest level of a nations government and generating global buzz on the day of release. With the actual changes made being almost inconsequential, and even bringing it more inline with the series, where you aren't supposed to kill civilians anyway.

I want to say that Ubi is too incompetent to orchestrate this kind of maneuver, but I'm starting to think we might be getting Keyser Soze'd.

How did 4 separate head monks find out about this shrine issue at the same time... and arrange press conferences?

Let alone getting the matter escalated to parliament so quickly?

Changing the character descriptions on the JP site... The Boba Tea... Yosuke... mysteriously delaying the game's release to co-inside with Japan's spring break... It's all falling into place now

 

[Idleyes]

How did 4 separate head monks find out about this shrine issue at the same time... and arrange press conferences?

Let alone getting the matter escalated to parliament so quickly?

Easy! There was a nigga destroying their precious shrines involved. How else do you mobilize an entire country other than saying, "LOOK, BROWN PEOPLE!" Works every time in America. Meanwhile, most of the jobs are being sent overseas by folks who look nothing like my God slow-roasted me to perfection head ass.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Easy! There was a nigga destroying their precious shrines involved. How else do you mobilize an entire country other than saying, "LOOK, BROWN PEOPLE!" Works every time in America. Meanwhile, most of the jobs are being sent overseas by folks who look nothing like my God slow-roasted me to perfection head ass.

LMAO

 

[Idleyes]

That guy is a hot mess.

 

[Pantz]

I was thinking about getting it to roleplay as a bad guy. Now it's been nerfed so I'll probably hold off. Getting it was at like 33% chance, now like 4% chance.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

he made the video. Ubisoft's fate is sealed.

 

[Kacho]

Asmonposting has returned

Edit: hey that's a screenshot

 

[CGNoire]

Fucking WOW.

The fucking idiots with the non stop complaining about a black man in a fictional video game got us here. Your nonstop tears got the game censored.

The crybabies for this game are 1 million times worse than any woke mob.

Go Woke ... Go Broke.

Go Anti-woke.. Get censored and have no gore in a Samurai game. LMAO. im so mad

Yep people seem to have Zero Integrity now a days.

 

[CGNoire]

Nope. The woke crowd caused this by trying to push their bullshit mental issues on others. Now we just retaliate by being oversensitive about things we actually don't give a shit about just to fuck with them.

Thats a Losing Battle especially for artists. This tit for tat has to stop.

 

[San Dan Glokta]

Actually PR wise I think they came out on top. An intriguing ~ forbidden game ~ talked about at the highest level of a nations government and generating global buzz on the day of release. With the actual changes made being almost inconsequential, and even bringing it more inline with the series, where you aren't supposed to kill civilians anyway.

I want to say that Ubi is too incompetent to orchestrate this kind of maneuver, but I'm starting to think we might be getting Keyser Soze'd.

How did 4 separate head monks find out about this shrine issue at the same time... and arrange press conferences?

Let alone getting the matter escalated to parliament so quickly?

Changing the character descriptions on the JP site... The Boba Tea... Yosuke... mysteriously delaying the game's release to co-inside with Japan's spring break... It's all falling into place now

 

[peek]

LOL less interactivity yay!

OH cant hurt the animals now, oh! cant destroy the random objects. Oh! cant... ya

 

[Fake]

 

[Neofire]

The Japanese government shouldnt even have complained about it. Where is their beef with Nioh and a hundred other titles? Fuck those old dusty geriatric fools

Listen I wont go attacking random npc's but yes you are right this is censorship.



The only reason he is weighing in is because the grifters pushed this narrative to them and as hard as they could.

I completely agree, Japan thinks that they are special and others are not. Let's not forget some of the stuff that's came out of that country in their anime about other cultures.

 

[mckmas8808]

Dunno, ask ubisoft. I do think lotsa people care about jp culture tho.

I think alot of people care too, hence why it's okay for Ubisoft to edit their work if they mistakenly made that culture upset at them.

 

[semiconscious]

Thats a Losing Battle especially for artists. This tit for tat has to stop.

agreed. this's what all forms of self-righteousness sound like to me:

 

[Beechos]

I mean do people have to break shrines in this game? If you're against it just don't break it? What about killing all these guards who have family and friends and are just trying to make an honest living in feudal japan.

 

[Lokaum D+]

I mean do people have to break shrines in this game? If you're against it just don't break it? What about killing all these guards who have family and friends and are just trying to make an honest living in feudal japan.

there is no reasson to Ubisoft to follow with this nonsense, this is just their doing damage control

 

[March Climber]

I think alot of people care too, hence why it's okay for Ubisoft to edit their work if they mistakenly made that culture upset at them.

I think a good question is, would as many people have cared if so many people hadn't constantly brought this game up as a beacon of culture warring for multiple years? I'm probably going to get some replies that state 'yes they would', but I don't think that's entirely true, because there is too much evidence of other AC games, including 2 of them taking place in China, with zero complaint about cultural integrity.

I find this entire ordeal to be a cause and effect, but the cause is oddly not taking credit as the cause due to bad optics. Like in most cases, the side who were the main force of this domino effect would (and should) consider this a 'win' after all of their online dealings, but instead the credit is quickly being shoved to another party entirely. It's funny enough to remind me of a popular youtube skit/meme, the gold medal instigator.

 

[MonkD]

Exactly, in the DLC. They put all the supernatural shit in the DLC, just like Origins and Odyssey, but you'd know that since you've played them all.

Also, conveniently side-stepping quotes from Ubisoft and the discovery tour again, nice.

Yes, who cares what the people who make the product say, some rando on a forum disagrees and we should take his word for it. Do you even hear yourself?

Minotaur, Gorgon, Cyclops and the portal to Atlantis (with your immortal father Pythagoras) was part of Odyssey before dlc. Valhalla had the Oden stuff before dlc. Origin only inclduded the massive Cobra, but they used editors notes in Discovery Tour because they included women in places without historical evidence. (And the DLC had the after-life, but I guess the arugment was that only DLC had the fantasy elements).

I have platinumed all the games too. So get off your high horse.

 

[MonkD]

I mean, remember when black people complained that a white guy was only killing black zombies in Resident Evil 5, a game based in West Africa, so Capcom had to turn around and include white zombies to appease them.

I thought that was ridiculous too

 

[MonkD]

Let's exaggerate a bit.
Image the game where your parents in their home (properly depicted and referenced) would be creatively and brutally killed and it was released for everyone on the pretext of being "fiction, its just a game"
Depicting actual people in fiction setting is forbidden for a reason. And some go further as to forbid depicting things of very high importance for certain group of people for similar reason.

With how ass the face models have been recently I doubt the characters would look anything like my parents anyways.

But in all seriousness I'd probably compare this closer to being able to break objects at the cemetary where I have relatives. And I can tell you that I don't really give a shit. I can probably already crash a plane there in Microsoft Flight Simulator. And I guess a lot of people can already have their parents killed in games since we are using facial scanning tech for a lot modern games. So I imagine some of the face models wokring on MK1 have children, and I haven't heard any of them complaining.

 

[MMaRsu]

c'mon, making some fucking furniture unbreakable and ppl bloodless is not censorship, you guys really need to look out into the real world.

god damn, dont be this retarded pls

Damn the pot calling the kettle retarded.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

It's unfortunate if this goes against an established mechanic of the series. But this is what happens when the pendulum swings too much in one direction. When it swings back, it does so fast and hard.

Around ten years ago, companies like Ubi, who were until then making the games they wanted to make, started caving in to the *ahem* totally civil, reasonable requests of the likes of FF and the former GAF mob that since then has migrated elsewhere. And they went all in with it, uncompromisingly, ignoring user feedback from a certain part of the audience. Now that part of the audience sees an option to regain some power, and it's seizing it. Maybe, maybe, all this drama could have been avoided by maintaining some balance and not systematically ignoring all feedback from a certain part of the audience and calling them names for almost a decade? It's really a mystery for the ages.
Also, don't underestimate the capacity of politicians to hijack causes they know and care nothing about to gain some brownie points.

Anyway, this is all very funny to watch, but I doubt it will send a message through Ubi's wallet, which is ultimately what really counts. This is AC. I doubt it's going to bomb to the extent some people wish, so whatever "damage" this actual nothingburger does will be very limited. If the game actually bombs (relative to expectations, ie, still a moderate success in the worst-case scenario), it won't be because of what this thread is about.

 

[MMaRsu]

Around ten years ago, companies like Ubi, who were until then making the games they wanted to make, started caving in to the *ahem* totally civil, reasonable requests of the likes of FF and the former GAF mob that since then has migrated elsewhere. And they went all in with it, uncompromisingly, ignoring user feedback from a certain part of the audience. Now that part of the audience sees an option to regain some power, and it's seizing it. Maybe, maybe, all this drama could have been avoided by maintaining some balance and not systematically ignoring all feedback from a certain part of the audience and calling them names for almost a decade?

Which companies did this? Ubisoft surely didnt. They never spoke up about any of that

Also which companies called people names?

To me it sounds like your more upset with the state of politics than fucking video games.

Can you bring us some receipts of these companies calling people names?

Or ignoring feedback?

Or is it just takes from your butt

 

[Ryu_Joestar]

Remember when killing civilians got you a "game over" in the first Assassin's Creed games?

 

[Idleyes]

Remember when killing civilians got you a "game over" in the first Assassin's Creed games?

Remember when games used to add more fun factor elements as new installments are released? Remember when gamers were given morale and immoral choices in games because they are just video games? Well, forget all that when every government in the world decides to do what the Japanese parliament is doing.

 

[Idleyes]

Can't wait for Iran to decide that the teachings of Mohammad needs to be respected in video games.

 

[FewRope]

This is like if GTA was actually censored outside hot coffee because americans politicans cried about it, fucking cuck ass country

 

[Ryu_Joestar]

Remember when games used to add more fun factor elements as new installments are released? Remember when gamers were given morale and immoral choices in games because they are just video games? Well, forget all that when every government in the world decides to do what the Japanese parliament is doing.

The point is that randomly killing civilians is against the assassin moral code in-game, as they are innocents and don't really do anything wrong.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

By the way, IGN has received confirmation from Ubisoft that these specific changes are for all versions of the game and not just Japan-specific.

The headline here is a change to tables and racks in temples and shrines, which are now indestructible in the Feudal Japan-set game. Ubisoft told IGN the day-one patch is for all players and not Japan-specific, but it's hard to see this change in particular being anything but a response to the controversy surrounding the game in the country.

Amid Japan Concern About Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft Confirms Day-One Patch That Makes Tables and Racks in Temples and Shrines Indestructible - IGN

IGN has confirmed that Ubisoft has quietly prepared a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that makes a number of important changes apparently in response to concern about the game in Japan. Check out the patch notes.

www.ign.com

 

[MISTER INVEIGLER]

I was just about to buy the game too. It's a skip now.

 

[Idleyes]

The point is that randomly killing civilians is against the assassin conduct in-game, as they are innocents and don't really do anything wrong.

Excessive civilian casualties in Shadows lead to desynchronization, discouraging such actions. Removing gore from civilians not only disrupts immersion (in my opinion) but also seems to ignore the fact that civilian casualties are already discouraged. Civilian gore has gradually increased from Revelations to Syndicate to Valhalla, so its presence isn't new.

I mean, remember when black people complained that a white guy was only killing black zombies in Resident Evil 5, a game based in West Africa, so Capcom had to turn around and include white zombies to appease them.

A significant portion of the backlash came from white liberals, though some Black individuals also voiced concerns about the portrayal. However, the primary push against it from what I saw came from white folks who believed they were helping black people.

Think about it, the Black demographic isn't the primary revenue source for these companies, so why would they alter a game to appease a minority at the risk of sales? The pressure to make changes had to come from a broader group, not just Black individuals. This has always been the case, even the civil rights movement wouldn't have succeeded without the involvement of white individuals.

We have more pressing issues to tackle, mainly within our own communities, than to expend so much energy on a damn video game. you'd be hard pressed to find a widely recognized Black politician who played a significant role in the controversy.

 

[Paasei]

Hopefully someone can mod it back in.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Easy! There was a nigga destroying their precious shrines involved. How else do you mobilize an entire country other than saying, "LOOK, BROWN PEOPLE!"

Putting pineapple on pizza in the case of Italians.

 

[Idleyes]

I happily stand corrected.

 

[Hayabusabruh]

It will make it so gay buttholes can't be penetrated. ' I'm mashing B why isn't it working ... Oh the patch'

 

[Edellus]

So now I can't destroy specific objects in specific places that I have no rewards for destroying? I also won't see blood when killing civilians that have no rewards for killing?

I'm trying to care for this amount of censorship, but I can't. I'm also trying to sympathize with the people who seem to be so heavily invested in this censorship, but I'm also failing. To me, this seems like "Ubisoft derangement syndrome: The Thread, Part I lost count".

 

[SmokedMeat]

The shrines are no big deal, but killing innocents should be part of the open world experience. It should be up to you on how you want to carry yourself, but at the same time there needs to be repercussions in the game for doing so.

 

[Idleyes]

I'm trying to care for this amount of censorship, but I can't. I'm also trying to sympathize with the people who seem to be so heavily invested in this censorship, but I'm also failing.

It's not just about censorship; it's about artistic integrity. When governments dictate creative choices, it sets a dangerous precedent for artistic freedom. Personally, I don't mind if shrines are destructible or indestructible, gore is reduced or increased, or civilian kills are unrestricted or restricted, as long as these decisions are made by the developers, not imposed by a government.

So far, that hasn't been the case, as the Japanese parliament hasn't officially enforced any changes. Ubisoft did it on their own. However, I believe the Japanese parliament shouldn't be protesting something protected by their own constitution, especially when it seems they're pump faking by calming they are shielding their Shrine rather than openly acknowledging the real reason behind their objections. A NIGGA BASHING UP THEIR SHIT!

 

[mckmas8808]

I think a good question is, would as many people have cared if so many people hadn't constantly brought this game up as a beacon of culture warring for multiple years? I'm probably going to get some replies that state 'yes they would', but I don't think that's entirely true, because there is too much evidence of other AC games, including 2 of them taking place in China, with zero complaint about cultural integrity.

I find this entire ordeal to be a cause and effect, but the cause is oddly not taking credit as the cause due to bad optics. Like in most cases, the side who were the main force of this domino effect would (and should) consider this a 'win' after all of their online dealings, but instead the credit is quickly being shoved to another party entirely. It's funny enough to remind me of a popular youtube skit/meme, the gold medal instigator.

Great meme.

 

[Arachnid]

It's wild to me that they managed to make one of the best ACs in the entire series (it feels like they put in legit effort to evolve/perfect the formula for the first time since Origins) but people are so hyper focused on politics these days that they can't see past the red.

Also, no bugs. I was legit worried about this after how Valhalla launched, but it's clean.

 

[Madonis]

Making the game slightly worse just to please a shouting mob.

 

[Principal]

No. This is all on Ubi. If they had stuck closer to historical accuracy from the start, none of this would have been a problem. Outside the animus stuff there is no need to bend history to fit woke agenda. Truth is that people with deep historical knowledge and interest used to work on these games.

A cap yapper, because fist fighting the pope is historically accurate right?

 

[Phobos Base]

It's wild to me that they managed to make one of the best ACs in the entire series (it feels like they put in legit effort to evolve/perfect the formula for the first time since Origins) but people are so hyper focused on politics these days that they can't see past the red.

Also, no bugs. I was legit worried about this after how Valhalla launched, but it's clean.

Or that Ubisoft are so hyper focussed on politics that the controversy is entirely of their own making.

 

[Arachnid]

Or that Ubisoft are so hyper focussed on politics that the controversy is entirely of their own making.

??

Everything I've see has been entirely reactionary on their part. TBH, they probably should have just silently ignored the internet outrage though.

 

[Idleyes]

Let's be real, there's no logical reason for the Japanese parliament to believe that their own people would vandalize shrines because of a video game. Historically, when shrine vandalism has occurred, it has been driven by far more significant political or ideological reasons, and even then, it's rare due to the deep respect shrines hold in Japanese culture.

For them to seriously suggest that a video game could incite such acts is an insult to common sense. If I were Japanese, I'd be offended that my own parliament thinks something straight out of the land of make-believe would suddenly inspire me to vandalize a shrine.

GTFOH