Racy card game Monster Monpiece was officially confirmed for a Western release this week, albeit with a few minor adaptations. Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the PlayStation Vita card battler will be dressing a little more appropriately – and it’s a decision that publisher Idea Factory admits that it agonised over.
“Monster Monpiece is a card battle game, in which players summon various Monster Girls onto the game’s battlefields and then fight their opponents,” the organisation wrote as part of a statement to placate frustrated fans. “These cards – meaning the Monster Girls – are able to be powered up by exposing themselves via the level-up features called First Crush Rub and Extreme Love.”
The company continued: “We kept the same number of cards in the game as the original Japanese version, but replaced some of the higher level Monster Girl images with the ‘less exposed’ versions due to some intense sexual imagery. The number of censored cards is about 40 out of the approximately 350 card images available in the game.”
Furthermore, it added that it genuinely did wrestle with the “difficult decision”, but felt that it didn’t have any other option. “Western society is not as lenient as that of Japan when sexual images are involved – especially images of humanoids that appear to be younger than a socially acceptable age,” the statement concluded. “We sincerely apologise for those who do not agree with any level of censorship, but we greatly appreciate your understanding with the decision that we have made.”
The good news is that, aside from the abovementioned cards, the release includes all of the cut-scenes, narrative, and battles from the full game, so this really is just a case of some missing artwork. Is that enough to prevent you from picking up the saucy software, or is this still sitting at the top of your wishlist? Cover up in the comments section below.
[source vg247.com]
Comments 16
Yet another game getting censor, thanks to UK loli law <-- Need to go.
I still gonna pick the game up.
Its an animated adult rated peice of entertainment. Why do adults need to have this censored? Only 40 cards is still a huge chunk of distorted artwork. If I buy an import from eBay am I then breaking the law? No. This is just stupid. Does the UK gov not realise that borders mean nothing when you're dealing with digital information. Again. Stupid.
Well unless we buy an imported version we won't know which cards are censored and which aren't so is it that big of a deal? I'm still gonna pick it up, but I'm not gonna say "Why isn't this card more revealing?!" It would be a different story if the cut scenes or story were changed in any way. At least those are the same.
Thank you UK and Germany for being the reason many games cut content / change content.... Same goes for NA
Thank you UK and Germany for being the reason many games cut content / change content.... Same goes for NA
It doesn't mention anywhere in the article about it being due to certain countries as to why it's censored so I don't understand why people are feeling hate towards certain nations. At the end of the day, Idea Factory are the ones to censor the content. It was their decision. They could of released it uncensored, and considering it only has a PEGI 12 in the EU I don't think it would've done much except for raised the PEGI rating a little. It shouldn't be censored but that's just the way it is
Again whatever it is, an adult rated game needs no censorship at all. I didn't grow 32 years old for this. Lol.
At least hide some "unlock raunchy stuff" code in the game or whatever!
lol they're simply acknowledging how chill Japan is about sex compared to other cultures. The rest of Earth thinks it's not cool to sexualize minors like that, of course. Not a fire that needs any fuel. It's not exactly porno, but it's obviously a little too something or other to go over smoothly overseas
Here's the real question. Do they really think censoring the game will lead to more sales and more money for them? Really? Even in its censored version it's certainly still not for kids. And if it's not for kids why censor it at all?
@MadchesterManc @Squiggle55 @RyoHazuki Once again, they even mentioned this time about the images that appear to be very young. If that's your thing, I'm not going to pretend like animated images denote any particular real-world preferences as I don't really believe much correlation exists. Still, it seems more of a "just in case" law when it comes to minors.
I don't know PEGI ratings fully, but I do know that once an American game gets an Ao rating, sales plummet like a rock, as stores will largely not even be allowed to show the game on the sales floor, and you have to ask for it by name (if the store will even bother to carry it). In fact, Sony, MS, and Nintendo will refuse to allow the game to even be sold with an Ao tag. It's basically a "mark of death" unless it's a PC game, where you could just digitally download.
Does PEGI have any such rating? I wouldn't know tbh.
@Cloud7794 are you insinuating that the people who are stating it should be Uncensored have some kind of Loli fetish? That's how your opening paragraph comes across to be honest even though that assessment couldn't be any further from the truth. Personally I just think that I'm old & wise enough to be able to decide for myself whether something is offensive so I don't always support censorship
I don't think PEGI has a rating like the one in the states that can cripple releases. No doubt with this game getting an M rating it probably would've received that damming rating. With it only being a PEGI 12 here it probably wouldn't have been affected too much, bumped up to 15 or 18 maybe, as Europe seems a tad more lax than the states with sexualised imagery
@MadchesterManc I'm actually insinuating quite the opposite, that just because you would rather the artistic integrity to remain intact doesn't make you a fetishist. I'm only saying that the law artemishemp mentioned (who I forgot to put in the reply) is probably around because the gov. believes a correlation exists and placed that particular law "just in case", though I personally don't agree there as people are far more complex than that. That was what I was more referring to.
And that's quite surprising. I would have assumed they had some kind of rating for games that are just overtly sexual/explicit in nature. Maybe they just refuse to give such games ratings at all?
No racy imagery! Go back to filling people with lead and chopping off limbs!
Seriously though, this wouldn't be a problem if adults would pay attention to what they buy children. Come to think of it, do children even play vita? My gf works at THE MAJOR game store in the states, and the number of people who buy M-rated titles for kids (even when she explains why it has an M rating) is boggling. This is in Texas too, mind you. They always say something like, "Well, they are going to play it anyways!" So...you should actively promote it? Just give in? Sad.
@Artie Good point. I think, like plenty of other people, that graphic violence is much more psychologically concerning. And I don't believe in censorship in any form of art. Parents should absolutely be responsible for what their children watch or play. And the government should only get involved with censoring parents when it is protecting the rights of someone else.
@cloud7794 Good point concerning the business side there. If a game with a certain rating simply isn't carried by retailers at all, then that would make business sense to censor yourself. Of course I'd still like to see everyone grow up and not have to make decisions like this but that's not happening anytime soon.
If it was just released in the US would they still feel the need to censor because the majority of people are still stuck in the 50's about sexual content?
@Squiggle55 I agree with your comment to Artie. What really ticks me off is when people make the argument that video games rated M like COD shouldn't be made because it distorts the minds of children. As parents, they shouldn't allow their child to play it. That's why its rated M. Do they let their kid watch rated R movies? No. Video games and movies have very similar rating systems in the US: E=G, E10+=PG, T=PG13, M=R. Don't let your 5 year old run over hookers in GTA, plain n simple.
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