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Today's post is once again about (mostly) men crying about something that doesn't matter: Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 isn't going to be released in Western territories, apparently because the criticism of the game's overt sexism (which, lbr, is what Dead or Alive is most known for) is scary and they don't want to deal with it. I think the underlying concern for Koei-Tecmo is that DOAX3 is going to sell abysmally no matter what they do (DOA5 has only sold 1.5 million copies worldwide over 4 multiplatform releases, and the DOAX games have always sold significantly worse than the main series) but they don't want to admit it, so it's easier to blame a vague, non-specific target.
Anyway, OF COURSE if you are in certain Gamer-Gatey circles this is UNEQUIVOCAL CENSORSHIP and a sign of how 'the SJWs' and their shadowy agenda of criticizing things will lead us to a world without fun. This USGamer article has a pretty excellent run-down of why KT's position seems to make no sense in light of DOA's long history of being called sexist and super embarrassing ever since it was released.
As for the cries of 'censorship': GG, you need a refresher course on what words mean and possibly on how the free market works! Censorship occurs when a group in a position of power edits or bans something from being distributed due to content it deems objectionable. People who criticize something as sexist (or as objectionable for any other reason) and thus refuse to purchase or support that thing are not censoring it; they're simply exercising their right to free speech and action.
Things get a little dicey when it comes to companies not releasing or altering product due to consumer backlash, real or perceived. Sometimes a company chooses to self-censorship because, after encountering criticism, they decide they don't want to be a company that supports whatever objectionable behavior they're accused of. More often, it's a financially-driven decision: the company determines that the negative attention and/or loss of sales from the people who criticize them is not worth the support from those who don't care or want the objectionable content. So in KT's case, they either
1. Don't want to be perceived by Western audiences as a company that releases softcore porn video games, or at least not as a company that releases softcore porn video games that have no other entertainment value;
2. Have no faith in the product in the first place and are trying to minimize costs and consolidate (pad, really...) sales numbers in a few regions, which would look much better on paper than abysmal numbers in many regions. :P
Given the state of DOA5: Last Round and their releases from the past few years, Option 1 seems unlikely. Option 2 is VERY possible, for a variety of reasons that...well, I planned to get into them in this post, but I have to work early tomorrow so I'll have to save that portion for later.
Anyway, regardless of what the reasons are for not releasing DOAX3 in the west, I think it's important to focus on what we, as an audience are missing: a shitty mini-game collection and polygon boobs bouncing in hilarious ways for the low, low price point of $90. Truly, a great work of art has been denied us.
Anyway, OF COURSE if you are in certain Gamer-Gatey circles this is UNEQUIVOCAL CENSORSHIP and a sign of how 'the SJWs' and their shadowy agenda of criticizing things will lead us to a world without fun. This USGamer article has a pretty excellent run-down of why KT's position seems to make no sense in light of DOA's long history of being called sexist and super embarrassing ever since it was released.
As for the cries of 'censorship': GG, you need a refresher course on what words mean and possibly on how the free market works! Censorship occurs when a group in a position of power edits or bans something from being distributed due to content it deems objectionable. People who criticize something as sexist (or as objectionable for any other reason) and thus refuse to purchase or support that thing are not censoring it; they're simply exercising their right to free speech and action.
Things get a little dicey when it comes to companies not releasing or altering product due to consumer backlash, real or perceived. Sometimes a company chooses to self-censorship because, after encountering criticism, they decide they don't want to be a company that supports whatever objectionable behavior they're accused of. More often, it's a financially-driven decision: the company determines that the negative attention and/or loss of sales from the people who criticize them is not worth the support from those who don't care or want the objectionable content. So in KT's case, they either
1. Don't want to be perceived by Western audiences as a company that releases softcore porn video games, or at least not as a company that releases softcore porn video games that have no other entertainment value;
2. Have no faith in the product in the first place and are trying to minimize costs and consolidate (pad, really...) sales numbers in a few regions, which would look much better on paper than abysmal numbers in many regions. :P
Given the state of DOA5: Last Round and their releases from the past few years, Option 1 seems unlikely. Option 2 is VERY possible, for a variety of reasons that...well, I planned to get into them in this post, but I have to work early tomorrow so I'll have to save that portion for later.
Anyway, regardless of what the reasons are for not releasing DOAX3 in the west, I think it's important to focus on what we, as an audience are missing: a shitty mini-game collection and polygon boobs bouncing in hilarious ways for the low, low price point of $90. Truly, a great work of art has been denied us.
no subject
Date: 2015-11-28 01:52 am (UTC)From:Slightly related, am I the only one weirded out by Marie Rose's design/outfits? Or that one of her swimsuits is a Japanese school swimsuit...I know she's 18...but honestly she looks like they designed a 12 y/o and slapped 18 on her bio to cover their asses.
Sorry for the random, long comment! Honestly just embarrassed at all of this.
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Date: 2015-11-29 01:18 am (UTC)From:You are correct, the PS4 is region-free, as is the Vita. I imagine the English version Play-Asia is offering is going to be...something of a surprise for those ordering it; 'overseas'/Asian regional subtitles are usually of very poor quality. Regardless, this is a game where the most complex game requires two buttons. Words of any sort are not necessary. :P
I think a lot of people are weirded out by Marie Rose! I recall reading a Koei-Tecmo interview that mentioned the reception of Marie Rose in Japan and her reception in the US were polar opposites--she's popular in Japan but almost despised in America.
As a long time fan of Dead or Alive, in part because I like cute girls who beat people up, this manufactured drama is so exhausting. Like I wouldn't even care if the complainers just admitted they liked cheesecake games and were disappointed they had to buy an import version to play it, but now it's a ~~movement~~ against a feminist boogeyman that doesn't exist. Sigh.
no subject
Date: 2015-11-29 03:50 am (UTC)From:I'm not really surprised by that. Just looking over all her outfits, there is a really weird trend going on there.
It's pretty obvious what's really going on is just about money. I really don't understand how anyone can think some scary feminist takeover is happen given the last few years worth of games.
I haven't been following GG really anymore, but I guess they spiralled down even further into nonsense since the last time I looked into it. A lot of "I can't get what I want conspiracy" right alongside "but you can't have things I don't like conspiracy" last time I looked. Because you know the moment something that doesn't appeal to them happens, see that's proof!!. It's silly. This reminds me of the epic shitfest fanboys had over Square's April Fool's gag a few years ago about Noctis being gay. So many people made it very obvious how homophobic they are, completely unashamed and as if it's a good thing. I remember some "gay agenda" conspiracy theories throw around back then, in complete seriousness. *shakes head*