• Western "Censorship" In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness

    During an interview on 4Gamer, Producer Shuichi Kobayashi and Director Hiroshi Ogawa of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness mentioned how the character Miki Sauvester will be showing a little less skin in the western release than originally shown in the Japanese version.

    Miki originally used to wear more "normal-looking" panties under her short dress but Kobayasi mentioned that they received feedback from abroad that it was inappropriate for a teen to be wearing "sexualized underwear". To combat this, they added more fabric onto her model turning the underwear into shorts. Director Hiroshi Ogawa had laughed and said that making the change was "regrettable."

    Surprisingly, the character Fiore will have her checkered outfit untouched. Dualshockers elaborated on her design with the Character designer "Akiman":

    "... the idea for her costume came up by chance, as in the series it has always been considered all right to design sexy outfit. Yet, in the industry there have been recent issues about revealing clothes, causing developers to have to make fixes at later stages of development. That’s why he purposely designed Fiore’s costume to be sexy, but still not showing too much skin."

    Take a look yourselves. If you're not keen on seeing butts, ignore this spoiler!

    Before:


    After


    What are you thoughts on changes to characters like this?
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Western "Censorship" In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness started by Freya View original post
    Comments 65 Comments
    1. Fynn's Avatar
      Fynn -
      oh my God


      People are gonna lose their trout again
    1. Rez09's Avatar
      Rez09 -
      I . . . really wish they had decided to change Fiore's outfit instead. Not as a matter of sexiness or censorship, either -- that outfit just looks really bad.
    1. Fox's Avatar
      Fox -
      """"""""Censorship""""""""

      There are not enough air quotes in the world to adequately dilute that word's meaning to make it appropriate for this discussion. So, basically what has happened here: a company has made a creative/business decision based on how it perceives the taste of its western demographic.

      ​The horror.
    1. Sephiroth's Avatar
      Sephiroth -
      I will import it anyway.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya -
      Quote Originally Posted by Fox View Post
      """"""""Censorship""""""""

      There are not enough air quotes in the world to adequately dilute that word's meaning to make it appropriate for this discussion. So, basically what has happened here: a company has made a creative/business decision based on how it perceives the taste of its western demographic.

      ​The horror.
      Yeah some people are a lot more upset. Like the dualshockers link I sourced from, their comments are full of people every upset about this change
    1. Fox's Avatar
      Fox -
      I know, I was looking at 250 Eurogamer comments earlier. It's baffling why it's such a big deal.

      Do you think we can treat every change in the same way? Did the SJWs force Square to include airships in FFXV?

      I think there's a lot of hiding behind "protecting the artistic vision" from people who are actually just interested in seeing sexy butts. And it's fine to want to see sexy butts, I'm sure many of us here on eoff are fans of such, I just wish we could admit that's what it's about.
    1. Shauna's Avatar
      Shauna -
      There will be a very important plot reason that you have to have these outfits scantily clad, and then you will feel bad for judging prematurely.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya -
      Have you seen the backlash for Blizz about Overwatch yesterday/today? More butt craziness!

      I keep seeing that "protecting the artistic vision" angle too. Just say you like butts! It's okay! But them adding some extra underwear, on SO5, or changing it to a less sexual pose when a character wears really tight clothing, on overwatch, isn't really destroying artistic vision or anything.
    1. Fox's Avatar
      Fox -
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Have you seen the backlash for Blizz about Overwatch yesterday/today? More butt craziness!
      .
      Oh wow, I was overreacting so hard to the overreaction from Overwatch on other sites that I forgot we weren't actually talking about Overwatch in this thread!!!

      I think everything I said applies exactly the same to Star Ocean though, so I think it's still on topic xD

      But them adding some extra underwear, on SO5, or changing it to a less sexual pose when a character wears really tight clothing, on overwatch, isn't really destroying artistic vision or anything
      Exactly. I mean, it is possible to make such sweeping changes that you do compromise the 'artistic vision'. Remember in the original Sailor Moon anime where Sailors Neptune and Uranus were "cousins" in the US dub? Yes, America, sure thing. Very close lesbian cousins.

      The response from the commenters on these sites is more appropriate for that level of change than "She's wearing slightly less risqué underwear".
    1. Wolf Kanno's Avatar
      Wolf Kanno -
      Quote Originally Posted by Fox View Post
      I know, I was looking at 250 Eurogamer comments earlier. It's baffling why it's such a big deal.

      Do you think we can treat every change in the same way? Did the SJWs force Square to include airships in FFXV?

      I think there's a lot of hiding behind "protecting the artistic vision" from people who are actually just interested in seeing sexy butts. And it's fine to want to see sexy butts, I'm sure many of us here on eoff are fans of such, I just wish we could admit that's what it's about.
      Attachment 67736
    1. CimminyCricket's Avatar
      CimminyCricket -
      The argument from the guy who said "overwatch chick shouldn't do this" made sense. If that character has a specific personality and having them do a victory pose that clashes with that personality, it doesn't serve a purpose other than for fan service.


      The underwear thing doesn't bother me, if she's of an age that it would be questionable for me to want to look up her skirt in the first place I just wouldn't look up her skirt.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya -
      Oh man a guy just tried to argue with me on twitter that we shouldn't make changes because of the artistic integrity thing. Said he's passionate about games and so he cares more about those changes. Then when i mention the Lightning's bigger boobs thing he said that was okay so the game could get more "attention".

      You can't say you're against changing things because of artistic integrity and then say it's okay if it's boobs being changed. Just say you're upset cause you like sexual things. That's okay if you like that! Use that as your angle, don't try to veil it as something else.
    1. Fox's Avatar
      Fox -
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Oh man a guy just tried to argue with me on twitter that we shouldn't make changes because of the artistic integrity thing. Said he's passionate about games and so he cares more about those changes. Then when i mention the Lightning's bigger boobs thing he said that was okay so the game could get more "attention".

      You can't say you're against changing things because of artistic integrity and then say it's okay if it's boobs being changed. Just say you're upset cause you like sexual things. That's okay if you like that! Use that as your angle, don't try to veil it as something else.
      "EVEN with the changes to the breasts, it didn't make it better".

      Look up, twitter person, that spec flying over your head is the point. Sorry, I went and looked at your argument because I was curious, I hope that wasn't weird. My absolute favourite was when he pulled a "First they came for the socialists" argument, but with Butts.
    1. DMKA's Avatar
      DMKA -
      It makes me sad that the west has become so full of uppity whiners that Japan actually feels the need to take these measures before releasing their games here.

      That being said, I don't care about Star Ocean or anime panties, so I won't be losing any sleep over this.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya -
      Quote Originally Posted by Fox View Post
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Oh man a guy just tried to argue with me on twitter that we shouldn't make changes because of the artistic integrity thing. Said he's passionate about games and so he cares more about those changes. Then when i mention the Lightning's bigger boobs thing he said that was okay so the game could get more "attention".

      You can't say you're against changing things because of artistic integrity and then say it's okay if it's boobs being changed. Just say you're upset cause you like sexual things. That's okay if you like that! Use that as your angle, don't try to veil it as something else.
      "EVEN with the changes to the breasts, it didn't make it better".

      Look up, twitter person, that spec flying over your head is the point. Sorry, I went and looked at your argument because I was curious, I hope that wasn't weird. My absolute favourite was when he pulled a "First they came for the socialists" argument, but with Butts.
      Like technically this SO5 character is listed as 18 but she's modeled younger looking. It's kind of odd we're seeing her underwear anyway with that case. And the Tracer thing, it is a little out of character. Comparing the changes to the end of all boobs and butts is over the top.
    1. Fox's Avatar
      Fox -
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Like technically this SO5 character is listed as 18 but she's modeled younger looking. It's kind of odd we're seeing her underwear anyway with that case. And the Tracer thing, it is a little out of character. Comparing the changes to the end of all boobs and butts is over the top.
      Honestly if there was going to be any "controversy" here I would have expected it to come from fishnet-witch.
    1. Elpizo's Avatar
      Elpizo -
      I find it unnecesary and it bugs me that companies still feel the need to do this for the western releases of certain games. Fire Emblem and Bravely Default come to mind, and it was just as unnecesary there, too. (Not because of "artistic value" or some such, don't be silly.)

      I know this will come as a shock to some, but have at it anyway: people outside of Japan like boobs and butts too. We won't go into mortified cardiac arrest just because we saw a flash of panties or some cleavage. Yeah, it's fan-service, so why do fans outside of Japan not get served? <.< This is FF3 on the SNES levels of silly changes.

      And for anyone decrying that some of these characters might be underage; relax, they're not real, they don't really exist, they are polygons and pixels on your tv and if some people out there like seeing said character's panties it doesn't mean said people are about to run out the door and molest the first minor they come across. Breathe. Calm down. Put down that phone, no need to call the cops.

      Sheesh.
    1. Formalhaut's Avatar
      Formalhaut -
      I'm not seeing the big deal either way. To see both changes, you'd have to hike up the camera in strange angles. It's far less egregious than FFXV's foray into censorship.
    1. Freya's Avatar
      Freya -
      Quote Originally Posted by Elpizo View Post
      I find it unnecesary and it bugs me that companies still feel the need to do this for the western releases of certain games. Fire Emblem and Bravely Default come to mind, and it was just as unnecesary there, too. (Not because of "artistic value" or some such, don't be silly.)

      I know this will come as a shock to some, but have at it anyway: people outside of Japan like boobs and butts too. We won't go into mortified cardiac arrest just because we saw a flash of panties or some cleavage. Yeah, it's fan-service, so why do fans outside of Japan not get served? <.< This is FF3 on the SNES levels of silly changes.

      And for anyone decrying that some of these characters might be underage; relax, they're not real, they don't really exist, they are polygons and pixels on your tv and if some people out there like seeing said character's panties it doesn't mean said people are about to run out the door and molest the first minor they come across. Breathe. Calm down. Put down that phone, no need to call the cops.

      Sheesh.
      Ehhhhhhh


      EHHHHhhhhhh

      Still extremely not healthy of a thing to encourage, pixelated or not.
    1. Elpizo's Avatar
      Elpizo -
      Quote Originally Posted by Freya View Post
      Ehhhhhhh


      EHHHHhhhhhh

      Still extremely not healthy of a thing to encourage, pixelated or not.
      Encourage what? Not having a phobia of boobs, butts and panties in a video game? Heaven forbid our poor, sheltered western children learn that human beings have sex and that babies are squeezed out of a woman's cooch and not brought by the white stork.

      Relax. In general people are sensible enough to know that what can be done in video games cannot (always) be done in real life. Otherwise we'd all be shooting and t-bagging everyone out there who we don't like, stealing their cars and shagging their wives. But we don't do that, do we? Indeed we do not, because we're not @$$holes. This is no different.

      The fact that glorified murder, torture, terrorism, bloodshed and theft in games is totally accepted by people, but as soon as a character shows some cleavage or her panties all of gamerland collectively gasps in utter shock and indignation decrying "oh my, should we really allow such a thing? I mean, we wouldn't want to encourage such behaviour, would we? What if we offend anyone, heaven forbid?! Better censor that trout!", never ceases to baffle me.

      It's all much ado about nothing. Don't want to see your character's panties? Don't tilt the camera so you can peer under her skirt. Don't want to see Edea Lee in the Bravo Bikini? Don't have her wear it. Boom, done.

      You're welcome.
  • EoFF on Twitter

  • Square Enix on Twitter