Resident Evil Filmmaker Slams Game Censorship

As Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered nears its October release, criticism targeting Japan's CERO age rating board continues, as the franchise's creators express their frustration over the remastered's censorship in the country.

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Rebukes Shadows Of The Damned's CensorshipJapan's CERO Board Get Flak Once Again

Shadows Of The Damned 制作人和编剧二人组 Suda51 和 Shinji Mikami 对他们的祖国日本的分级委员会 CERO 表达了他们的沮丧，特别是针对《Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered》经过审查的主机版本。在最近接受日本游戏新闻网站 GameSpark 采访时，两人公开批评了 CERO 施加的限制，质疑这些法规背后的决策过程。

以其在《杀手 7》和《英雄不再》系列等作品中的工作而闻名的 Suda51 向 GameSpark 证实，即将推出的《Shadows of the Damned》重制版必须对其在日本主机的发行进行审查。他说：“我们必须准备两个版本的这款游戏，这是一个真正的挑战。”“在重制这款游戏时，我们必须同时开发两个版本，这对我们的工作量产生了巨大的影响，并延长了开发周期。”

共同创作者 Shinji Mikami 以其在《生化危机》、《恐龙危机》和《上帝之手》等著名的成人级游戏中工作的经历而闻名，他对 CERO 的做法感到沮丧，认为该委员会与当今的游戏社区脱节。“我认为对于不玩游戏的人来说，试图审查这些作品并阻止玩家享受游戏完整提供的内容是一种奇怪的情况，即使有玩家想享受这些‘前卫’游戏。”

CERO’s rating system includes classifications such as CERO D, for games suitable only for audiences above 17 and older, and CERO Z, for games restricted to those over 18 and older. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, helmed by Mikami, pioneered the horror genre and contained graphic and gruesome content. Its remake, released in 2015, maintains this "signature" gore and horror elements of the series and has been rated with the Z rating by the CERO board due to its nature.

Suda51 questioned the purpose of these restrictions. "If regional restrictions are imposed, we have no choice but to deal with them as part of our job, but I always wonder what the people who will play the game think." He added: "What is the purpose of these restrictions? Who are these restrictions aimed at? At the very least, I feel that they are not aimed at the customers who will play the game."

This is not the first time CERO has faced criticism for its rating practices. Back in April, amid the release of Stellar Blade, EA Japan General Manager Shaun Noguchi voiced his concerns about the board’s inconsistencies. He pointed out the discrepancy between CERO’s decision to approve Stellar Blade with a CERO D (17+) rating while rejecting EA’s survival horror game Dead Space.