Games the UK/US have missed out on.

Due to the Adult themes that are the norm in Survival Horror games, some regions decide to complain about some scenes/elements in the games that are released. This eventually means that some games are banned in some regions where others will tolerate it.
Sometimes it's the games' publishers that decide where a game is released. Sometimes they explain why the choice was made where others stay silent. Usually they don't give us an explanation and feel we should just except it.
The games below are examples of games that not all regions have had the chance to play, but why? I've tried to find out...



Imabikisou
Where Released: Japan
Why? Unknown - Market Differences?

It's not a game really, it's a "Graphic Novel" for the PS3 but it looks blooming marvelous.
Not a lot is known about it in the west and the official website is in Japanese. Google will translate for you but it still doesn't make much sense but what I can make out is that it revolves around a drug called "Vision" and a group of people including Hiroki Makimura and his girlfriend Manami Hayase. The people that use the drug end up dying in a fire leading to the belief that the drug is cursed in someway. Hiroki and Manami try and find out how to stop the curse.

The game consists of static images and short animated sequences but the graphics are amazing and the atmosphere still seems really intense despite the fact that you don't control the characters as in move left, forward etc. Instead, the game gives you options so you can tell the character what to do - at least, I think that's what you do.
I've tried to find the demo to get a clue as to how game play works but have had no success - my guess is that it was taken off the PSN.

The trailer above gives you an idea on what the game looks like and it isn't short of atmosphere at all. It's very dark and but I doubt it's something for Survival Horror gamers. If you're a fan of the Japanese horror films, like me, then this game should look interesting to you.

The game was developed by Japanese developers, Chunsoft and sega. Chunsoft has never released a game in the western market which is probably the main reason the US nor the UK has seen it.
It's easy to question whether this game would do well in the western market. Sound Novels aren't exactly the norm over here and the game would have probably bombed if it had been released here.

Chances of it coming to the US: None
Chances of it coming to the UK: None



Forbidden Siren 2
Where Released: Japan, UK, Europe
Why? No explanation.

Forbidden Siren 2 was released in Europe, Japan and the UK but wasn't released in the U.S. Forbidden Siren 1 was a huge success in Japan so the game was released in the UK four months later and then the US a month after that.
Poor sales figures of the original game may have been a reason why the US didn't get the sequel but Sony never made an announcement.

Several Survival Horror fans complained about the decision not to release Forbidden Siren 2. American Horror fans loved the original despite its difficulty and were quite unhappy about this.

It's a shame too because Forbidden Siren 2 really improved upon the original and the storyline and characters (including voice acting) as much better. In my opinion it was anyway. Youtube.com is a good source of seeing the game for yourself although it isn't the same as playing it.

Chances of it coming to the US: Very very small. The original was remade into Blood Curse so maybe FS2 has the same fate.



Rule of Rose
Where Released: US, Japan, Europe
Why? Banned

Rule of Rose was all over the gaming websites showing videos and screenshots etc. and it looked really good. The graphics looked fantastic and the storyline seemed interesting. The heroine, Jennifer is kidnapped by a group of snotty kids called the Red Crayon Aristocrats. They threaten to kill her if she doesn't do things for them so Jennifer is forced to search the ship where she is held hostage.

The games was due for release in all regions, that is until the Italian European Union minister Franco Frattini came along. He complained of the Brutality involved within the game along with the erotic aspects of the game involving female minors.
In 2007, Members of the European Parliament (MEP) proposed that the game be banned in Europe.
The game's publisher decided to withdraw it's release from the UK but, and this is the nonsense part, the rest of Europe would see it's release.
This annoyed a lot of people just because Frattini has no power in the UK. Why should the UK miss out when the rest of Europe is able to get it. Rule of Rose isn't the worst game ever released not when compared to the violence within GTA, Silent Hill and Resident Evil. These games pass just because they sell well and if the government can get money from a game (through V.A.T), who cares about the content?

I've managed to find some scenes on youtube to see what kind of subjects the game deals with and this is what I found:

• A dog can be found hanging from it's legs. The dog's eyes have also been covered. This can be considered cruel.


• In one cut scene, a grown man is consoling the young Diana by stroking her hair and arms.


• The children are regularly seen beating something in a bag. This is likely the Dog that Jennifer rescues


• The children bully Jennifer throughout the game

Maybe they were right to ban the game but giving it a more mature looking front cover and giving it an 18 certificate rating should have been good enough to stop parents buying it for their children. Adults should be able to make their own mind up about it - it's only a game after all.

Chances of it coming to the UK: Absolutely None



Fatal Frame IV?
Where Released: Japan (So far...)
Why? N/A - No Release status not confirmed.

We don't know what the deal is with this game yet. It was released in Japan in July 2008 but as of March 2009, the US and UK have not got it yet.
In January 2009, the Official Nintendo Magazine (UK Edition) announced that Europe and the UK were going to get this game in early 2009. Play.com, had a release date of 6th February down and things looked positive, for the UK at least.
It's now March '09 and nothing has been mentioned since, Tecmo haven't exactly been talkative on the subject and Nintendo (the game is for the Wii console) have been just as secretive.
Confirmation on a US release has not been mentioned AT ALL so it's quite likely the US will miss out.

It makes me wonder why Nintendo expressed interest in this when it only had the intentions to release it in Japan? Why Tecmo let it happen in the first place. Fair enough, the PS3 isn't the best selling console but at lease give it to Microsoft who are very Western friendly.
I think it's fair for me to say that the US is the series biggest market, especially when compared to the UK and it would be a bad choice to sell there.
As far as the UK is concerned, the Wii is the biggest factor in it's ever increasing games market. With advertising, it will sell especially with the good reviews it had in Japan (Edge Magazine - 8/10 and Famitsu - 34/40).

The UK has had confirmation and unless they change their mind we will get it though the US may, unfortunately miss out.

Chances of it coming to the US: OK. No confirmation yet but the UK hasn't been given a date yet so there is obviously still some time.
Chances of it coming to the UK: Very Good. It's been confirmed.

Forbidden Siren 2

Developer: SCE Japan
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released (UK): Aug '06
Released (US): N/A

Luckily, Christmas was around the corner when Forbidden Siren 2 came out in Europe or I wouldn't have played this game at all. The original was so hard I thought this one would be just as bad so I got my Mum to buy me it as a Christmas present.

The game takes place on the fictional Yamijima Island, Japan. Years before the events of the game, a Tsunami occurred there killing everyone on the Island making it inhabited. However, various people have found themselves on the island for a variety or reasons (explained later) where suspicious events start to happen.

Like the previous game, Forbidden Siren 2 has a big cast of characters, playable or not. Each character is on Yamijima Island for their own reasons.

Mamoru Itsuki is the main character of the game an is also the guy we start off as. He's a Journalist for an Occult magazine and has come to the Island to find out more about the Tsunami that occurred all those years ago. He takes a boat there along with other characters in the game but the boat is capsized and he finds himself on the coast of the island where he meets Yuri Kishida.

Yuri Kishida is found locked in a small building at Yamijima Harbour. She starts off as nice as a puppy but ends up not to be as she seems. We never play as Yuri and she only appears at the start of the game before we find out who she really is.

Ikuko Kifune is a dockworker who was working on the boat that capsized with Mamoru and Co inside. She has Psychic abilities and can take control of the Shibito's/Yamibito's movements which she uses to eventually save Mamoru from Yuri. She helps Mamoru get rid of our antagonist at the end of the game.

Yorito Nagai is a Private in the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Squad. He finds himself on Yamijima Island along with his supervisors; Takeaki Misawa and Hiroshi Okita after their helicopter lost control and crashed. After finding Okita, Yorito's friend, dead on site he goes along with Misawa to get help.

Takeaki Misawa is a Major in the same force as Yorito but goes crazy throughout the course of the game. He is killed by Yorito after he is seen threatening Ichiko Yagura but comes back as a Yamibito then as a Kou Yamibito who is destroyed by Yorito near the end of the game.

Akiko Kiyota (right) is another of the passengers of the boat Mamoru took to the Island although she is cleverly disguised in a big hat and sunglasses. She's a Psychic who has been "hired" to help Soji Abe with a big problem, explained later. She later starts to receive connections from a recently deceased Shu Mikami and helps get rid of our antagonist by killing herself (explained later). She's one of my favourite characters in the game, although I don't know why.

Shu Mikami is a famous Romance Novelist who was born on Yamijima Island. His mother had died as a child and his father, Ryuhei Mikami, looked after him before he was brutally murdered. Shu was eventually adopted by a family and lived in Tokyo eventually forgetting his childhood. Shu Mikami is blind and can only see by Sight Jacking his dog Tsukasa.

Shigeru Fujita is a police officer who was born on Yamijima Island but moved to mainland Japan with his wife. He comes back to the Island to investigate the rumours that people were living there again. A possessed Ichiko Yagura eventually kills him later in the game.

Ichiko Yagura is a student at Kameishino Prefectural Middle School who had died after being thrown off the Bright Win Ferry during a storm. Her body is taken over by another of our antagonists and we find her on the ferry not knowing what has happened to her. She later goes on to kill Shigeru Fujita before turning on Yorito Nagai.

Soji Abe has been accused of murdering his room mate, Ryuko Tagawa. He goes to Akiko, Ryuko’s psychic to help prove his innocence. He goes to Yamijima Island at Akiko's suggestion, on the boat with Akiko, Mamoru and Shu. I love Soji, he's my favourite character giving a bit of comedy and goofiness to the game. Watch the actor's face...He does a really good job.

Other characters, that aren't playable include:

Kanae, who was found, washed up by a younger Shu Mikami who was out with his father looking for treasure. The Mikami family takes her in because of her resemblance to Shu's mother. The villagers turn against her, calling her a witch because she was afraid of the light and would only come out at night. One night Tsuneo Ohta, the head fisherman gathered the villagers to hunt Kanae down and kill her. His daughter Tomoe Ohta was also a part of the mob but fell onto a tall pole after running away from a Shiryo.

Pictures from the games Japanese homepage:
http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/siren2/siren2_top/index.html

The Shibito's return to Forbidden Siren 2 but they're not alone. You have the problems of three new harmful creatures:
The Shiryo are red blobs that inhabit dead humans in order to create the Shibito. These weren't in the first game and they don't cause you too much trouble. They wander dark places and are afraid of light - they will die when exposed to it. They will bite you if they have the chance but can be beaten with a weapon.
The Yamirei look like slugs wrapped in black cloth. They are also afraid of light and will melt when exposed to your torch. They avoid light so go under lamposts if available to recover from them. They head butt you and are very sneaky, always coming fast from behind.

The Yamibito (below) are the biggest addition so I'll go into further detail:
When a Yamirei comes into contact with a dead body, that body will become a Yamibito. They're like Shibito's except they talk as usual thinking they are still the people they once were E.g. Shigeru Fugita, when a Yamibito can be heard saying phrases such as "I knew there was a reason I hated stake-outs." and "How about letting me cuff you?”
They stay away from light and they will shield their eyes if you approach them from the front making for an easy hit. They take less time to gain consciousness once down but they can be knocked out quite easily. They don't follow any set route like the Shibito do so they are less predictable.

There is also another kind of Yamibito around called the Kou-Yamibito. It is never explained what makes a Yamibito turn into a Kou-Yamibito and not every Yamibito in the game turns into one. Tomoe Ohta, Tsuneo Ohta, Takeaki Misawa, Ryuhei Mikami and Hiroshi Okita all turn into one eventually. The male Kou-Yamibito look like a hand (it's not a hand - just looks like one) walking on their fingertips (like Thing from the Addams Family). In place of where the wrist would be is the body of a usual Yamibito without a head. The head is in the palm of the hand instead. They have a black mist around them that block your sight if you're near them. The female Kou-Yamibito, Tomoe Ohta is in the form of a dog and is the fastest enemy you will encounter. All Kou-Yamibito will be attracted the light so turn yours off to avoid them and they are immune from attacks to the front. You need to shoot them in their back; a couple of shots will do it.

Our major Antagonist in this game is a creature called Mother. She is trapped and needs to open the seven gates in order to be released. She sends out a variety of 'Avatars' who kidnap women in order to use their body's to open these gates. Shu's mother was one as were Kanae, Ryuko Tagawa and Yuri Kishida. All these Avatars take on the appearance of Mother which explains Kanae's resemblance to Shu's mother and Yuri's resemblance to Kanae. It was Yuri who eventually completed the opening of the seven gates by using Mamoru to do the task for her.
Once these gates were open Mother could finally escape and with her, Yamirei would try and possess everyone on the Island.
Another Antagonist in the game is Otoshigo, the leader of the Shiryo and nemesis of Mother. Otoshigo also inhabits the sea and when Ichiko Yagura is thrown overboard the Bright Win Ferry, he takes over her body. I'm not sure why he infested Ichiko's body and what he was planning to do - The plot is very confusing. I don't even think Otoshigo was worth putting in the game to be honest.

Sight Jacking is back and you can use it to find Shibito, Yamibito and sidekick characters if they've gone missing. Some missions within the game force you to use the sight jack especially those involving Shu Mikami in some way. Ikuko Kifune can control the Shibito/Yamibito she sight jacks and Akiko Kiyota can see past memories through sight jacks when she reaches a certain place.

The Archive Items are also back but they're a lot more innovative in this one. It shows videos of events relating to the plot such as the film of Yuri Kishida's body being found on the ferry. ID's belonging to the characters can be found with some extra information such as a letter addressed to Mamoru from his girlfriend and a letter from Yorito's parents regarding his promotion within the force.
Unlike the first game, your archive items will stay in the archive once you've found it. If you die at all, the item will still be there and you don't even have to complete the mission through once you have it.

The weapons are the same...Pokers, Hammers, Crowbars, Pistols, Shotguns etc are all here. Yorito and Takeaki will always have a firearm of some sort with a good supply of ammo because of their link to the Army.

I loved this game very much and it's one of my favourites, below Silent Hill 4 probably. This second instalment has improved on the original a lot and here's why:

1) Hints are given at the beginning of each mission. Some are very vague but some are very useful. You'll get fewer hints as the game goes on but it's still a very nice addition to the game.

2) As already mentioned, archive items stay put once you collect them.

3) Checkpoints are easier to come by in this game. If you die throughout the mission, you won't have to start from the beginning like you did in the first one.

4) The maps are much better also. This time you can actually see where about you are on there. It's much harder to get lost.

5) The acting is so much better in this game than on the previous one. I've already mentioned Soji Abe and the actor that plays him so well but Shigeru Fujita and Akiko Kiyota also do good jobs with their faces. The actors also have a Japanese accent unlike in the first one where the actors had more of a British flare to them.

6) The Link Navigator can be accessed from the very beginning. It looks the same as the navigator from the first game with the characters on the top and the time at the side. Missions are split in two parts like in the previous game that unlocks when certain events happen in a previous mission.

It's unfortunate that this game was never released in the U.S. because it's much better than the first. I've been on American forums who have said how much Blood Curse improved on the series but most of the improvements mentioned were on this game too.
It's never been mentioned why it wasn't released over in the States. It may have been due to poor sales of the original or it may be because of a bad reception but it may be wise of Sony to release the game now after the release of Blood Curse. Maybe they could remake it the way they remade the original but I'd rather they do a whole new instalment.

This game really made the series for me and I have to give it a perfect score:

10/10

Why do you think it was never released in the US?
Is the acting better?
If I've completely missed the plot, please comment?