The fellas at Game Science are reporting that the newly-released-in-Japan schlock horror adventure Dead Rising is going to have an uphill battle at retail, mostly due to its restrictive Z-rating. The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (aka CERO) has given the title the North American equivalent of an "adults only" rating, meaning that retailers must verify that the buyer is 18 years or older.

Their observations from the bustling shopping area Shibuya are as follows:

Bic Camera: No cases on display. No advertising in store. Willing buyers must take a small, non-descript card to the cashier to purchase. Game not present in Z-rated section.
Sakuraya: Poster on display on game floor, but 75% concealed by a Pokemon display. Game boxes on display in small Z-rated section at the back of the floor.
Tsutaya: No cases or advertising at all. It didn't appear the game was on sale, in fact. The game was not even present in the Z-rated section.

It's a small sample set, sure, but other Japanese based gamers have chimed in with their own observations, following Game Science's report.

Some have said they've seen the game on outdoor display kiosks, while others back up the Game Science observations, indicating that the game is mysteriously absent from "new releases" sections in game shops. At some shops, no indication is given that the game has been released at all, requiring that interested parties must take a ticket to the clerk, who will pull the game from behind the counter. It's like buying porn, but without the naked fun.

The Japanese release actually features a heavily censored version of the game, with excessive gore like decapitations and the dismemberment of your former fellow humans removed altogether.

As Dead Rising is the first retail release to recieve a Z-rating from the get-go—other games have been re-rated as Z-titles after the ratings system changed—it will be interesting to see how this crippling rating affects game sales. Obviously, this is not happy news for either Capcom or Microsoft. Despite one of our Japanese buddies telling us that "Dead Rising will not attract Japanese gamers", it is still one of Microsoft's flagship releases and it's a shame the game might not reach a wider audience.

Will developers and publishers further nerf their in-development titles? Will we see this sort of legislation here, leading to publisher pre-censorship to avoid offending the irresponsible and holier-than-thou types? Keep your eyes on this one, kids. Michael McWhertor

Z-rating impact on retail [Game Science]

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