Speaking to the Official PlayStation Magazine, Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops animation director Dominique Drozdz has revealed how the explicitness in the upcoming FPS AAA title was deemed so realistic that they had to dial the gruesomeness down a notch.
He states:
“There were situations going too far. It was a a contextual kill where you were twisting the neck. It was too much. The throat cutting is nasty, but that was worse.”
Director Dave Anthony goes on to praise the game’s animation in general. He states:
“We’ve completely changed the way we do facial animation. Some of the stuff we’ve done with Gary Oldman’s character is amazing.”
How do you feel about this act of self-censorship? Have we reached the point in gaming where titles appear so realistic that their creators need to rein in how violence is depicted? Isn’t this game rated accordingly? Don’t people in other forms of entertainment get their necks twisted? Or are Treyarch doing the sensible thing by removing what some might consider unsettling or distasteful imagery?
A neck-twisting-less Call of Duty: Black Ops is out on November 9th.
Via: CVG
ico
With games the issue has been, and always will be, the interactivity of the act of neck snapping, throat cutting, curb stomping and wedgie pulling. In a film / TV medium you are merely the viewer taking it in with your eyes and ears. In a game the problem seems to be that you are initiating these actions and do so, to a degree, at your own will.
When I first read this article I felt it might be Treyarch backhandedly trying to get some further publicity but the more I think about it (and their attempts to balance the multiplayer) the more I think they are really trying to go the extra mile and come out from IWs shadow. I know this game will sell well but really hope the overall experience is treated with maturity and common sense. Roll on November. I’m not going to pre order as rather hoping I can pick up a cheap copy down Asda with me meat and two veg.
GranTurismo-Disciple
@iAvernus…No offence to any1 here but if the game was rated accordingly and a kid happened to play the game how could their parents sue the company for that? If it has an age restriction and a child plays the game that is the parents fault for allowing the child to play, i for one am sick of all this I’m a grown man these games are made for adults only, we will see a lot worse in the saw game so i don’t see the point in them cutting out a bit of violence. But its not the end of the world.
PriceKitty
How do I feel?
Let’s just say this.
In MW2, they let you twist dog’s necks to kill them.
To my knowledge, PETA didn’t say anything about that…
…so who would care about twisting human character’s necks?
I think it should have stayed.
PriceKitty
Also, this is a ‘Mature Rated’ game.
Grand Theft Auto games and God Of War 3 have done much worse.
If we can shoot them and if we can blow them up, we should be able to twist necks.
djsunna
COD is not gruesome enough. if it was too gruesome, and splashed all over the papers and news etc, then maybe parents of 13 year old kids might read the 18 sign on the front and not buy it for them (for a change).
payasyoutext
Why not just put a tick box saying extreme violence on/off!
Grey_Ghost13
It all depends on the context really, if it fits with the character and story then maybe they should have left it in, if it seemed to gratuitous and out of place then they’ve done the right thing in pulling it.
I also agree with Ico, a bit, I’m not sure if Treyarch are better than Infinity Ward, I think they both have their strengths and weaknesses, but I agree that Treyarch do seem to be trying to make Black Ops as good as they can.
BigD-UK-
Fair play, Treyarch have done fairly well with CoD, if the violence doesn’t fit the context or is unnecessarily excessive or gratuitous, then, well its their game, they can do what they feel best. Gore can make a game but lack of it won’t break it.
PriceKitty
Okay so lets look at something here.
Killzone 3 is going to have your character stabbing a helghast in the eye, goggles cracking, blood gushing and dripping, and the eye being ripped out.
Killzone 3 is a mature rated game.
Call of Duty are mature rated games.
Welp, guess that means Guerilla has bigger balls than Treyarch! =]