The infamous "No Russian" mission from Activision and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is getting even more attention as the Japanese version of the mission has been censored.
In the mission, the player is told, "Remember, no Russian." This means, "Do not speak Russian," as it is a small nugget of plot for the rest of the game. In the Japanese version, the line is localized as, "Kill ’em, the Russians." The change doesn’t just take out a subtle piece of the plot, but it tells players in Japan to do exactly the opposite of what they will be allowed to do.
If players of the "No Russian" mission in Japan fire at and kill any of the civilians in the scene, the game will go to an automatic "game over." This is unlike the western version of the game, where players are given the option to shoot the innocents during the shocking scene.
The game has also been censored this way in Germany, whereas the mission was cut from the Russian version entirely. Modern Warfare 2 has also been under heavy scrutiny in the US by the media for the mission.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases in Japan tomorrow, December 10.
[Kotaku]
