Stranglehold on PS3 to be region locked
by Jem Alexander 
{ Jul 31st 2007 at 10:30AM }
A moderator on the official Midway forums has confirmed that Stranglehold will not be region free for the PS3. This is understandable for the collector's edition, as it also includes a copy of the film Hardboiled on the disc. There are licensing issues that are far more strict and complicated when it comes to movies, rather than games. Which is why Blu-Ray discs aren't region free either.
However, the standard edition, which does not include Hardboiled on the disc, will also be region locked. There is no explanation for this as of yet. This whole issue does bring up an interesting point for discussion, though. With the capacity of Blu-Ray discs allowing for extra content. Would you rather sacrifice the region free nature of games for more movie pack-ins? We expect to hear a resounding "no" from the European gaming community.
[Via PS3Forums]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan @ Jul 31st 2007 10:37AM
Blu Ray movies aren't region free? I just got Planet Earth from the US and it works fine on my (Irish) PS3. Perhaps that's a BBC thing though...
B.D. Ize @ Jul 31st 2007 11:09AM
Blu-Ray Discs (movies, games) have the "ability" to be region locked, but that is not to say that all blu-ray releases are locked to a region. It is up to the studio to determine whether or not they want to lock a release to a particular region. I found this website that appears to list out what movies are locked to what region. I do not know the accuracy of the info, however, since it appears to be compiled from various sources on avsforum.com:
http://80.161.213.38:81/
Andy @ Jul 31st 2007 11:25AM
Can someone explain to me the point of region locking?
Justin @ Jul 31st 2007 11:27AM
I don't understand some of the decisions that Sony/ their developers make ...
I'm just lost as to why some of these things occur.
Ian @ Jul 31st 2007 11:29AM
This week's release of "300" isn't region-locked either. The US import is working fine on my UK PS3... Quite a lot of the BD discs at the moment don't lock to a region.
Strike Man @ Jul 31st 2007 11:39AM
I pray this will not become a trend, since this has been one of the PS3's selling points in certain circles. And while I'm far from a heavy game importer (no more than, say, 4 titles a year), this is a feature that I was very pleased to have in the PS3.
Case in point: I skipped Pro Yakyuu Spirits 3 for the 360 last year since it was region locked. However, I picked up PYS4 for the PS3 due to the region free playback, and enjoyed the title quite a bit.
Even though the majority of HD movies (either HD DVD or BD) have no region coding, I too can almost understand Midway doing this for the special edition. However, I see no reason to do this on the standard edition.
Lummox @ Jul 31st 2007 11:41AM
@#3
The point of region locking is primarily with respect to movie release dates. With the vast majority of movies, they are not globally released into theatres simultaneously. Often times, a movie will be released in the US (for example) one week, release in Europe two weeks from now, then release in Asia in a couple of months. Big blockbusters try to launch globally to capitalize on buzz and hype, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
So when it comes to the DVD release, the US DVD will be locked to region 1 (North America) because of licensing and distribution. The movie might still be in theatres in other markets, and cannibalize the much more lucrative box office sales.
Whackmushrooms @ Jul 31st 2007 11:58AM
hollywood is fucking retarded and this is proof of that.
Strike Man @ Jul 31st 2007 11:54AM
I just read the thread on the Midway forums, and now I'm slightly confused:
"PS3 is NOT region free.
From what I understand, XBox IS region free."
Is the Midway moderator speaking about Stranglehold on each of those platforms, or the platforms themselves?
KeVil @ Jul 31st 2007 12:09PM
If you read more on the Midway forums you'll notice the moderator doesn't really know what he's talking about.... he asks if PC games are region locked
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Jul 31st 2007 12:38PM
All BluRay movies are required to be region-free six months after they come out. For example, the first version of 5th Element brought out last year was region A only. The new remastered version is all region (ABC).
If they plan to region-lock this game, then in six months, they have to release a new version that isn't region locked. Sounds like a pain in the ass to me. They should just release it region-free from the start.
This moderator is a knucklehead, as the Xbox (original or 360) is not region free.
ymmv @ Jul 31st 2007 1:30PM
@why not the LS2/LS7?
Region locks aren't mandatory on the Xbox 360. There are quite a number of region-free Xbox 360 games in fact. See here: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-14-71-fc-49-en.html
never$$hort @ Jul 31st 2007 4:12PM
Oh well... nothing we can do about it.
ps3 fan @ Jul 31st 2007 4:20PM
Yes we can. we can choose not to buy it due to the region lock feature.
Region lock is an open invitation for PS3 hacking. I personally would like to see a firmware hack allows PS1/PS2 region free gaming too!
Consolcwby @ Jul 31st 2007 8:35PM
And this marks the begining of the end for region-free games... wonderful! ='(
Whubbsie @ Jul 31st 2007 11:24PM
Okay does this mean some countries won't get the collectors edition with the movie? Cos as far as i know Hardboiled was never released in Aus, if thats the case that the 2nd game I'll buy for the Xbox instead.
The Clunge @ Aug 1st 2007 6:15AM
This a special circumstance, because of the film, but it does have a "thin end of the wedge" feel to it. Region free is a big selling point over the other 2 machines, so Sony should be tough on this stuff and not let it become a regular fixture.
Andrew @ Aug 1st 2007 10:00AM
I am in the UK and I answer "No" as expected, but from the other side of the fence - I have a US PS3 and I like being able to source games here - especially since Lovefilm allow me to rent them.
Blu-ray discs have the ability to be region locked, but most of the Studio's don't, however there are exceptions and peculiarities - like Fox using region B in the UK and Casino Royale being region A in the US and all regions in the UK. There are three regions, A, B & C, unlike the six (eight if you count airlines and screeners) for DVD.