Bad news from the desk of mad developer Yoot Saito, everyone: according to a rough translation of his latest blog entry, his creepy virtual pet peking man sim Gabo is being blocked from the Apple App Store, allegedly for being too “unpleasant.”
This rubs me all over the wrong way, and not just because Yoot Saito’s strange gaming visions (his oeuvre includes the emotionally abusive talking fish simulator Seaman AND the voice-activated pinball RTS Odama, you’ll recall) deserve to be shared with all. What really bothers me is that Apple has apparently—and take this with a grain of salt, because the translation is admittedly not 100% clear on the subject—drawn a line in the sand as to what sorts of game content is and isn’t okay. Now, it is Apple’s Store, but any line that keeps out Gabo while allowing in the hordes of apps that just make fart noises might actually be too warped and curved to be called a “line.”
Click through to see a video of what we’ll be missing, as well as the silver lining around this cloud of shame.
This was more or less going to be a portable version of the Japanese-only PS2 game Seaman 2: The Peking Man Rearing Kit. The worst part is, the iPhone game was finished!
Fortunately, there is some good news: Saito ended his post on an up note, stating that the DS version of Seaman is currently in active development. We’re now taking odds on that coming stateside.
Related Links:
iPhone Owners are Gamers, Idiots
The iPhone As Your "Dark Passenger"
I’ll Tell You When I’ve Had Enough!