Surprise, Australia! A game featuring horror elements and a bit of the ol’ tomato sauce has been “refused classification” in Australia, which is as good as a ban.
Know what’s so maddening, both as an Australian and a fan of common sense? It’s not the fact the country lacks an R18+ rating. That issues been argued to death. No, it’s the inconsistency. Silent Hill, and now this, get the chop because (presumably in this case, since we don’t know exactly why) they’re violent horror games. And yet Gears of War 2 gets the OK when you are at times literally swimming in blood.
[OFLC, thanks Travis!]
Initialz
November 27, 2008 at 11:01 AM
For fuck sake. Where do we go from here and what do we say? The only thing left to do is either embrace piracy with open arms or leave the country. On the topic of Gears 2, who won the comp?!
Report PermalinkScared
November 27, 2008 at 11:07 AM
I am sick of this bullshit. Michael Atkinson needs to be stepped down so we can get an R18+ rating for video games. This banning is only going to force THOUSANDS of people to piracy since we can’t get the game here (or we can get a gimped version) and it is too expensive to import the game (also illegal btw) because of the exchange rate.
Report PermalinkMidda
November 27, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Just to nit-pick, they’re not called the OFLC anymore.
Report Permalinkmeep
November 27, 2008 at 5:42 PM
Well that sucks.
Report PermalinkJordan
November 27, 2008 at 7:08 PM
My god, when will they stop!? This is getting absolutely insane. I just don’t understand their justifications… It boggles the mind honestly.
Report PermalinkLordLeckie
November 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Utter crap, for the love of god can we set the civil rights people on Atkinson, i mean before video games were a background issue with all the other important things, now with his censorship of the censorship debate we might get some support.
Report Permalinkrealist
November 28, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Gimme a P
Gimme an I
Gimme an R
Gimme an A
Gimme a C
Gimme a why the f$%^ can’t you idiot get your s#!t together and realise gaming has moved beyond the kiddies and into the mainstream, it’s a bigger industry than than film in terms of total turnover.
Then again, we are dealing with a government that actually thinks they can actually censor the internet.
Report PermalinkThe Gunslinger
November 28, 2008 at 9:53 PM
See, the fact that this game is so horrifying that it’s been refused classification only makes me want it MORE.
Someone get me Monolith’s address, I’m gonna send ‘em a cheque for $100 and torrent this bastard. Fuck this dinosaur of a government, fuck Michael Atkinson, and fuck John Howard for establishing such a shitty attitude towards games and the internet in the first place!
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