Australia’s Classification Review Board will meet on Friday to reconsider its earlier refusal to classify Aliens vs. Predator, effectively forbidding it for sale in that country. A news release says Sega asked for the reconsideration.
Aliens vs. Predator got the big thumbs down on December 3, primarily for its depictions of gore and violence. Its developer, Rebellion, has said it will not modify the title in order to receive classification, so this amounts to a big “pretty please?” to Australia from Sega.
The Review Board has invited applications to be considered an “interested party” to the review, but reminds that this review and its reconsideration can only be within the scope of Australia’s existing classification regulations (i.e. no-one’s being invited to complain about creating an R18+ rating category for games, as such an option is for lawmakers, not the review board, to implement).
Aliens vs. Predator: RC Rating to be Reviewed [Refused-Classification.com via Game Politics]
Darius
December 15, 2009 at 10:20 AM
they are already inking up their big ass DENIED stamp
Report PermalinkHamish
December 15, 2009 at 10:25 AM
They can re-review this game all they like….. it’ll never get in with our stupid laws and no R18+ classification. It’s a futile excercise.
Report PermalinkLance McDonald
December 15, 2009 at 10:33 AM
F.E.A.R. 2 got through on second try with no edits.
Report PermalinkHamish
December 15, 2009 at 11:28 AM
F.E.A.R. 2 may have got through second try, but after you’ve seen the gore in AVP and compare that to F.E.A.R. you’ll see what I mean about Sega not having a snowballs chance of hell of getting it through.
Report PermalinkChris Guerin
December 15, 2009 at 10:37 AM
The only way that this game will get into the hands of consumers in Australia is via piracy, turning average Aussies into criminals and therefore, less money into the economy and less money for the developers.
Such a shame that this government isn’t for the people. It’s turned into a nanny state.
Report PermalinkDoddy
December 15, 2009 at 11:46 AM
You forget that this was originally home to criminals :P
Report PermalinkSteven Hayes
December 15, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Its not Piracy to order a region free or PAL version from HongKong or the UK respectively. Its what i will be doing. Just like I did for L4D2.
Report PermalinkBatAttack
December 15, 2009 at 1:50 PM
“Its not Piracy to order a region free or PAL version from HongKong or the UK respectively. Its what i will be doing. Just like I did for L4D2.”
Uhhh… it’s not piracy, but it is importing contraband. If you buy a game that was refused classification in Australia from a country where it is sold legally, it becomes illegal the moment it crosses the border. If you are unlucky enough to be spot checked by customs, it will get confiscated and you will be fined. Repeat offences can mean jail time.
Report PermalinkTom
December 15, 2009 at 2:46 PM
ooga booga. scary much?
customs don’t give 2 hoots about people importing computer games.(I work in a customs department for a major postal service here).. and confiscating your game? won’t happen. fining you? Massive LOLs. If this almost impossible event did ever occur, you wouldn’t be fined, just sent a letter in place of your game saying that your a naughty boy/girl.
Despite what a few people have said, it’s not illegal under Australian law, nor is it contraband to import a game thats been refused classification here. It’s illegal for the publisher to be selling it though.
Report PermalinkDean
December 15, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Heh, I can just imagine the episode of Border Security where they confiscate someone’s copy of AvP :)
Report PermalinkCloneTrooper
December 17, 2009 at 3:13 AM
Funny that because I heard from a mate that someone he knows got their copy of L4D2 confiscated by Customs…so obviously someone there cares about it.
But as he said Customs have more important things to care about, still…its a game of Russian Roulette when you import
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/cir1956432/s4a.html
Customs Regulations regarding that the importation of objectionable material that:
(c) in relation to a computer game — are unsuitable for a person under 18 to see or play; or
(2) The importation of goods to which this regulation applies is prohibited unless a permission, in writing, to import the goods has been granted by the Attorney‑General or a person authorized by the Attorney‑General for the purposes of this subregulation.
So yeah, its prohibited to import RC Games since they most like fall under the Computer Game definition of the act.
Report PermalinkAndyN
December 15, 2009 at 10:40 PM
I wish people would get their facts straight before opening their big fat stinking mouths.
Report PermalinkJesse Thomson
December 16, 2009 at 3:35 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdiz0k0Rudw
Report PermalinkMalorion
December 15, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Under the current classifications the game probably should be refused and is a prime example of exactly why we need an R18+ rating.
Essentially, Sega is saying “please ignore the classification guidelines and make it MA15+ like all the other games you’ve done that for.”
Report PermalinkHamish
December 15, 2009 at 11:30 AM
exactly…. and therein lies the problem with our ratings system. Games that shouldn’t be put through as M15 games are done so anyway which is worse for “our kids” than good.
Report PermalinkDoddy
December 15, 2009 at 10:41 AM
I dont understand why they are doing it NOW, if they waited i dunno about 3 months and waited for the result of this R18+ public discussion stuff to see what comes out of it i think theyd be better off..
Report PermalinkDean
December 15, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I think it’s a good thing that developers are starting to refuse to modify their games to fit with Australia’s draconian censorship laws. By forcing Australians to buys their games from playasia.com and other overseas retailers, it’s sending a message to retailers to get behind the cause of R18+ classifications. While games were getting modified for sale here, retailers had little incentive to worry, but now with big titles like AvP being unavailable for sale here, retailers will start lobbying the government.
Given that games are bigger business than movies these days, the almighty dollar will surely win out in the end!
Report PermalinkHamish
December 15, 2009 at 10:45 AM
….will definately import this bad mofo even if it’s half as good as reports about it are.
Report PermalinkCody Drew
December 15, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Piracy my arse – http://www.play-asia.com
Report Permalinksdfs
December 15, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Sign this patition to increase our chances for getting a R18+ rating.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_qld/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1346&lIndex=-1
Report Permalinkfrancis
December 15, 2009 at 3:53 PM
It’s only for people living in queensland
Report PermalinkChoc
December 15, 2009 at 12:09 PM
It’s not going to pass. It does not fit into the current guidelines, pure and simple.
Report PermalinkChoc
December 15, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Remember guys one of the review board members (of 3) is a child psychologist
she is going to have a fit
Report PermalinkSteven Hayes
December 15, 2009 at 12:40 PM
CHILD psychologist. Not Adult. So of course it will be denied. And i think that’s the point of reapposing it. I honestly think they want to be rejected so that they (rebellion) can have another wise crack at our CB’s expense.
Report PermalinkWill
December 15, 2009 at 1:30 PM
It’s not going to pass, it shouldn’t pass… the content is well above what I consider to be a MA15 rated game.
That being said there should be a higher rating, gosh maybe R18 so adult gamers within Australia can play the damn thing.
Report Permalinkthyco
December 15, 2009 at 3:08 PM
i think sega will be trying to get it passed and will pull all the avenues to them and cite examples from the actual movies, and the recent release of many other horror movies that have been classed as MA15+.
The only thing stopping them is the assumtion that because its interactive, its worse than the Saw series etc etc
Report PermalinkGibbs
December 15, 2009 at 1:34 PM
I thought it was illegal to import unclassified media into Australia?
Report PermalinkSammy Florczak
December 15, 2009 at 1:53 PM
It’s their fault anyway. I really really hope this 1 gets through…… I don’t wanna wait till we get an R rating.
Report PermalinkChoc
December 15, 2009 at 3:35 PM
As a consumer its not illegal to import unclassified material. It’s once it becomes Refused Classification item that it becomes prohibited
Report PermalinkBenjamin Sutton
December 15, 2009 at 7:27 PM
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Film_and_Literature_Classification_(Australia)#Restricted
“It is legal to possess Refused Classification material, unless it has been rated Refused Classification due to illegal content (e.g. child pornography). It is illegal for residents of Western Australia to possess Refused Classification Video Games ever since the Liberal Party came into power in WA in 2008, where the breach of this law incurs either a hefty fine or imprisonment.”
Report PermalinkSimon Hutchinson
December 15, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Prohibited to import i meant
Bushman SEGA is pushing it for classification because Rebellion has said they will not edit it
I reckon that SEGA will lay the smack if it gets banned again and force an edit, you don’t tell your boss (publisher) how you run a business and what you do…
Report PermalinkSteven
December 15, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Can we argue that a spine being ripping out of your body constitutes a lessen in biology and anatomy.. I mean, if a stylised game like Madworld can get away with this ‘hyperviolence’ then surely a realistic approach would be a fairer way to go about things.
Report PermalinkAustralian Bushman
December 15, 2009 at 5:39 PM
What the? Unless the board for some reason unlearn how to do their job during this re-review then I don’t understand why Sega would think it could get classified, considering the game has seemingly not been modified since its first review.
Report PermalinkFran Wilkins
December 16, 2009 at 2:32 AM
someone I was talking to said they’re starting that R18+ Rating regardless in July of next year?
Report PermalinkSo games that are coming out, basically, 1st quarter next year that are getting rated now can now be included in this R18+ band.
Which is awesome. It’s about time.
Because it’s odd, they never re-classify stuff, they just do it and forget about it.
Unfortunately, it may get delayed till middle of next year there as a consequence.
It’s exciting it thats true though, an R18+ Rating.
It’s about time.