Digital Extremes hasn’t had much luck with our Classification Board. The developer’s Dark Sector had to have dismemberment and decapitation removed before it could be sold here. Now, there are two entries for The Darkness II in the classification database. Does that mean we’re getting a censored version of it too?
According to publisher 2K, no. In a recent statement to MCV Pacific, the company said the second submission contained a sex scene not included in the original July material. The later, altered submission, classified by the board in December last year, was sent in voluntarily by 2K.
(Confusingly, the classification database lists dates in a month/day/year format.)
The game received an MA15+ rating, and the keywords were modified from “Strong horror violence, blood and gore and coarse language” to “Strong horror violence, blood and gore, sex scenes and coarse language”.
The MCV Pacific story goes on to say that “no edits” were required to get the new version through, so it looks like all systems go for 2K and respite from the Classification Board for Digital Extremes. I’d still be interested in seeing the final report — as Mark wrote about last year, The Darkness II has its fair share of violence.
Thanks to Spook for bringing this to my attention in yesterday’s US preview of the game.
Why The Darkness II was classified twice in Australia [MCV Pacific]
NegativeZero
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 12:37 PMSounds like another underclassified R18+ game to me.
Telextial
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 1:43 PMAnother? Could you give some examples?
fgsghs
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 1:55 PMAliens vs. Predator, Fallout 3, Bulletstorm,
There’s about a million different titles wedged into the MA15+ catagory because of the lack of an R18+ rating,
gumby
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 4:13 PMKiller 7, gta 4
Matthew K
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 10:05 PMAbout 50% of the MA15+ games I own are rated R18 (or it’s local equivalent) in Europe.
McGarnical
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 8:28 AMBioshock 2. It even has “18″ on the disc.
El Kapitan
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 1:36 PMNo, sorry. I drew that on with crayon.
BigJohnno
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 5:45 AMLeft 4 Dead 2 is a big one that comes to mind. But well that got modified brutally
Daniel
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 2:43 PMWitcher 2 was also stripped down / censored in AU also because apparently we can’t handle a bit of nudity.
R18+ seems to have come to a stand still again. Perhaps the powers to be just playing games and hoping the mere perception of progressing the issue will shut us up for a few more years.
McGarnical
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 8:29 AMIt had one dialogue option changed. Almost nothing really.
El Kapitan
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 1:39 PMClearly you haven’t played the game… or Witcher 1, which had some characters walking around nude. All that was changed was that it took out one option of a quest reward. That’s all.
Chazz
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 3:07 PMCombine this with the $40 price tag and I’m sold.
Gus
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 1:16 AMWhere from????
Chazz
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 1:55 PMSteam pre-order key from cdkeysdirect. That is if you’re after a steam copy.
Otherwise ozgameshop have it for $58 (360) $57 (PS3) or $44 (PC) though I’m not sure if the key with that is Steam compatible.
Sage
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 3:40 PMSo there’s no edits or censored content?
Fuck, why bother make me read all that then.
ED13
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 3:43 PMlol , our censorship board is so crap.
jellyarrow
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 3:47 PMImportation to avoid classification!
Stevorooni
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 4:12 PMI was going to import it anyway to save money, but at least the local version won’t be gimped – even though it should probably be 18+
Cannon
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 10:41 AMI just had this feeling it would get censored in some way or another (beside if Jackie had sex he dies and the darkness moves on to the unborn child, as long as its male)
Erebus
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11:54 AMThey made a huge loophole with that recently and he now has a daughter….who’s mother is Sara Pezzini ie The Witchblade.
“Sex Scene” doesn’t mean that Jackie is having sex.