• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Saints Row IV Refused Classification in Australia... again

Im getting really fed up with Censorship.
I used to think Im glad I dont live ____(insert country name here), where theres game restrictions of any sort, so I dont care.., BUT... The Last Of Us changed that for me. We got the EU pal version of the game thats got a heavily censored multiplayer mode. I hate the fact my american playstation friends can blow my head off and I cant to them. Honestly, we pay more for games here than they do and it feels like we got less a game.
With that said, my OZ brothers, I stand beside you with hate for the system that governs these laws. Now, if they are forced to release a heavily censored SR, the whole EU region may be forced to get the same one. (like the whole EU getting a censored TLOU because of Germany)
 

Omerta

Member
Just for the sake of balance: having an 18+ rating doesn't and shouldn't mean that game developers can get away with putting *anything* in a game.

Looking at the list of what you can get away with, if devs can't make an interesting and challenging game out of that... There's something wrong.

Personally, I've found the SR series really base and classless anyway so I couldn't care less but as an Australian consumer, I'd rather the rules were a little looser.

It's not the fault of the board; it doesn't matter what their age, gender or ethnicity is... The guidelines have been set so they've followed them.

These guidelines definitely need reviewing but it's not the censorship crisis that some are making it out to be.
 

h00ters

Member
Still really concerned for how GTA V will cope. The clip of Franklin exiting the pot shop on Venice Beach in the latest gameplay trailer got me worried.
 

paile

Banned
Don't care. Just another piece of bullshit in a long, never ending chain of bullshit.

With every passing day I realise this is a world not for me. Too ignorant, too simple minded and too backward.

Quite pointless living in it.
 

h00ters

Member
Essentially we just have to wait for the current people in power to get old and die. Sounds morbid, but it's true.

Once we get people in power who have grown up with games, whether as players or not, they will at least understand what gaming is about and these type of BS decisions won't be an issue any more.
 

lawful_neutral

Neo Member
Don't care. Just another piece of bullshit in a long, never ending chain of bullshit.

With every passing day I realise this is a world not for me. Too ignorant, too simple minded and too backward.

Quite pointless living in it.

So what are you going to do?
 

Blearth

Banned
Still really concerned for how GTA V will cope. The clip of Franklin exiting the pot shop on Venice Beach in the latest gameplay trailer got me worried.

Would be crazy to ban the game for that considering it's one of the only legal things the character do in the trailers.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Still really concerned for how GTA V will cope. The clip of Franklin exiting the pot shop on Venice Beach in the latest gameplay trailer got me worried.

As long as it doesn't make you invulnerable or give you the ability to fly, I think GTAV will be okay. :p
 

Dingotech

Member
Don't care. Just another piece of bullshit in a long, never ending chain of bullshit.

With every passing day I realise this is a world not for me. Too ignorant, too simple minded and too backward.

Quite pointless living in it.

Whilst I don't really agree with the current guidelines that have resulted in this situation, don't you think you're over reacting a tad?

And people from the UK saying they prefer the porn filter to a couple of censored games.... Right ok. Keep my Internet censor free thanks very much.
 

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
Just for the sake of balance: having an 18+ rating doesn't and shouldn't mean that game developers can get away with putting *anything* in a game.

Looking at the list of what you can get away with, if devs can't make an interesting and challenging game out of that... There's something wrong.

Personally, I've found the SR series really base and classless anyway so I couldn't care less but as an Australian consumer, I'd rather the rules were a little looser.

It's not the fault of the board; it doesn't matter what their age, gender or ethnicity is... The guidelines have been set so they've followed them.

These guidelines definitely need reviewing but it's not the censorship crisis that some are making it out to be.
Yes it is. Why shouldn't game developers be able to get away with putting anything in a game? Why do potential customers need somebody else to tell them what stuff is acceptable for them and what isn't?
 

Rezbit

Member
Not surprised, in Australia it's apparently fine in games to shoot literally thousands of people, but mention a drug? OH SHIT SON LOCK IT DOWN.
 

paile

Banned
Whilst I don't really agree with the current guidelines that have resulted in this situation, don't you think you're over reacting a tad?

It's a microcosm of what the world is. Fuck dead ignorant. From Australia to the UK to Pakistan. Fuck. Dead. Ignorant.

I value education and study built upon research and investigation. This leads, by default almost, to honourable humanitarian principles that value peoples freedoms and rights.

The vast majority of the world does not see things this way. They base their beliefs and opinions on what they can't see and prove and act to shove these down the throats of others, either slyly through propaganda, or overtly through force of law or arms.

People who top themselves often say 'Oh, I'm such a burden'. But they're not. The world is a burden on them. The way I see it the world really isn't good enough for me.

The refusal to classify Saints Row IV is just another unfortunate example of that.
 

Omerta

Member
Yes it is. Why shouldn't game developers be able to get away with putting anything in a game? Why do potential customers need somebody else to tell them what stuff is acceptable for them and what isn't?

Well you're not able to put anything you want into a film are you?

This is a slippery slope argument... I'd rather the industry self regulated itself and 99.9% of the time, it does.

Aussies will get a version of the game in which, you can not anally rape an adversary and the drug-for-health mechanic will be altered slightly.

Big fucking deal.
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
I hope the altered version replaces the drugs for health mechanic with something even more outrageous - like baby meat.
 

TwiztidElf

Member
When the government is getting all up in the face of regular law-abiding citizens, you know somethings very fucking wrong.
Oh, and we have two religious nuts competing to become Prime Minister for the next 3 years. Huzzah for us!
 

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
Well you're not able to put anything you want into a film are you?

This is a slippery slope argument... I'd rather the industry self regulated itself and 99.9% of the time, it does.

Aussies will get a version of the game in which, you can not anally rape an adversary and the drug-for-health mechanic will be altered slightly.

Big fucking deal.
I'm not too interested in movies, so I don't know what happens there, and I don't care.

If there's censorship, the industry can't self-regulate. There's someone forcing that upon it, which goes against what you just said.

Yes, it is a big fucking deal. Censorship is always bad, no matter what you may think about it.
 

eorl

Banned
Oh Australia, why are you so classy? I was cheering for an R18+ rating, but not this kind of rating where anything that would have been given an MA15+ is plastered with R18+ and the actual R18+ games are outright refused classification. This isn't how the R18+ rating should work.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
Wait if Saints Row IV is refused classification over drug use, then how does the Mario games get away with it? After all I am pretty sure the Super Mushroom can be seen as a drug.
 

BigDug13

Member
Is it possible for Australians to get another country's game system and games? Like a US PS3/4 and US games?

Might be able to use a proxy mail service like I used to do in the military. I'd use them as a mailing and billing address and order all my amazon and newegg stuff and then the proxy would charge me a few bucks per package to resend them to my ship via standard mail since FPO wasn't possible on UPS ground. Maybe there's a similar service that can send stuff internationally?

Seems like the right move for an Australian gamer that wants to spend less money for the more complete gaming experience.
 

Casimir

Unconfirmed Member
There's lots of things I could do. I'm leaning towards super villian. If I can seize the pacific north-west of the USA and parts of southern Canada then I will have the necessary leverage to affect change.

Just remember the east coast is mine. I didn't execute Project Arcturus just to have someone try, and fail, to take what is rightfully mine.

Though if you ever need a job, just remember that my company offers a generous health plan.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Is it possible for Australians to get another country's game system and games? Like a US PS3/4 and US games?

Might be able to use a proxy mail service like I used to do in the military. I'd use them as a mailing and billing address and order all my amazon and newegg stuff and then the proxy would charge me a few bucks per package to resend them to my ship via standard mail since FPO wasn't possible on UPS ground. Maybe there's a similar service that can send stuff internationally?

Seems like the right move for an Australian gamer that wants to spend less money for the more complete gaming experience.

Australia is lumped in with PAL, so we can import from the UK (and Europe in general), which is a very common practice and a significantly cheaper alternative to buying locally. There's even a UK-based online retailer devoted to this very cause.
 
So good.

Wizz_Fizz_Sherbet_14g_9310123105140.jpg

For some reason it's called Fizz Wizz in the UK

fizzstrwizz.jpg
 
lol I'm so glad I'm not from Australia, I guess importing is pretty expensive there too? It's so fucked up telling adults what they can and can't play.

Believe it or not, it's actually much cheaper to import than to buy it locally, which is one of the more hilarious ironies of this whole thing.

That's the bigger point, this changes nothing. I bleat on about it often, but the type of people who would normally want this game already know how to get it legally and unedited where the ACB has no power to stop it. So once again, a big fuck you to the ACB and their 4 middle aged white panel members. I do what I like as an adult and there is fuck all you can do about it.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Believe it or not, it's actually much cheaper to import than to buy it locally, which is one of the more hilarious ironies of this whole thing.

That's the bigger point, this changes nothing. I bleat on about it often, but the type of people who would normally want this game already know how to get it legally and unedited where the ACB has no power to stop it. So once again, a big fuck you to the ACB and their 4 middle aged white panel members. I do what I like as an adult and there is fuck all you can do about it.

Iimporting content that has been refused classification is actually prohibited. The simple reason customs very rarely seizes such packages is that it has bigger fish to fry than banned video games.
 
Top Bottom