L4D2 Refused Classification in Australia

[Tiber Septim]

Source

Here we go again. I wish they would just implement an R18+ rating already, or at least be consistent with their ratings. Fallout 3 was refused classification because of the drugs, but the violence was fine. GTA4 was refused classification because of the sex but the drugs and violence were fine. Now this has been refused because of the violence.
*shakes head*

[Lord Sirian]

This is just ridiculous. I hate the Australian government, I swear they make the dumbest, most arbitrary decisions possible.

I wish they'd just make up their minds.

How will they stop people from buying/using L4D2 from Steam?

[Tiber Septim]

Steam detects your region, buying it through Steam will likely get you a censored version.

[Mcninjaguy]

A censored version.?!
I think Carebears are scary!



I think the Australian government needs to get its head together and not deny its own revenue from the taxes.

Maybe we can do a mind meld on them?

[Aus_Karlos]

Give them a week or so. It will go back up for review and pass. Just you wait, it happend to GTA IV, FEAR 2, Silent Hill and Resident Evil. And yet they are on the shelves as we speak (or type).

[Lord Sirian]

Originally Posted by Aus_Karlos

Give them a week or so. It will go back up for review and pass. Just you wait, it happend to GTA IV, FEAR 2, Silent Hill and Resident Evil. And yet they are on the shelves as we speak (or type).

Yeah, I just think it's stupid that they don't just pass it the first time. They're basically just looking for approval and pats on the head from other governments, and I think it's just pathetic.

[5NIPER_WOLF]

Well the Aussies are not the only ones with censorship, the Germans and Chinese have it too.

We (Canadians) also have censorship, but in anime. The Anime censorship levels are like this: Great Britian has the least censorship, then us, then the Americans with the heaviest Anime censorship then anywhere else.
Personally I want us to have NO censorship of anything (seriously, anything) especially Anime, it's a pain in the buttocks to have to go to Anime North and see the beautiful collection of anime destined for North America in it's mature unaltered from, only for it to arrive and be dismantled and molested by stupid Conservitaves.

[Mcninjaguy]

I will go down there with giant foam hands from football and I shall vigorously pat of the head and say out foul bureaucratic demon, you shall posses this human no more!

[Aus_Karlos]

L4D2 is up for an Appeal. It went back for another review and is currently pending.

[Lord Sirian]

Yay! I hope it passes -.-.

Seriously the Australian classification board should be banned from operating in Australia because we don't have a level of stupidity high enough to classify them as.

[Tiber Septim]

There wouldn't be a problem with the OFLC if the SA Attorney-General would get a clue.

[Mcninjaguy]

I wonder if my exorcism worked?

[Tiber Septim]

So Valve have submitted two versions to the OFLC to be reviewed. They have resubmitted the original version which is still pending classification.
They have also submitted a censored version that has already been approved for an MA15+ rating, so at the very least we get something.
The edits that have been made are:

• No depictions of decapitations
• No dismemberment
• No wound detail
• No piles of bodies lying about the environment

Which makes absolutely no sense as L4D already contains all these things. Did they even play it???

[Indoril Nerevar]

That's just ridiculous.

[Lord Sirian]

Have they actually played any of the games they have passed in previous years? FEAR, FEAR 2, Fallout 3. Need I go on..?

[5NIPER_WOLF]

I'm wondering if Doom 3 ever could have passed for a rating in Australia. What about Resident Evil 4? or even RE: 5? And the other games with dismemberment like maybe Dead Space. Don't you Australian citizens get ANY say in the ratings or passing of games at all?

[Lord Sirian]

lol, nope. All we need is a Restricted rating like we have for films. For some utterly arbitrary reason, we don't have one at the moment, meaning that at the moment, we are restricted to what 15 year olds may view. Doom 3 passed, not sure about RE 4/5, but I know Manhunt got banned as did a lot of other games. The most stupid thing is that FEAR and Fallout 3 both got passed yet they have all the criteria that were listed in Tiber's post. In FEAR you could blow people's heads off and saw their torsos in half in far more violent fashion than in L4D2, yet FEAR gets rated MA15+ and L4D2 gets banned.

[5NIPER_WOLF]

Dang that sucks. We get the ESRB which usually does the opposite and often gives games a lower rating then they should get. Sometimes, the ESRB gives game a higher rating than they should, for example TES4: Oblivion.

[Lord Sirian]

The ESRB takes a more sensible approach to the rating system. I seriously don't think games could ever be responsible for turning children violent/making them use drugs etc. It's just stupid. Michael Atkinson is the man responsible for our current predicament. I hate to think that this man represents our views in so many areas and I also hate to think that he's running my home state.

[5NIPER_WOLF]

What do you mean they take a more sensible approach?