Update: Saints Row IV Refused Classification in Australia

[RicoADF]

Jokes aside, theres a difference between encouraging illegal drug use (which is a real problem in modern society) and fictional violence.

You can make a similar argument about gang violence. How then, is the game not banned completely?

How is any game that depicts violence able to make it through since warcrimes, murder and assault are all real issues? Why get hung up on drug use?

You will have to ask the Australians that rated the game RC. I can link you to the page that names them.

 

[Vausch]

Also, a few in here seem to be advocating piracy. Schoolboy error..

The only justifications for piracy: The game does not exist in your area and cannot be acquired, or the game is very old and unavailable by other means.

This has fit into #1 for many people that do not know someone in the states as several shipping companies will not ship to certain areas if something is illegal there. I've seen this with Nunchaku in California, for some reason. "Oh no, he's got 2 1 foot sticks on a chain! He'll cause a massacre!"

 

[A-D.]

What i actually dont understand is, they have finally gotten their 18+ rating, so why are they still needing to censor anything? I mean i can understand if its something really serious against the law and stuff, but germany has a really strict limit on the whole violence in games thing and even they tend to not censor 18+ games that heavily, if at all. And just cause of drug references and sex which..probably doesnt even happen, i mean what is the most we've seen in SR? Strippers, clothed ones at that. I have yet to see one nude boob or crotch that wasnt pixelated, which usually only happened when you made your character run around nude.

As a sidenote, i wonder how people are excited for it given the steep minimum requirements that Deep Silver released. DX11 capable graphics. Is the PS3/360 even capable of DX11? Game looks basicly the same as SR3 so..i totally dont get that either and yes thats the minimum apparently. >_>

Captcha: pin money

How..fitting.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

That's impressive, we just got an R18+ classification and already they've got a game refused. What I can't understand is that Saints Row 2 scraped through BEFORE we had an R18+ classification, so how much more gratuitous sex and violence have they chucked in. In Saints Row 2 you could smoke a blunt and get drunk.

I wasn't planning on buying it anyway so it really doesn't make a difference to me. The series lost it's way in the third installment; which is a shame because I still play SR2 to this day.

 

[Woodsey]

I took a gamble and bought it on Steam just now, I'm hoping it'll simply be unbuyable eventually but for now anyone whose bought it here already can still play it come launch day. Same thing with how Crysis 2 got pulled off steam by EA I figure.

They'll refund you and take it away, they're not going to give it to you just because you nabbed it before it was banned.

 

[Reaper195]

The important question here is...will this affect New Zealand? Will we get a censored version like we did with GTA 4?

 

[MrHide-Patten]

That's why I import from the UK, hopefully the UK version remains unaltered. Is it bad that this just makes me want the game more now?

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Ahh Australia, where if you want to look at a country that is absolutely retarded when it comes to videogames, you can look straight at them.

What the fuck Australia? Seriously! Stop being so retarded. Why are you still censoring entertainment?

In this thread: the irony of calling other people backward for not allowing trivial depictions of sexual violence for the sake of entertainment.

I'm actually glad to live in this country for once.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Ahh Australia, where if you want to look at a country that is absolutely retarded when it comes to videogames, you can look straight at them.

What the fuck Australia? Seriously! Stop being so retarded. Why are you still censoring entertainment?

In this thread: the irony of calling other people backward for not allowing trivial depictions of sexual violence for the sake of entertainment.

I'm actually glad to live in this country for once.

Its always reassuring whenever those gun rights topics crop up, and feeling intolerably smug. But in all honesty our Government wouldn't know entertainment if it bit them on the ass, ours could learn a thing from the American government that bends backwards and over for their entertainment industry.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Sounds like Saints Row is getting back to form. Great stuff!

 

[Yokillernick]

So Yahtzee's bride's son twice removed got banned in his country? I cannot wait to see how he will take it, but if something were to happen to Michael Atkinson, well just sayin'... *innocent whistle*

 

[layden radeen]

I am wondering why there is no in depth report on what has been censored I remember that the report on L4D2 told what and why things had been removed I am left thinking did they have any thing to do with the game for more than the opening mission

 

[OintmentFly]

... Really.... what the hell was the point of bringing in an adult rating if you're still going to ban stuff? WE'RE ADULTS DAMN IT! Yes I realise the irony...
It's like you don't want local retailers to have our business. It's bizarre.

 

[weirdee]

I'm guessing the irradiated Saint's Flow cans were just too much for them.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

"elements of illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards". This is the biggy, no idea why you mentioned "Volition must have really dialed up the violence and sex for it to be refused the new rating" when drug use with rewards for it is the big one.

Fallout 3 was going to be banned when I think it was Med-X was called Morphine (drug use being rewarded) but it was changed to Med-X.

Violence and sex do nothing here; AvP2010 went through for MA15+ and that has violent decapitations (with spine included) in first person committed by the player. Sex does nothing. Underbelly has boobs every 10 seconds and used to air at 8:30PM and no one cares.

It's really being rewarded for sex and drug use that is the issue; violence you're implicitly rewarded in most games anyway.

You should try actually reading the articles, they are often very informative.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Ahh Australia, where if you want to look at a country that is absolutely retarded when it comes to videogames, you can look straight at them.

What the fuck Australia? Seriously! Stop being so retarded. Why are you still censoring entertainment?

In this thread: the irony of calling other people backward for not allowing trivial depictions of sexual violence for the sake of entertainment.

I'm actually glad to live in this country for once.

Thats not irony. Then again most people use the word completely wrong like you did, so I suppose you get a pass.

And gold star for you standing up for censorship 'Cuz I dun like it!'

Allow me to direct you to the OED:
2. irony fig. A condition of affairs or events of a character opposite to what was, or might naturally be, expected; a contradictory outcome of events as if in mockery of the promise and fitness of things.

Next up:
retarded (adj) 1 a. Held back or in check; hindered, impeded; delayed, deferred.
or even: B: Psychol. People less advanced developmentally than others in a particular respect

You're calling Australia/Australians backward, while standing up for a game that depicts sexual violence not justified by context.

As for standing up for censorship, yes, I don't happen to like rape. And unless you can convince me that Saints Row 4 is actually using the concept in an intelligent, sophisticated and above all sensitive way as a means to bring about positive change or education, then I see no reason why anyone needs to play it with that shit left in. Intelligent people might be able to make up their own minds about the scene in question, but if all you're left with is a litmus test for decency and human empathy, it's a pretty pissweak reason for the scene to exist.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

... Really.... what the hell was the point of bringing in an adult rating if you're still going to ban stuff? WE'RE ADULTS DAMN IT! Yes I realise the irony...
It's like you don't want local retailers to have our business. It's bizarre.

As someone who voted in favour of every petition to bring an R18 category in, I'd just like to point out that the aim wasn't to let everything in without question. The aim was to allow games designed for adults to not have to be made safe for children before they came into the country, by creating a separate, enforceable ratings category. Simple. Censorship has its place, as long as it's well-regulated. If the developer wants to appeal the verdict, there are channels for them to do so.

 

[SSJBlastoise]

So Yahtzee's bride's son twice removed got banned in his country? I cannot wait to see how he will take it, but if something were to happen to Michael Atkinson, well just sayin'... *innocent whistle*

Luckily he has virtually no power anymore. Hence why the R18+ rating got through not long after he stepped down as SA's attorney general.

 

[Teoes]

Also, a few in here seem to be advocating piracy. Schoolboy error..

The only justifications for piracy: The game does not exist in your area and cannot be acquired, or the game is very old and unavailable by other means.

This has fit into #1 for many people that do not know someone in the states as several shipping companies will not ship to certain areas if something is illegal there. I've seen this with Nunchaku in California, for some reason. "Oh no, he's got 2 1 foot sticks on a chain! He'll cause a massacre!"

I'm not bothered about justifications of piracy, I noted that people were referring to pirating the game, which is of course against the CoC. No modwrath has been meted out so I'm assuming it's because the posts were worded more along the lines of "this game will be pirated" as opposed to "I will pirate this game".

Of course if one's Government has refused to classify a game and essentially made it illegal, then that does not justify piracy. Moot point though yes? After all none of us would admit to illegal activities.