Update: Saints Row IV Refused Classification in Australia

[RicoADF]

If I get an over seas friend to preorder it on my behalf and (and cancel my own pre order) Would that work?

Yes, that's how I got the proper version of L4D2. I believe a box copy will work too or any CD key from one of those regions, however I'd like that confirmed if someone can do that?

So not even 18 year olds, which are considered adults in most of the world, can play a videogame that rewards players for drug use?

How do you aussies live with it?

To be fair, it says "illicit" drug use with a positive result, so basically it's depicting illegal drugs in a positive way supposedly. While I personally don't agree I can see where they're coming from, they don't want media that encourages illegal drug use (among other crimes).

 

[-Dragmire-]

If you get it on PC and it has mod support... wouldn't that make the censoring pointless?

 

[RicoADF]

I thought the Australian Government had woken up and were winding down this sort of behaviour? Obviously not. Give it a day or two and you can get the content right back with mods - can/does the Government do anything with regards these? What about the typical/common mods for.. pretty much any Bethesda game - are any of them subject to this treatment or do they avoid it based on the fact that they're mods and aren't classified?

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

The government doesn't stop possession of the games in their original form. I can (and will) buy a UK copy and play it in original form, with no risk as it is legal in NSW (only WA and NT are backwards that way). So mods would be even less of interest to them.

If you get it on PC and it has mod support... wouldn't that make the censoring pointless?

It isn't censorship, it is controlling what can be sold in our stores, possession of the games in their original form is not illegal except in 2 backwards states.

I would also like to point out the classification board are members of the public and aren't the government, this isn't the federal government saying no because they don't like it, it's members of the public who decide where it falls.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

So not even 18 year olds, which are considered adults in most of the world, can play a videogame that rewards players for drug use?

How do you aussies live with it?

Binge drinking and taking a fuckload of drugs, often at the same time.

Reminds me of a few years back the federal govt tried to 'discourage underaged and binge drinking' by slapping a huge tax on premixed alcoholic beverages... Sure, the sales of premixes dropped like a stone but the sale of bottles of spirits and mixers spiked to roughly the same degree. That's the Australian way: anytime the govt puts some obstruction between you and something you want to do, take five minutes to have a sook about it then work your way around the obstacle.

 

[knight steel]

This this this this make me so FUCKING PISSED OFF after all the time and effort that we went through to get a R18+ rating and those FUCKING SHIT HEADS do this.

I HATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATE these laws we are adults we know what we can handle you can stop coddling us-stop shoving you "moral's" and "decency" down our throats-Morals are subjective,art is subjective you don't have THE FUCKING RIGHT to tell us what and what is not art and then censor it.

Your job is to protect us from harm video games regardless of what they contain can't hurt people-if someone does something bad after playing a game it is not the games fault as they were already fucked in the head to begin with if all it took to set them of was pixels-if that was the case anything would have set them off.

Spoiler: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Spoiler: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG

Spoiler: GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

 

[Something Amyss]

And nothing of value was lost.

It not much of a loss, Saint Row 4 is just glorified DLC charging full price.

Which is especially bad, when you consider how small a game SRTT was.

What's this one going to be? ALL TUTORIAL MISSIONS?

I'm surprised there's enough content to get them a ban.

 

[Something Amyss]

To be fair, it says "illicit" drug use with a positive result, so basically it's depicting illegal drugs in a positive way supposedly. While I personally don't agree I can see where they're coming from, they don't want media that encourages illegal drug use (among other crimes).

So, blasting away civilians with attack helicopters is not a crime in Australia?

It's Australia. The wildlife does that 24-7. >.>

 

[RicoADF]

To be fair, it says "illicit" drug use with a positive result, so basically it's depicting illegal drugs in a positive way supposedly. While I personally don't agree I can see where they're coming from, they don't want media that encourages illegal drug use (among other crimes).

So, blasting away civilians with attack helicopters is not a crime in Australia?

Ofcourse not, I do it every day on my way home from work [/sarcasm]

Jokes aside, theres a difference between encouraging illegal drug use (which is a real problem in modern society) and fictional violence. I don't agree with the decision, but it's not without merits and if it bothers people enough then they can do what I'll be doing, importing it. Which I will repeat is legal. I will also point out that movies and TV shows have the exact same restrictions (they cannot portray illegal drugs in a positive light), and are also able to be imported legally. This isn't a double standard for games, it's how the classification board decides what goes on our store shelves. Nothing more.

EDIT: I will also point out that fictional drugs are fine, so are legal ones. That's why Fallout 3 changed to Med-X. Mechanically it was identical, they just renamed it to a (IMO) drug that fit the universe/theme better. They will likely do the same with SRIV.

 

[Jaeger_CDN]

If you get it on PC and it has mod support... wouldn't that make the censoring pointless?

Atleast THQ is out of the picture since they weren't too mod happy. Volition even said now that they got picked up by Deep Silver they can help out modders with tools to fix things like this.

PS) PC is best for any RPG/sandbox game anyways

 

[EeviStev]

I believe it was Mark Twain who said: "Censorship is telling a man he can't have steak because a baby can't chew it."

 

[Dogstile]

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

Heh, remember Germany with saints row 2? Good times.

 

[NvrPhazed]

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

I would really appreciate you distinguishing between people who run the classification board, and a whole fucking country thanks.

Not to be blunt but, I wish the rest of the world would do the same for the US (not that you do it, but I see it all the time on this site).

 

[karloss01]

And nothing of value was lost.

It not much of a loss, Saint Row 4 is just glorified DLC charging full price.

Which is especially bad, when you consider how small a game SRTT was.

What's this one going to be? ALL TUTORIAL MISSIONS?

I'm surprised there's enough content to get them a ban.

indeed, for me Saints Row 3 was 2011's biggest disappointment of the year (and I own the DNF Collectors Edition), sure it was fun the first time through each mission but after that there was no replay value compared to Saints Row 1 & 2. they should have stuck with the format of Saints Row 2 where it was a blend of gritty and humour not go all nut balls for 10 missions and then its over.

Solve Media: slow down!

exactly what they should have down Solve.

 

[Magmarock]

This is just funny. When a game is "banned" in Australia all it means is that you can't buy it from EB games and other retailers. You can still import it and no one cares. It's a fuss over nothing.

 

[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?