Valve has been appealing a decision by the Australian rating board to refuse an MA15+ classification for Left 4 Dead 2, effectively banning the zombie sequel in the country. Valve has a heavily censored game rated and ready to go, but was hoping to make Australia's authorities see sense and allow the real game to get into the hands of Australian hands. No dice, unfortunately, as the board has rejected the appeal.
A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board (the Review Board) has unanimously determined that the computer game Left 4 Dead 2 is classified RC (Refused Classification).
In the Review Board’s opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification. The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.
In addition, it was the Review Board’s opinion that there was insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional ‘infected’ characters. This was a major consideration of the Review Board in determining the impact of this game on minors.
Isn't it amazing that it takes just three people to decide what a whole country can and cannot enjoy in the privacy of their own homes? If you're one of our Australian readers, then congratulations. Three complete strangers think they know you well enough to decide that you're not ready for Valve's jelly. Isn't that nice of them?
Australia, your rating system is f*cking ludicrous.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:40 AM on 10.22.2009
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Avast yee, matey!
...Well except pub brawls, riots, bungled thefts, organised crime, police brutality, 12 year old girls murdering cab drivers and abusive parents. Clean and righteous.
Can't say I'm THAT upset - I never played the original L4D very much. But I am shocked and worried that a game like L4D2 could get banned. I mean, Manhunt, even though it shouldn't have been banned, was at least somewhat understandable. L4D2 being banned, however, does not make sense at all. It's not all that different from the FIRST L4D, and that got approved.
Our board of censorship that we have here, is horribly inconsistent. In Dead Space Extraction you can cut up people who look human, and that wasn't banned. But just because you can bludgeon a bug-eyed, grey skinned, craze zombie with a bat, suddenly it's going too far? What about the many other, much more violent games, which involve killing REAL people in some less than pleasant ways, like No More Heroes (although they did take the blood out of that one and replaced it with lame black sand)?
Or what about FO3? Our censorship board had NO PROBLEM with the issue of slavery, wanton violence and nuclear explosions, but put allow the player to use morphine and suddenly THAT'S GOING TOO FAR!! Morphine abuse is EVIL, while being a nuclear-bomb detonating, child-enslaving, cannibalising terrorist, is just, eh, a bit bad I guess.
I strongly suspect that our censorship board that we have in Australia, are not only stupid, but corrupt. So many games that are far, far, far worse than L4D have been allowed to be sold here. And yet they ban L4D, even when Valve took out the content that was objected to! I suspect some people in on that board are rubbing their fingers together in hopes of some sweet green cash. I think if Valve made an secret "donation" to them, the game would be let in, A-Okay.
Nothing else explains the wild inconsistency displayed by the board.
Well, okay, I suppose it's possible that everyone who works there is literally retarded or senile.
At any rate, that's really really dumb. That isn't a democracy; it's a dictatorship, with one dude determining what is "appropriate" for every single Australian. Totally bullcrap. Especially because the game looks downright fantastic.
You guys should fight it. I would if I was in Australia.
But I just wanted to make one more point: Resident Evil 5 was released over here, no problems. No censorship, no modifications (that I am aware of), no delay. RE5 did not cause ANY issue. L4D1 also did not cause any concerns
Yet L4D2 does cause problems. Why? The zombies in L4D2 look the SAME as in L4D1. So the board thinks it's okay to shoot them, but not to hit them with a cricket bat? The special infected look even more inhumane in L4D2 (I mean, the hunter just looked like a guy with a hood - you're more likely to confuse him with a human being, than a gangly zombie that shoots acid out of an enormous, misshapen mouth).
The zombies in RE5, again, look far more human and behave more like humans than any zombies seen in L4D1 or 2. RE5 zombies clutch weapons, talk to each other and display emotions, unlike the zombies in L4D which just stand still or run towards you shrieking like a banshee.
You cannot defend the board - they are inconsistent, stupid, probably corrupt and I'll wager $50 that those three people who rejected the appeal are probably over 50 and have never picked up a controller or mouse in their life. They probably just looked at some screen shots and said "banned".
I'm dreading that somehow they'll ban ME2 because of partial nudity, despite it being present in the first game. I wonder if they'll ban MW2 because you "shoot people", despite that being in the first game. I really wonder what they'll inconsistently ban next.
What the fuck does that even mean?
Every game's events are "realistic within the context of the game."
This is ridiculous.
I mean, for crying out loud that game had the main character running around EATING CIVILIANS OFF THE STREET! Running over streets clogged with innocent people! Frickin hijacking military vehicles and killing soldiers who probably were just following orders!
If Prototype can get released, the Board loses all sanity. They'd ban a game in which disparate human survivors struggle against an obviously swarming horde of zombies, but not ban a game in which you can pretty much be the worst serial killer imaginable.
That makes no sense at all.
Woah, they DIDN'T ban Prototype? That was one of the most violent games I've played in a long time, mostly because the violence was directed towards civilians.
AWESOME idea
The difference is, on this site, there's so many of them that it is considered normal and socially acceptable. I would wager that you've probably come to accept many of the 360-fanboy opinions as "facts," simply because you're inundated with the culture of this site.
Think about it.
If I were in Valve's shoes I'd take on the whole Australian certification system, which is obviously biased against games, but gives films etc an adult rating. Get support from the whole games industry and take them head on, until they cave in and hopefully give that R18 rating. I'm sure some bad press about their biased ratings would show them up for what they really are. Show examples of what's been passed and show how broken it all is.
Its time for the games industry to stop bending over for these fools, when other media industries get a special treatment. Go Valve.
The game is too much like realistically shooting normal people for a 15+ rating.
It's not enough to SAY they're zombies. If Valve put 2 extra arms on common infected (like Goro has) it sounds like it would have a better shot at getting the 15+ rating.
(Oh, my opinion is Australia should have an 18+ rating for its adult consumers.)
No, it just seems they all go crazy over exclusive. Maybe I'm used to more rational people here? I don't often see people jumping on God of War or Uncharted 2 threads posting stuff like "failure!" or "overrated!" but the PS3 fans can't seem to stay off the 360 exclusive threads.
I know on GameTrailers and IGN there are just as many brainless morons from both sides, it's just sad to see them here.
They're just toys when it boils down to it. Yeah, I love my 360, probably the best gaming purchase I ever made, but I'd also kill for a PS3. That doesn't mean I troll up every PS3 thread about how sucky a game is. Both systems have their merits, and just because someone choose the merits of another over mine doesn't mean I need to bash the hell out of it.
Plus some of my closest friends have PS3s, and we console swap often, so...eh.
Just sad to see it on this site where people are usually more intelligent.
In short the ratings board isn't broken the ratings system is.
As a PS3 FAN, I'm frequently embarrassed by the ignorance and retardation of these people.
The ratings board did their job and is working fine, the attorney-general blocking the legislation for the R rating in games is screwing us over.
Australia's politicians need to man up, and not only add an 18+ rating, but grow a pair of balls and put pressure on society to stop the underage from getting hold of gorey games.
this shit would never happen if this story was told through the medium of film...
or they could continue their meh state and not get any adult games. seriously, no one is willing to take on this fight??
sucks to live AU.. if your over 15yrs old and like mature games.