Rou

'Tis a sad day to be a gamer down under. Actually, it's been a sad day for a really long time. They have a game rating board that doesn't understand the concept of mature rated games. In their eyes, if a 15 year old can't handle it, it's banned.

Unlike the US, with it's M for mature, and similar systems elsewhere in the world, the aussie government set up guidelines that max out at MA15+. Because of that, if a game is too EXTREME!!!! for a teenager, then they refuse to classify it. Without classification, it can't be sold. Awesome system there.

Fallout 3 was one of the better games released last year. Beautifully designed and executed with a nearly flawless atmosphere. But not down under. Down under it was heavily edited.

Left 4 Dead 2 was also hacked to pieces. Zombie bodies fade away in seconds, zombies don't visually burn, so they just run out of the fire and then fade out. Throw a pipe bomb? The horde just vanishes during the explosion as if they were never there. No gore of any kind. It's putrid.

And the latest victim of this pubescent cleansing is Alien v Predator. Scheduled to be released next year, it's supposed to be a future horror game, similar to the popular Dead Space. As such, it's graphic, scary, and fairly intense. It's also not meant for children. It's target, like the two games above, are rational, free thinking adults.

I give this developer points though. AvP will NOT be edited apparently. The developer has decided that they won't give in to censorship. They actually think that Australia has fucked up too many games already with it's bullshit kiddie gloves. Either create an adult standard like they have with movies, or prepare for more games to boycott the continent.

"The content of AvP is based on some of the most innovative and iconic horror movies, and as such we wanted to create a title that was true to the source."

"It is for adults, and it is bloody and frightening, that was our intent."

Honestly, it's hard to express how much I agree with that, even if it does mean there are deprived gamers out there. I'm sure pirates will provide. And maybe it'll motivate some of the voters to express their displeasure with fuckers like Michael Atkinson when he says totally moronic and insulting things like this:

What the present law does is keep the most extreme material off the shelves. It is true that this restricts adult liberty to a small degree, however, I am prepared to accept this infringement in the circumstances.

Hey... pencil dick. Go fuck yourself and your bullshit protectionism. you're worth less than a slug's slime trail. Trash like you shouldn't ever be in charge of public policy. I'm not entirely sure you capable of dealing with simple things like forks, let alone censorship in a free country.

Free Aussie Gamers! And fuck that cock sucking momma's boy.