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L4D2 refused classification - again

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L4D2 refused classification - again
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By David Hollingworth
Oct 23, 2009 | 43 Comments
Tags: left | 4 | dead | 2 | oflc | stupid | attorney | generals | game | news

Here we go again, with more Left 4 Dead 2 shenanigans.

You know, I could rant and rave and what not, but I just don't have the words any more. Thankfully, the Review Board's findings are more than eloquent enough.

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.

That's it. I'm moving to a freer nation. Like Cuba. At least they know how to make a decent Mojito there.

 
 
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43 Comments
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
funky_monkey
Oct 23, 2009 10:53 AM
 why don't we make our own island?

with blackjack and hookers

and midgets and ride bikes to power the country

it could work?
2SHY
Oct 23, 2009 10:53 AM
 Really? Come On. When i can dismember limbs in Fallout 3. Fallout 3 has all manner of ghouls/zombies/monsters. Yet again a case of double standards
Jeruselem
Oct 23, 2009 10:55 AM
 I'm not surprised if they give up trying to patch L4D2 to sell to Australians.
phatbeat
Oct 23, 2009 11:00 AM
 Well looks like another purchase from the US. Well done idiots, less money for Australian retailers.
Wolfshanks
Oct 23, 2009 11:09 AM
 Right...

How about they change the Zombie's to Playboy bunnies, up the lighting and substitute the guns and crowbars for soft fluffy pillows...?

What am I thinking? They'd probably ban that too...

What the hell is happening to this country? I can almost hear the sound of banjo's playing... /sigh
Malkieri
Oct 23, 2009 11:11 AM
 Zombie protest shuffle to Attorney General's Department?
bnew
Oct 23, 2009 11:12 AM
 And yet a video game based on SAW is fine?
Jeruselem
Oct 23, 2009 11:13 AM
 @Wolfshanks

The Playboy bunnies would be objectionable because it'd promote pornography :D
Krispy89
Oct 23, 2009 11:27 AM
 I agree with 2SHY, case of double standards AGAIN!

Oh well, off to see my Uncle again.
Rage09
Oct 23, 2009 11:34 AM
 I think they are meaning to say that violence against non human monsters is alright and that the zombies look to much like normal humans.
Killing monsters is fine, but killing people in games isn't, i think that's what they are getting at.
neX
Oct 23, 2009 11:45 AM
 Zombie = Monster = Imaginary = Nuff said
SlickGrunt
Oct 23, 2009 12:01 PM
 lol their stomach's couldn't tolerate the level of graphics, which casts a dismal sight on the future of games in Australia.

It's funny, movie and game classification are on a totally different scale. Why I say this is that this game gets a R rating, which is absurd from watching the trailers (its really no different to L4D?) meanwhile a movie like Planet Terror gets MA classification. Can the board explain that one?

BTW Planet Terror is, for lack of a better phrase, F*$(ed up.

And no, movie or game, it makes no difference to me. Classification is a general classification for the sake of the public.
nukejockey
Oct 23, 2009 12:10 PM
 So, maybe valve can pull a shifty and change our models to looks more like zombies, or hell, even green blood would be nice...The thing that pisses me off most, is the version that has passed, is less than violent than L4D, why couldnt Valve just take the dismemberment and resubmit it, I dont mind having that taken out, but the fact that bodies disappear as they hit the ground, and none of the scenery (read: Piles of bodies) that make up half the atmosphere of the game are gone too, has made me not want to purchase this, we're beginning to look like Germany.
Ploddy
Oct 23, 2009 12:13 PM
 What a sad, sorry state of affairs. I want to support the developer, but I wont pay for half the experience. If I were them I would be monumentally pissed. Hang on, I already am...

More rant here of you;re interested http://ploddyblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/censorship.html
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Oct 23, 2009 12:26 PM
 I think Valve should submit L4D1 as L4D2 and see if they RC that. If so, it'd make them the look like complete fools.
Rage09
Oct 23, 2009 12:30 PM
 I all honesty though you cannot blame the Classification Board. They don't have the right tools to do the job, read R18+ classification.

I can't see why we don't have an R18+ classification, even a few boarder line M15+ games could be bumped over into the R18+ range.
Meh, just a rehash of the same old argument anyway.
Dumb_Computergeek
Oct 23, 2009 12:40 PM
 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

Easy fixed, the developers should give every zombie in the game a zombie name tag. example. "Hi, I am zobie Fred Pleased to eat you." So if they have that name tag they are a zombie. If they don't they are human.
matt110
Oct 23, 2009 1:12 PM
 Should've submitted the teletubbies mod to see how that went down.
iamthemaxx
Oct 23, 2009 1:23 PM
 Rage09 - true but when you look at some of the games they do let through, there is a HUGE amount of inconsistencies.
swalden
Oct 23, 2009 1:37 PM
 We should all pretend to be zombies and surrounding the review board, to make them wish they played LFD2 so they had some defense practice!

Plus what will minors do in the face of a zombie invasion :(
Argotha
Oct 23, 2009 2:04 PM
 This version of the game was also refused classification
http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt11/Argotha/Random/braincat.jpg
commanderjarak
Oct 23, 2009 2:41 PM
 I'm glad they have banned this murder simulator, because it is just as easy as pointing your cross-hairs at a guy and clicking a button. Wait, what?
thesorehead
Oct 23, 2009 2:42 PM
 *le sigh*

I'm with Cyberglitch - they should resubmit L4D1 just to see what happens. I think it's possible that it's not the same people within the OFLC that judge these things, meaning L4D2 probably just lucked out by getting the real sticklers.
cyb3rspy
Oct 23, 2009 3:18 PM
 Dear Australian Government,
I'm an Aussie
I'm an Adult
I'm a Gamer

And I Can VOTE. Thanks to the brave men who died for our Freedoms.
cheapfire
Oct 23, 2009 4:03 PM
 Has the New Zealand Review Board refused classification for L4D2? If not I have no problem flying 3hrs to go play it. It's going to way less painful
Rom
Oct 23, 2009 4:05 PM
 Dito Cyb3rspy.

I would have thought that there would be more of an outcry but Aussie gamers but it seems the majority are quite.

Could this be because most will turn to other methods of 'acquiring' this game??

I hate the fact that I'm more than old enough to make intelligent decisions about what I do buy but yet others believe that they know better???

Further more, I can't support a great game developer!

OFLC, I spit in your general direction as your decisions leave a really bad taste in my mouth....
hipster
Oct 23, 2009 6:23 PM
 Instead of whining about it here forward the letter in this site to one of the addresses down the ottem like i did

http://www.r18games.com.au/help/
Tezlin
Oct 23, 2009 6:50 PM
 Wow....just wow. Looks like I'll have to look to DLC again. >_>
jonno4130
Oct 23, 2009 6:50 PM
 I wonder if Atomic could interview the OFLC/Atkinson, and lay the hard hitting questions out on the table so they have to be answered, not just ignored....
squid
Oct 23, 2009 6:55 PM
 Its passed in NZ...
Left 4 Dead 2 R18 Game OFLC 12/10/2009

Doesn't appear to have suffered to get the R18 rating either...
alex8337
Oct 23, 2009 8:40 PM
 Its to keep the Austrlian public generally docile, Its good business practice. Countries are businesses. You can relate that kind of thinking to almost everything the government does, keeping in mind that they also have to keep the people that let them stay in power happy. The term "free country" is false.
t8y
Oct 23, 2009 9:51 PM
 so, australia is boycotting l4d2 aswell now, eh..

dont they know its not cool do that anymore?! god, what a backwards country we live in!


but seriously, im 26, GTFO of controlling what I can and cant see you thickheaded fuddy duddys..
nem
Oct 23, 2009 10:25 PM
 I think this might be Australia classification board trying to promote torrenting.
adora
Oct 24, 2009 12:55 AM
 We really need to change the meaning of Freedom in the dictionary. Should say Freedom = Whatever the government wants.
Ezekill
Oct 24, 2009 11:02 AM
 I'll say it again...
2004, 'Nam 67' on PS2 = Hookers (with sound), drugs (with distorted vision), racial slurs (Gook etc),decapitations and limbs blown off. MA15+, not that any retailers ask for ID.
L4D2 = total fantasy.... oh no, we can't have that.
Fat_Bodybuilder
Oct 24, 2009 11:36 AM
 What happens with those Ozis who have already pre-ordered it in the time that it was allowed to be sold.
sUpEr gEEk
Oct 24, 2009 12:28 PM
 Lets just vote out the Governor general S.O.B P.O.S whom voted against the R 18+.
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Oct 24, 2009 4:43 PM
 FB, we'll get a cut down version.
n00bz0r
Oct 24, 2009 5:17 PM
 I wonder if you will be able to just by a DVD US version and import it?
box124
Oct 24, 2009 6:48 PM
 Or from NZ since they approved it haha
svensk
Oct 25, 2009 1:24 AM
 booooooooooooo... Mr Atkinson you seem to forget my uncle torrence or aunty Plasia will give it to me for a much cheaper price. with the original game code in tact.
DarkForceMage
Oct 26, 2009 3:38 AM
 All we need to do is make a website to arrange nationwide protests for an R18+ rating, I'm sure Atomic or Atmoicans have the connections to help setup such a thing? Surely theres enough gamers out there, judging by the amount of WoW players in Aus! Come on!
hecktik_bro
Oct 31, 2009 1:45 PM
 bottom line, we need a higher rating systems.. R+ would be nice... man, honestly the people of Australia are going to die without this game.. =__= and they tell us not to pirate.. How can i not? They release a gay version of a title that is definetely going to be a hit.. Australia needs some serious serious tweaking to the review systems and maybe get all those F.A.Gs off the review board who probably don't even play games.. Zombies are not humans anymore, I can kill them and will if i see one in real life.. :D *not that i've seen any yet*
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