NAFeS Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Rumours were swirling late last week that Australia's strict games classification regime had struck its highest-profile victim for 2008, with Fallout 3 apparently being refused a rating. It seems the rumours were true, with confirmation coming tonight that Bethesda's upcoming postapocalyptic action RPG has indeed been banned for sale in Australia. The most recent update for the Web site of Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) shows that Fallout 3 has been refused classification. Unlike films or DVDs, the highest rating allowable for a game in Australia is MA 15+, which means any title that has content deemed unsuitable for a 15-year-old is illegal to sell or promote in this country. While the OFLC website has no details on why Fallout 3 was banned, a user in GameSpot's PC forum last week suggested it could be due to the use of the drug morphine within the game. Australia's game classification rules state that titles that "depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults" will be refused classification. ..And..... UPDATE: Australia's OFLC has provided GameSpot AU with a copy of its Board's ruling on Fallout 3, which states that the game was indeed refused classification because it contains "material promoting or encouraging proscribed drug use". In its ruling, the OFLC states that "the game contains the option to take a variety of drugs known as chems using a device which is connected to the character's arm." "These chems have postive and some negative effects (lowering of intelligence, or the character may become addicted to the chem). The positive effects include increase in strength, stamina, resistance to damage, agility, and hit points. Corresponding with the list of various chems are small visual representations of the drugs; these include syringes, tablets, pill bottles, a crack-type pipe, and blister packs. In the Board's view, these realistic visual representation of drugs and their delivery method bring the 'science-fiction' drugs in line with 'real-world' drugs. "The player can also select and use Morphone (a proscribed drug) which has the positive effect of enabling the character to ignore limb pain when the character's extremities are targeted by the enemy." In Fallout 1 and 2, players could take a wide range of drugs both to boost health and character attributes. Both games were freely available for sale in Australia and were rated M. And despite the violence in the game, the OFLC's ruling is solely concerned with drug use in Fallout 3. In the ruling, the OFLC states that "the violence throughout the game could be accommodated at an MA 15+ level of classification". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishop24 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Man I'm glad I don't live in Australia, you guys miss out on a lot of games. You all should get games that the rest of the world gets. Really not fair to Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAFeS Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 The OFLC needs to get their act together. Bioshock had enhancements as well, practically the same thing that Fallout 3 has, yet that was allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomnutta Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 new development with this.. yes indeed they are letting us have it http://www.ebgames.com.au/Xbox/product.cfm?ID=11589 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exo-apollo Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) and they do they exact same things in our art galleries, pulling down painting and exhibitions that they dont deem 'family friendly', i swear our country is going to start being remembered as culture haters. and all kevin rudd does is just sit there and agree with everyone because he is a populist and god forbid he ever disagree with what the DUMB,IDIOTIC rabble say. Edited July 12, 2008 by exo-apollo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Arrow Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Government - 1 People - 0 [Although it's probably more like 2357 - 0 in Australia] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAFeS Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 new development with this.. yes indeed they are letting us have it http://www.ebgames.com.au/Xbox/product.cfm?ID=11589 Never believe anything EB has to say. They often lie P.S. Pie arrived this morning, was yummo!! XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorbait Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 That sucks! And of all things it's the use of drugs. If this holds up I feel bad for all you Aussies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer 5O2 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 those that really want it will import it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Fba Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Seriously what is up with you Aussies, and the fact that all the good games get banned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mother Beef Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Seriously what is up with you Aussies, and the fact that all the good games get banned. What do you mean what is up with us? we havent done it wrong its just the C**t ass pussys that run our country, fuk i hate being in australia sometimes...all my intrests seem to be illegal and censored in this country (modded cars,weapons video games)...ehhh... -goes and buys noose- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegentEagle Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) those that really want it will import it It's going to be illegal for them to do that I hear... Although thats not going to stop people is it? The government want to get their act together and realise that grown people play games and that it's a great hobby. Instead they're trying to wrap the younger audience in cotton wool so to speak. What about TV and movies they don't give a crap about that. Sometimes it's the same here in the UK and also places like Germany (although no way near as bad). That sucks! And of all things it's the use of drugs. If this holds up I feel bad for all you Aussies! This is why I like these forums I have never spoken to any American yet that isn't nice or helpful. Then go on Xbox Live and I get the opposite and would rather eat my own arms than speak to one of you as when I do I constantly get told to suck my dick. On that note I have yet to have anyone Austrailian on my friends list and I have never spoken to any of you online... Have all your mics melted? Edited July 31, 2008 by RegentEagle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mother Beef Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 On that note I have yet to have anyone Austrailian on my friends list and I have never spoken to any of you online... Have all your mics melted? No there is only a small few of us, dew to us not letting annoying little kids play online (unlike u americans/english) I remeber reading a survey that said the majority of australian "gamers" are 18-23 or sumthing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martdude16 Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Thats unfair this game looks immense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exo-apollo Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 NEW UPDATE: They have sent the game back to the OFLC, with some bits edited out (the drug use), so hopefully the OFLC will see no problem with the game and allow us to have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rutawitz Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 its like austraila jumps on the bandwagon, following the US, UK, etc, of banning games for ridiculous reasons. but austraila banes games like they are trying to be accepted by the other nations with video games haters except they are way over doing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exo-apollo Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 its like austraila jumps on the bandwagon, following the US, UK, etc, of banning games for ridiculous reasons. Well it's not really ridiculous reasons, the problem is that we don't have a R18+ rating for videogames, we are stuck with just a MA15+ rating, so alot of games don't make the cut for being classified as MA15+ so they get 'refused'. The issue has been passed around in parliament so many times and there was just one politician, Michael Atkinson, who voted against having the R18+ rating for games. He is stuck in the stone age and no amount of reasoning can make him change his stance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecks UK Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 its like austraila jumps on the bandwagon, following the US, UK, etc, of banning games for ridiculous reasons. but austraila banes games like they are trying to be accepted by the other nations with video games haters except they are way over doing it The UK has NEVER had a game banned, only 2 came close, Carmageddon, but it was alterered and released, and of course Manhunt 2, which will be coming out later this year. UK>US on the "not having games banned" front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdlob Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 hrrrmmm I wonder if I could turn the illegal video game trade into a full blown business? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Defective Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Wow, thats just crazy. Nearly every single thing, plant and animal life, is poisonous and more than able to kill you. You would think they would want you inside playing games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimu5 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Man I feel for all the gamers Australia and am glad I live in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exo-apollo Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Now it seems every single version of the game will be the cut version. Which means the cut material obviously was not of too much importance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCoMMander8 Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 grow up people please, its all the goverments fault for banning or under-protective parents who buy gta "im-going-to-kill-everything-and-have-sex-with-some-hoes-town" the kid kills people and the parents go "omg video games are an atrocity to the earth". goverments see this and follow on what the parents said, however they do not repremend the parents for being complete idiots. so in short goverments=bad australia=koalas uk=uk america=a bunch of confused people run by an idiot. and the drug removing thing from the game is gunna sux, well anyways thats what i heard anyways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitbob27 Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 i love living in Australia and stuff, but man i wanted this game so bad .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exo-apollo Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 i love living in Australia and stuff, but man i wanted this game so bad .......... Don't worry, the game is coming out here now anyway. You don't think they would pass up on the chance to rob us of $120 for their game do you? This news, while it still brings bile to my mouth, is now irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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