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Left 4 Dead 2 Approved In Australia After Edits

Posted by Soulskill on from the going-out-on-a-limb dept.

Last month we discussed news that Valve's upcoming shooter Left 4 Dead 2 had been denied classification in Australia, which meant the game could not be legally sold there. Now, after a series of edits which removed "considerable amounts of gore from gameplay," Australia's classification board has given the game an MA15+ rating. Their new report (PDF) says, "No wound detail is shown and the implicitly dead bodies and blood splatter disappear as they touch the ground. ... The board notes that the game no longer contains depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment." The unmodified version of the game may still be approved, pending a review that concludes on October 22nd.

20 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Or to put that in other words by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "L4d2 in Australia now significantly less entertaining."

    In soldier of fortune it was just gratuitous, in an over the top zombie game the gore fits perfectly.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    1. Re:Or to put that in other words by noundi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "L4d2 in Australia now significantly less entertaining."

      In soldier of fortune it was just gratuitous, in an over the top zombie game the gore fits perfectly.

      You know as much as I agree that the Australian government is just plain silly, I wouldn't say that the game becomes less entertaining. I don't know if it's just me but I'm from the generation where blood is completely irrelevant. It could be gushing and it could be sipping, I would be indifferent because it wouldn't affect me. I grew up watching so many movies with so much blood in them that blood doesn't entertain me anymore. However I do think that it's the Australian governments need to force their christian morals (this is the way I've understood it, that there are many christian politicians pushing nonsensical things, such as this, correct me if I'm wrong though) on their citizens is far more disgusting than any amount of gore. I just hope the Australian citizens won't take this kind of bullshit. It's up to generation Y to make shit right.

      --
      I am the lawn!
    2. Re:Or to put that in other words by mrsurb · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Disclaimer: I am a Christian and an Australian. Christian politicians are pushing some stupid things in this country, such as the flawed Internet censorship proposal. However this ratings decision has not been influenced (AFAIK) by the government, Christian influence or not. The link in which you refer to the iiNet copyright case seems to be influenced by corporations, not Christians.

    3. Re:Or to put that in other words by ledow · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I hate zombie movies. I love Left4Dead.

      It's the panic that makes the game - you can't stand still for a second. If you don't keep watching your teammates, one of them will be picked off (and even one man down is a serious hindrance). It's a constant frenzy of trying to get to your teammates / the end of the level but being pulled, pushed, influenced, taken, steered and forced to make diversions. The zombie gore isn't *necessary* but the atmosphere is quite immersive. The sound of a big baddie scares the crap out of you and the atmosphere being like that means the panic sets in quicker.

      There is nothing quite like seeing a horde of crazed zombies rushing towards you and you having to pick your options to take them out... barricade yourselves in? Set them on fire? Take potshots and hope to reduce their numbers? Full-out automatic fire? Concentrate on the big baddie about the corner? It's as much a tactical game as it is a FPS shooter - most kicks from public servers will be of people who *aren't* following the teamplan. But the gore is just a natural part of the atmosphere. If you remove it - still a good game, but no atmosphere.

    4. Re:Or to put that in other words by MozzleyOne · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The trouble is - Valve have a history of putting out really really awesome games. They do this by meticulously honing every single detail to perfection. By forcing them to change the game, our censors have forced us to play a game that isn't as good as Valve tried to make it.

      The sheer fucking ARROGANCE of the concept of a ratings board playing a game and then banning it is what I find the most disgusting. I don't want to play a 95% version of L4D2 because some people in my country decided that, while THEY weren't harmed from playing it, would DEFINITELY cause harm to others who can't help themselves.

      It's not just bloodthirst - purely from a gameplay perspective, to have a good FPS you NEED a good visual response to a hit in order to be able to move to the next target. It's all part of that large bag of things that make a FPS "feel" right, along with things like acceleration speed and jump height. If you get the little details wrong, everything feels wrong.

      Though, even if it WAS pure bloodthirst that made me want the game left as-is, why would that mean anyone in the country stop me from playing whatever the fuck I want? Leave me the fuck alone.

      --
      Ayjay on Fedang
    5. Re:Or to put that in other words by mrsurb · · Score: 2, Informative

      South Australia doesn't have a Governor General. She represents the monarch in the whole Commonwealth. Perhaps you mean the South Australian Governor. Governors are appointed by the Queen on the direct advice of the relevant state Premier.

    6. Re:Or to put that in other words by XDirtypunkX · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's actually the Attorney General I believe Frogbert was referring to.

    7. Re:Or to put that in other words by mcbridematt · · Score: 3, Informative

      The whole issue about an R18+ rating not existing for games in Australia is down to a single person - the Attorney General of South Australia - Michael Atkinson, refusing to sign off on it. All of his counterparts are in support of the R18+ rating.

      His argument revolves around people under 18 being able to obtain the game somehow and the game making an 'impression' on them.

      A fair argument to some extent (when I was in my teens not too long ago there were a few things online that made an 'impression' on me), but the lack of R18+ rating is making the problem worse.

      Unfortunately, his state government seat is a very, very safe seat. If he won't budge until the next election (next year?), I hope some idiot corporation tries to lure him out of government.

    8. Re:Or to put that in other words by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2, Informative

      Seconded. (The only zombie movie I enjoy is Army of Darkness. Can't stand anything else.)

      L4D is great because it teaches:

      a) awareness - especially listening to audio cues of a boomer, smoker, hunter, or panic event. Having the guys in front not make sudden, but predictable moves so they don't get shot in the back by their friends.

      b) Teamwork - learning how to clear room; where to stand as a group; communicating what you're doing and about the environment, such as regrouping when a panic event is about to go off. Playing on Expert "forces" one to learn these things.

      Most PUGs have total NOOBs, but when enough of my friends aren't online I still play them because:

      i) Doing a normal campaign in ~35 mins. shows other people how to play as a team. I can't count the number of times people have said "that was a great team" -- presumably because they didn't see any one playing together as a team.

      ii) Play enough games you run into some great people. Always nice to have acquaintances online when you need to fill out a versus game.

  2. Dear Valve by spyder-implee · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I know it's not your fault, but I will now be pirating a game I would have otherwise payed for. Deepest Regrets, Mr Gamer.

    --
    Take what ye can. Give nothing back!
    1. Re:Dear Valve by nog_lorp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No no no, you will pay for it obviously. Otherwise you would probably be restricted to non-Steam servers, AKA 1 shitty server. Instead you will download a conversion mod that valve will strangely not mind.

  3. court room near you soon by muckracer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Judge: "Please explain to me just what the defendant was thinking when he shot the victim in the head?"

    Lawyer: "Well, your Honor, as avid player of computer games he was thoroughly conditioned, that this action would have little to no consequence to the other party. In fact, my client was completely shocked at the amount of blood produced by the unfortunate victim as he had never seen something like that in the very real depictions of violence in his computer games. He also believed, and this may strike us as somewhat strange but was his reality at that moment, that the victim would quickly recover from any damages even if they had been caused by my client. That the unfortunate Mr. Smith didn't 'respawn', as my client had experienced thousands of times before, came as a true surprise to him. We therefore believe, while his the results of his actions are very regrettable he bears no guilt as he merely played according to the rules of his previous conditioning, which suggested no such dramatic outcome! Thank you."

  4. Dear Australia, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Please stop your nannystate-ification.... where else will I flee to escape the fascism in the US?

    Sincerely, A US citizen

  5. This from the country that made Road Warrior! by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Such a dumb policy.

  6. You know what they say about the ratings board... by acehole · · Score: 3, Funny

    Anything that gets them aroused is banned.

    --
    Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
  7. Attention Australians! by Dudibob · · Score: 3, Informative

    Make friends with people around the world to get around this, simply get them to buy you L4D2 as a gift through Steam and because your buddy bought it in a 'unmodded' country, you'll get all the gore! BTW - this does work, a friend buys a German guy all his stuff so he has the gore and then PayPal's him back the cash

  8. Re:You know what they say about the ratings board. by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Really?

    I thought they got aroused by banning things.

  9. Re:You know what they say about the ratings board. by stephanruby · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Passion of The Christ wasn't banned (although it probably should have been). It triggered arousal, guilt, and hatred, all at the same time (the winning trifecta for good Christians everywhere).

  10. Oblig. Penny Arcade by TomRK1089 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Your mom is a classy lady! Or at least that's what this decision reminds me of.

    1. Re:Oblig. Penny Arcade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Anyone remember the built-in blood mode for Serious Sam? Red Blood, Green Blood or Hippy (They bleed flowers, lol)