Slashdot Mirror
Australian Government Bans New Syndicate Game
An anonymous reader writes "It looks like the Australian Government's move to introduce a new R18+ classification for adult video games hasn't yet taken force, with video game maker EA confirming today that its reboot of the classic Syndicate series has been banned in Australia due to extreme violence. Left 4 Dead, Mortal Kombat and now Syndicate — what game will be banned next in Australia is anybody's guess."
Peter Sunde would like to personally thank the OFLC for their contribution to The Pirate Bay's ad revenue.
Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
I'm sure Australia actually banned it for ruining the sugar coated nostalgia of the first games with another generic shooter.
Downloading it and not paying for it is really punishing the publisher, and it isn't their fault. The Australian government is the one causing the problems. Now if you can't import the US/UK version without risking jail/a fine then ok, maybe it is your only way to play. But if importation is possible, it would seem that is the way to go. Show the AUS government how stupid their policies are and support game makers.
That makes it ok to download it then, huh?
Cant say, but it will certainly take the wind out of the old and eroneous "lost sales" argument.
/.er's who don't understand the situation scream about OMG Freedoms. /.er's who haven't bothered to keep up scream about OMG Freedoms. /. whingers are now cosplaying as William Wallace shouting OMG FREEEEEEDOMS. /.er's still whinging about Freedoms.
But anyway, here's what's going to happen
- Game X is "banned"
-
- Media shit storm in a teacup is created.
- OLFC changes its mind after one minor change.
-
- original
- Game gets released on Oz.
-
- Smart Australians order games from overseas regardless (thank you parallel importing).
I swear we'll still be hearing about this six months from now. I mean the article mentioned Left4Dead when it was released in Oz on November 18 2008, the same day as North America.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Now I HAVE to get this game. I was going to get it anyway, because I played the old one made by Bullfrog. I hope it's just as good.
I'm afraid if any company can ruin the old idea then it would be Electronic Arts. And seeing that they changed it from a tactical shooter to an FPS then it seems that they are on course for a disappointment. All they have done is use the same name to convince fans of the old game to buy this one. For all I know it might be a great game, but that will be despite the name "Syndicate". But I guess the tactic works; except for Aussies - they weren't fooled!
Regarding the banning, it would be nice if the classification board could give it a tentative R18+ rating, even though that would still result in it being banned. Then when the new rating system does become law, we would suddenly have a supply of games to play and the companies would not have to take the time and expense of resubmitting the titles.
But I suppose that they can't be expected to use guidelines that have not been passed by parliament. For all the classifications board knows, some back-bencher might add a clause that bans any game that mentions sheep. (Because that's the first law of Aussie Sheep Club: you don't talk about Aussie Sheep Club - or if you do you call it the New Zealand Sheep Club).
I hope it's just as good.
I guess you haven't seen the trailers yet. It's a tired, run of the mill FPS, most likely featuring an emphasis on multiplayer and a 4 - 5 hour campaign tacked on at the last minute.
Australia is right to ban this travesty.
Summation 2
The original Syndicate was a 'beautiful' game, that did not contain or need extreme violence. A modern version of Syndicate would not need extreme violence either.
This is not Syndicate. It's not even a modern version, or a 're-imagining'. This is a completely different game, with some vague influence from Syndicate, and the name grotesquely attached to it.
Skrillex is dubstep's Nickelback.
...as it spits in the face of the original, and awesome, Syndicate games, which were anything but a dumbed down rail-shooter.
It's not Syndicate. It's a generic FPS.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Please remember that this is the country that banned nearly all guns because one psycho shot up a shopping mall. For a country that has so many chompy, stingy, poisonous monsters, they sure are fearful.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
He's arguing that it may become available if the publishers make one minor change (similar to changing blood from red to green).
Then that version is legal. It doesn't make the original (international) version legal. If you parallel import an unmodified version, you have imported refused classification material.
(I'm not telling people not to import RC games. Or even pirate them. Go nuts. But people who pirate games know that it's against local copyright laws, and are willing to risk the low chance of detection. Telling people that our Parallel Importation laws somehow magically bypass our classification laws is misleading and wrong.)
Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.