HOTD: Overkill Extended Cut Reclassified

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The Review Board has awarded House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut an MA15+ rating (‘strong horror violence, strong course language) in its uncut form. This follows SEGA’s appeal to have its RC rating lowered.

SEGA’s Managing Director, Darren Macbeth, was overwealmed that the game was lowered to MA15+.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are proud to confirm that the game will be released in Australia in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed in any way. We were confident of successfully appealing the board’s original decision to refuse classification, and appreciate that the Classification Review Board has made a decision that complies with the current guidelines and framework.”

While HOtD fans may share the good news amongst themselves, it still highlights the need of an R18+ rating for video games, which hopefully is introduced by the end of the year. But as it is, games like this one, along with F.3.A.R. and Dead Island are available to minors while these games recieve adults-only ratings overseas.

House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut goes on sale in Australia October 27th.

SEGA challenges RC rating for HOTD: Overkill – Extended Cut

Monday, September 12th, 2011

Last month, the Classification Board slapped House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut with an RC rating. According to an article by Kotaku Australia, the Board had a problem with the game’s recently added ‘Hardcore’ mode.

“The “Hardcore” game mode allows players to play in a manner that exceeds strong in impact,” claims the report, “engaging a headshot-only mode which results in frequent, detailed blood and gore as the zombies and mutants [sic] heads explode into bloody pieces that spread around the environment and onto the screen. The game also contains an “Extra mutants mode” which increases the amount of mutants the player must kill to proceed, resulting in an increased intensity and frequency of violence. In addition the game contains a baby mutant that jumps onto the screen and explodes into bloody chunks when killed.”

In response to the ban, SEGA’s managing director, Darren Macbeth, had this to say:

“There are far worse titles currently available in the marketplace which involve more than shooting down mutants in humorous circumstances. We will do everything we can to prove that House of the Dead: Overkill is worthy of an MA15+ rating in Australia.”

The company had three choices on its hands: edit the game’s content so that the game is passed MA15+, challenge the RC rating, or don’t release the game in Australia. They chose the second option, and the Review Board will meet on September 26 to review the decision.

We Dare Rating Upheld

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

The Review Board met on June 17th to review the rating given to Ubisoft’s adult party game, We Dare, and decided that the game’s previous PG rating should be upheld. In their media release, the board noted.

This game contains a series of mini games which provide a single player (or a multiple of players up to four) with a variety of tasks. These mini games, which are randomly available to players based on a choice of ‘moods’, include dance moves and activities, which may require interaction with other players. There are no sexual references in actual game play. Text boxes, which contain miscellaneous facts about gender differences and interactions, randomly appear whilst a mini game is loading. Some of those text boxes contain mild sexual references. The text boxes contain no interactive elements.

Banning a game that features extreme violence and “over 90 fatalities” is one thing, but making an adult party game available to minors is ridiculous. The game should have been given a least an M rating.

The applicant was Federal Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O’Connor, who may challenge this decision if he wishes.

Read the full media release here.

Adult Party game referred for review

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

On March 16th, We Dare, Ubisoft’s adult party game, was released in Australia under a PG rating (‘mild sexual references’). According to Wikipedia, it is marketed as a “sexy, quirky, party game” and involves kissing, striptease, and spanking.

A member of the web site Collective Shout has written a review of the game, slamming the Classification Board for making the game available to minors. What’s unique about the review is that it encourages its readers to e-mail department stores as well as the Classification Board and the Attorney-General.

Judging by the comments, enough people made complaints to warrant a review.

We Dare is already released in Europe under a PEGI 12 rating, but it has attracted criticism in North America, with Ubisoft removing a trailer of the game and plans for a North American released shelved.

People may be entitled to file an application for a review of a computer game, but doing so after the game gets released is pointless.

The Review Board will meet on June 18 for the review.

Mortal Kombat Still Refused Classification

Monday, March 14th, 2011

According to GameSpot, the attempt by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to lower Mortal Kombat‘s RC rating to MA15+ has failed, meaning that the game is unable to be sold here.

The Classification Review Board met on Friday to confirm its RC status, possible due to excessive violence. WB has issued the following statement:

We’re obviously extremely disappointed that the Refused Classification decision has been upheld by the Classification Review Board. We want to thank the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in Australia and around the world who have voiced their support during the appeal process.

They have two options here. They modify the game, removing the offending content and resubmit the edited version to the Classification Board, or simply not release the game at all.

After F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was slapped with an RC rating in 2008, WB launched a successful appeal, meaning that the game could be sold with a MA15+ rating.