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EA's Syndicate reboot is poised for release in the coming months, but Australians with a lust for digital carnage will have to get their fix elsewhere. The nation's Classification Board has banned the game by refusing to issue an approved rating. Australia's current video game classification system currently peaks at "MA15+," which is roughly equivalent to the ESRB's "Teen" rating and includes content unsuitable for minors under 15.
After a decade on its agenda, the country has finally approved (PDF) an "R18+" classification, permitting more violence, sexual activity, profanity, drug use, and nudity. Unfortunately for EA and Starbreeze, the new guidelines won't be implemented until sometime in 2012 -- a timeframe that conflicts with the launch date of Syndicate. In the meantime, the first-person shooter has been deemed "unsuitable for a minor to see or play."
Set in a dystopian 2069, the game borrows many themes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, including biomechanical augmentations that provide superhuman abilities. Players control Kilo, a prototype agent of EuroCorp, one of many ruthless "syndicates" who are vying for control of market dominance. As part of that ongoing struggle, players are tasked with many dirty deeds -- namely, slaying countless foes and extracting chip implants from their brains.
"In order to complete the missions, a player has to engage in intense combat with swarms of enemy combatants who are clad in light armor. A variety of weapons [are] available and these often cause decapitation, dismemberment and gibbing during frenetic gunfights," the Australian board explained (PDF). "Combatants take locational damage and can be explicitly dismembered, decapitated, or bisected by the force of gunfire."
The report cites realistic depictions of "copious bloodspray and injuries" as well as the ability to desecrate corpses. "For example, it is possible for a player to decapitate a corpse with a headshot before individually blowing off each of its limbs. Depending on the weapon used, it is also possible to bisect a corpse, with realistic ragdoll effects," the board said, noting that players can also target unarmed civilians throughout the game.
Australia reached a similar conclusion when it reviewed Left 4 Dead 2 in 2009. Fallout 3, Manhunt, Mortal Kombat and many others have also faced opposition, but they are often approved after making changes. It seems EA has no such plans, however, telling Joystiq that it simply won't offer the game in Australia, despite enthusiasm from fans. That could change if the R18+ rating is approved, but EA isn't holding its breath.
"We were encouraged by the government's recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. However, delays continue to force an arcane censorship on games -- cuts that would never be imposed on books or movies," the publisher said. "We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today's market and gives its millions of adult consumers the right to make their own content choices."
User Comments: 27
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dedparrot said:mccartercar said:
@dedparrot why would it be ironic for EA to support a bill that stands to fight online piracy???
Afaik gibs or gibbing is a gaming term used to describe dismemberment of organs or the entrails of an organism. Learned that from carmageddon back in the day
The bill does not just fight online piracy, in the same way the PATRIOT act does not just fight terrorism.
SOPA enables whole websites to be taken down for hosting copyrighted content.
Here, watch this: [link]
Not just hosting. Imagine that your company has a product review forum where the users can put comments and rate their products that they bought. A SINGLE user posting a LINK to piratebay is sufficient to yank your ENTIRE website with no warning or recourse.
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DanUK said:
TorturedChaos said:Guest said:I'm glad the board has taken their position to ban violent games. Especially considering one was used as training material by the Norway shooter.
And the guys who shot up Columbine liked to play Doom a lot.
But you know what - no definitive link has been made between violent video games and violent behavior. If fact several studies I have read point to the exact opposite, with aggression being take out inside the video game instead of in reality.
If video games made people killers I would be in jail, and so would most of my friends.
Lets see I was bullied through school - yep.
Played violent video games since I was 10 to 12ish (including lots of Doom) - yep.
Antisocial - yep
Lots of heavy metal - yep.
Access to firearms - yah owned my own .30-06 since I was 5. I live in Montana - EVERYONE is armed :P.
Did I shoot up a school or any of my friends (best friend had looser rules than I did and access to more firearms).
NOPE. Difference - PARENTING!!!!
Games don't need to banned or blamed for violence - they are just being used as a scapegoat.
Parents need to do some really damn parenting.
Now I'm not saying a 5yr old should be playing GTA or Left 4 Dead. That's part of the parents responsibly to decide what is appropriated for their children. But you also have the possibility that said kid will be exposed to things the parents don't want them to be exposed to at friends houses or just in the general public. (I know I was) That's where teaching a kid proper morals and responsibility comes in. Not just plopping them in front of the TV because your are tried from a long day at work.
Big +1 here. Blanket banning is just crazy... depriving so many older people of entertainment. Completely agree about the whole parenting thing. Parents complaining about violent videogames need to take more control of their kids (i.e. do their job as a parent).. don't try and get the government to do it for you.
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