Posts Tagged ‘australia’
Australian Borderlands gets censored, 2K working to remedy
It’s no secret that the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification is pretty strict when it comes to rating games considering their highest rating is MA15+ so the fact that they have turned their heads to Borderlands is no surprise.
Of course, the game isn’t actually set to hit Steam until October 30th but Australian gamers who were able to get their hands on a copy prior to its release date have found several instances of censorship. Now, this is all fine and dandy considering is it Australia but according to 2k Games, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
Luckily, the studio is working to get the actual uncensored version onto Steam and ready for its October 30th release date so Australian fans of blood and gore need not fret.
Valve submits toned down version of Left 4 Dead 2 for Australian rating
If you’ve been following Left 4 Dead 2 you may know that the game was denied classification in Australia due to “living humans with a rabies-like virus” and “realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence” which smells like a typical zombie shooter to me, right?
Well, Valve has submitted the paperwork to appeal this decision but just in case the appeal doesn’t work they have also submitted a second, toned down version of Left 4 Dead 2 that reportedly meets all of the requirements to get a MA15+ rating.
Valve hasn’t said what they have edited as they do not even want to release this toned down version but chances are, it’ll just be a hallow shell of a great game that could have been.
via thatvideogameblog
Australia getting PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit
It seems that Sony feels gamers in Australia take to the Blu-ray format more than the rest of the world as they have recently announced the PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit.
Just how ultimate this kit is, however, remains questionable considering it only comes bundled with a PS3 remote and either 10,000 B.C. or Batman Begins with no console in sight.
Of course, it’s $60 AUD/$51 USD price tag makes it a bargain, and that’s all that matters.
via engadget
New DSi firmware launched, upload photos to Facebook
The new 1.4 firmware is now available for the Nintendo DSi. This firmware deems flash cards useless. All pirates are advised not to update if they want to keep using their ROMs and such.
Back in March, Nintendo revealed plans to expand to social networking options. Today, Nintendo has released a new application for the Nintendo DSi which allows players to upload their photos directly to Facebook.
To get setup, you need to link your DSi with your Facebook account via Facebook Connect. Once that’s done, a Facebook logo will appear on top of your photos. Users are allowed to upload entire albums at once (200 photos), and every photo after that, a new album is created.
The firmware is only exclusive to Japan, Europe, and Australia. No word on when the update will be released for North America.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky dated for US
Nintendo of America has announced that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky will be seeing an October 13th release date, as opposed to the September 23rd date we saw back in E3.
The game will have the option to play as one of 19 different Pokémon, which will allow you to interact with over 490 Pokémon.
Explorers of Sky was released in Japan last April, and will be hitting Europe later this year, followed by a 2010 Australian release.
Nintendo DS sells 2 million units down under
Nintendo of Australia has revealed that the popular handheld DS, alongside DS Lite, as sold over 2 million units in the country. The only other console that has sold over 2 million units in the country is Sony’s PlayStation 2. The DS has sold over 100 million units world wide.
Tags: australia
Aussies getting sweet Gears of War Xbox 360 bundle
Apparently Australians have yet to embrace Gears of War like the rest of the world, which is why Microsoft is releasing a special Xbox 360 Gears of War bundle, which includes both Gears of War and Gears of War 2, packaged in a sweet box. However, the console itself is of the plain ol’ white Pro variety. It’ll be available on June 4 for $450 AUD, equivalent of $350 USD. Not a bad deal.
Gameloft teams up with Sega Europe for mobile games
It was recently made known that mega-mobile-publisher Gameloft has inked a deal with Sega Europe to produce mobile games based on Sega property:
“We are confident this agreement will be the first step towards a long term partnership between Gameloft and SEGA,” said Michel Guillemot, president, Gameloft. “SEGA’s great brands coupled with Gameloft’s long standing history of excellence in mobile game development can only result in an extraordinary mobile experience for consumers.”
The first game to come from the deal is Sonic Unleashed, which Gameloft is describing as a “high speed 2D side-scrolling adventure”.
Gamers will be able to choose from Sonic the Hedgehog or Werehog when this game is made available in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand in June. I wonder what other games Gameloft has cookin’.
Donkey Kong 3 out for Euro and Aussie Virtual Console
Just a friendly reminder: Nintendo has updated the European and Australian Virtual Console with the arcade classic Donkey Kong 3. On a smaller note, Enduro Racer was also added for the Sega Master System. Both of the titles retail for the standard 500 Wii Points.
GTA 4 Not Censored Down Under
Seeing as how Grand Theft Auto IV is the most violent entry in the series so far, many of you thought the game would be refused classification down under in Australia. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, as the PC version of the game has been given a MA15+ rating for “strong violence, sex scenes, coarse language, and drug references” and it appears that it has been unedited as well.
All this comes from Gamespot, who notes that the game has not been edited in any way and that content will be similar to the one in international versions. It isn’t known whether Rockstar actually cut any offensive content before applying for classification.
Grand Theft Auto IV comes out tomorrow on PC.
FEAR Sequel Banned Down Under
And yet another violent game bites the dust in Australia, as Monolith’s horror shooter sequel F.E.A.R. 2 has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Review Board, effectively barring sales of the game in the region.
This follows earlier bans of games like Fallout 3, Silent Hill: Homecoming and Dead Space, though the former two have been edited for release in the region. It wasn’t stated what content caused the ban, but imagery of creepy girls in bloody hallways is sure to cited in their internal report somewhere.
Monolith is yet to decide whether to edit and release the game in the region or not. The game is due out February 10, 2009 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Toned Down Homecoming in Australia
Effectively neutering the whole experience of playing Silent Hill: Homecoming, Atari, which publishes the game in Australia, has announced that it hopes to get the violence modified by publisher Konami so that it can be classified and released in the region during Q1 2009.
Apparently, Australia’s ratings body found “several high impact scenes” in the game, mostly focusing on scenes depicting “drilling into and severing body parts” to be disturbing.
North America and Europe are getting the drill-filled version of the game, with the former getting it today in retail stores and Steam, and the latter some time later.
Silent Hill Homecoming Banned in Kangaroo-land
Australia is at top when it comes to video game censorship. Keeping that trend up, The Age of Melbourne, Australia, reports that Silent Hill: Homecoming, the upcoming entry in the horror franchise, has been refused classification by Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification, meaning that the game won’t be available for sale unless it is changed from its current form.
This is the fourth game to be banned this year, including, most recently, Fallout 3, which got banned due to drug use within the game world.
Homecoming is set to head to stores in North America this month, with an European release in November. It may be released in Australia following needed changes.