Well, here we go again!

According to GameSpot, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, which is obviously the sequel to F.E.A.R., has been banned by the OFLC due to excessive violence. This means that Australians are unable to buy the game whenever it gets released, even if they are adults.

In my opinion, this is a stupid decision considering that the original game is far more violent, and that other games are released here without cuts, with one example being Ninja Gaiden II. Warner Bros. is planning to appeal the decision, so let's hope the appeal is successful.

Australia is very weird, I wouldn't be able to live there if this is what their laws consisted of. It is kinda funny since Australia was mainly founded by British convicts that they are so damn strict.

That, and Depeche Mode tours don't go there very often... tsk, tsk...

Not sure that the convicts *themselves* founded the country. After all, there was an authority here watching over them!

But nevertheless, I'm embarrassed to be Australian when this censorship happens. They go on and on about the freedom we have here, and how it is the "lucky country" and numerous other exaggerations, but when it comes down to personal freedoms, we are stuck in the 50's. I put this down to the Howard Government and the yesteryear approach to new medias etc.. (All-you-can-eat broadband here costs what it cost the US in 1995!)...

There is going to be a public forum to see if they should introduce a R18+ rating in Australia that is happening very soon. so F.E.A.R 2 could be the first R rated game on the shelf (lets hope)

Yes, I heard about that. I hope that the new rating is introduced. It will stop people importing banned games or resort to piracy.

I was wondering if they video game ratings are like that, what is the movie ratings like there? Do they have the same strict code or basically does anything fly when it comes to movies?

The movie ratings are G, PG, M, MA15+, R18+, and X18+, so you could say that everything flies when it comes to movies. It is just games that the OFLC has a strict policy on games. Everything to do with sex, drugs, or excessive violence is banned.

X rated movies (i.e. Hard Core porn) laws vary from state to state. I know SA you cannot buy, WA you can only view in the store and not buy, and here in Vic you can buy them in adult only stores. Other movies rarely get banned, like if it contains realistic rape (like in Baise-moi) or underage sex (like in the controversial ban of Ken Park which had some underground protest screenings). Just for some reason the games rating never got past MA15+.

It may stop the importing, but nothing ever stops piracy. If it can be copied, someone will always try to sell it to get that little bit of extra money.

The good thing is... the uncensored version of GTA 4 was approved by the OFLC, while the console version has been cut extensively. Talk about consistency.

It seems that they cut it before they brought it to the censorship board to save on the money and time it takes to resubmit it, something they could of not done it and still would of passed. Good news is that they can now bring out the uncensored version to consoles as when something gets rated it is the same across all platforms, but I think that it is a bit late for that.

So the OFLC is completely fine with picking up hookers and beating them senselessly, but drugs (Fallout 3) are not allowed.

Well if they change the drugs to beer... everything will be fine with them!

Interesting idea, but with the government trying to cut down on underage binge drinking it probably will not work.

All they had to change in Fallout 3 is the name of the drugs not the use of them (?).

Curious. Is there a background thing that we may not be aware of regarding "Australia's" position towards violence? I assume we all know the political background regarding Germany...but personally I'm not aware of any significant historical occurance in Australia's political background?

Please enlighten me. What's the political background here regarding the mere violence in games? Besides that the politicians are noobs of course. ;)

(Note: our film rating organization - the FSK - isn't as restrictive as our game rating organization - the USK. If a game features a decapitation, it's immediately removed from store shelves; if it's in a movie, it runs normally in TV. You can even have tons of swastikas in (non-documentation) films for that matter. And our "censorship department" applies for both organizations by the way.)

I think it was just the fact during the early days to gaming games where never considered violent enough to warrant anything over an MA15+ rating, same goes with the movies as well. As movies developed they introduced a R18+ rating but games, for whatever reason, got left behind. It is now due too government officials, namely Michael Atkinson, that is delaying the R18+ rating for games. As for violence in our political background there is nothing major (other then the Eureka Stockade of 1854) just people are worried that it may in the future.

For people that are interested in the issue there is a good interview between 'Good Game', a public TV gaming show, and Michael Atkinson, the Attorney General that is against the R18+ rating and has been delaying the R18+ process. The interview can be found here. Post what you think.

Actually, he speaks sense. Games being interactive are fundamentally different from their celluloid cousin. Of course, the way he approaches the issue is completely skewed. Instead of censorship why not raise the awareness amidst the playing public and their guardians about the rating system and about possible dangerous of obsessive and inappropriate playing?

I have to agree with you there, with this new rating there should be an advertising campaign telling parents that not all games are appropriate for kids anymore. So may times I have seen a parent with there kid wanting a MA rated game and them trying to buy it for them. Only when the store person tells them what MA rating actually means is when they have 2nd thoughts. A lot of parents here think that games are only for kids and just simply don't understand what that symbol on the front of the case means, and that has to change before or early stages of a R rating.

According to GameSpot, F.E.A.R. 2's ban has been overturned and is coming out unchanged from the original release.

Yes, I read about that. It should have been rated MA15+ in the first place. But if an actual adults-only rating existed, it would have been rated R18+. Take that, Mr. Atkinson.