Xbox

Blitz: The League

Does anyone know why this game is banned by OFLC?

It was covered here sometime not long ago. Here the news item. In-game doping use is encouraged by the game designers and you can buy fake urine samples to avoid tests.

I was also surprised to see Phantasmagoria and Roberta Williams Anthology banned by those guys. As if they have already seen the root of evil in Sierra back in those days.

Thanks for that. Even though I was not planing on buying this game it really sucks that Australia doesn't have a R rating for games.

Australia and Germany seem to have pretty tight policies on games it seems. The United States oddly doesn't.

I don't see how that's odd. The US doesn't have tight policies on much of anything. The US Constitution has a guarantee of free speech and courts have held it to be all but absolute. About all you can't do is threaten people and incite crimes.

And say "fuck" on TV or radio.

Well, Janet Jackson's expression of freedom of speech at the superbowl was immaturely greeted by the public in an interesting way. :p

Was probably referring more to the culture than the law, which often seems to contradictionary.

That's the radio and actually the FCC recently ruled Bono, at least can. Courts have held free speech only applies to your own property. Which is to say you can cuss in your house, but if you do it in your neighbor's house, he can kick you out. The airwaves are owned by the public. You can't restrict what can be sold in stores or through cable or really anything other than broadcast.

So much for freedom of speech.

You also can't release Manhunt 2 in its original form. That's not censorship by the state, I know, but the end result is the same.

You actually can release it in its original form, just not on Nintendo or Sony platforms, so the end result is only the same if Rockstar decides to limit themselves in that fashion. Also, since this is state-action, it ultimately has nothing to do with the US. Canada also uses the ESRB and, to the best of my knowledge, all regional braches of these companies have similar policies.

In Australia swearing is allowed on radio if there is a warning that beforehand and after 9pm on TV. I seems that only games get this strict censorship.

How many rappers have never threatened someone or incited a crime?