Aliens Vs. Predator faces extinction in Australia

360 News | As the OFLC slaps on another RC. UPDATE: Report now available.

According to IGN and games.on.net, another title has fallen foul of the Office of Film and Literature Classification. The upcoming franchise revival and first person shooter, Alien Vs. Predator is the latest title to succumb to the rigidities of Australia's classification system, as it has been refused classification. At the time of writing, the reasons for this decision have not been made available yet, but the decision has indeed been been made.

SEGA Australia PR manager, Vispi Bhopti, issued the following official statement, "SEGA Australia can today confirm that the initial submission of Aliens vs Predator has been Refused Classification by the Classification Operations Board of Australia. We will continue to investigate all options available to us, including the possibility of appeal".

Aliens Vs. Predators is the latest in an increasingly long line of high profile titles to be refused classification in Australia in recent years. The last title, Left 4 Dead 2 was eventually released in a heavily edited form. Our review will be up in the near future. Given that Aliens Vs. Predator is fondly remembered by long time PC gamers, here's to hoping that it doesn't meet the same fate.

UPDATE: Ausgamers has made the full report over the RC decision available for viewing. To summarise it for you, it's apparently too violent.

Related Aliens Vs. Predator Content

New Aliens Vs. Predator trailer
16 Feb, 2010 Showing off the multiplayer component.

New DLC for AvP
09 Mar, 2010 Actually, it's not quite "new".

Aliens Vs. Predator Review
27 Feb, 2010 A bloody good time.

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78 Comments

A13x

2 years ago

The Board wrote

The game contains first-person perspective, close-up depictions of human characters being subjected to various types of violence, including explicit decapitation and dismemberment, as well as locational damage such as stabbing through the chest, throat, mouth or eyes. Characters can be stabbed with a Predator's wrist blade or an Alien's tail in depictions reminiscent of impalement.

The Predator collects "trophies" by explicitly ripping off human heads, their spinal columns dangling from severed necks. Heads can be twisted completely around in order to break a character's neck. Eyes can be stabbed through or gouged, leaving empty, bloodied eye sockets. It is noted that a player is able to combine manoeuvres together in quick succession, which further increases impact; for example, a Predator can stab a character through both eyes with its wrist blade, and then rip off their head, with spinal column still attached. Extensive post mortem damage, including decapitation and dismemberment, is also possible.

Depictions of violence such as the above are accompanied by copious amounts of blood and gore, include ample wound detail and visible skeleton.

Gutsman Heavy

2 years ago

Ok thats it, now I'm really pissed off!

Jeremy

2 years ago

Thanks Al3x, article has been updated accordingly.

Fetidchimp

2 years ago

haha wow sounds awesome, yeah you hear that atkinson, IT SOUNDS AWESOME TO ME. Now if it had some cruel sex as well.....oooo ouch predator shennanigans

Cham

2 years ago

Yes, because none of that stuff was present in the AVP movies, which didn't even rate an R18+ rating. Oh wait, yes it was!

Slashee the Cow

2 years ago

/facepalm

Come on, that's the second one this week!
(Not that CrimeCraft was a huge loss, but it's the principle, damnit!)

fatpizza

2 years ago

...Sigh...
At least I can just import the PS3 version. Whether to get the UK or US version is the only question...

Frozencry

2 years ago

No no no no no no no NO.

ARGH, that is infuriating, because that essentially means that if you import, there won't be Australian servers to play on online.

Man **** this country and its stupid classification board, that is completely ridiculous. You're a ****ing Extra Terrestial being for God's sake, not some crazed terrorist or any of that.

Holy hell I am fuming at this. This was one of my top titles to look forward to for next year.

GreyWolfJai

2 years ago

This really is ruining Australia for gaming. Soon all the retail stores will have nothing to sell. Then there will be a change because EB (and the like) won't put up with the bad sales.

I will import like many others again. L4D2 is only just scraping through at the moment with the hack the only option to play.

Eyce

2 years ago

At least they're being consistant with their ratings- Once again, they're not a fan of Human-related gore.

Fetidchimp

2 years ago

unless its in fallout 3 or if they are nazis.

Fly

2 years ago

Fetidchimp wrote

unless its in fallout 3 or if they are nazis.

Or they don't bleed or register that they were just injured.

If there is worry that depictions of such levels of gore will desenstise or otherwise influence the impressionable mind, I would rather be disgusted that acid can strip away the flesh then walk away with the understanding that "if I spill acid on myself I'll just disappear!"

There needs to be a middle ground to retain semblance of realism without being condemned in the processes to retain the understanding of consequence. A person is more likely to try an alternate route when they see their head lopped off by a blade than they are if they simply bounce or are otherwise force removed.

Fetidchimp

2 years ago

My problem is you can punch a guys head clean off in fallout 3, or you can punch it off after he is dead, which appear to be massive no no's at any other time.
And in glorious slow motion, which most others don't have.

LeonJ

2 years ago

God bless Australian gaming. Years a delays and 50 hz dodgy ports are finally gone. Now, a new menance rears it's ugly head. Classification.

Frozencry

2 years ago

Fallout 3 and several other games also depict extreme amounts of violence, and yet AVP gets banned.

NG2 on 360, you basically shower in peoples blood by ripping heads, arms and legs off entirely. Killzone 2, a shotgun to the head will result in their head shattering, bits of it flying everywhere and rolling around. Prototype, you devour people, rip them into millions of pieces, surf their bodies and just generally slaughter everyone and everything at will.

So what exactly makes AVP so different? The movies depict skinning, heads getting blown off, spines ripped out, tails impaling humans etc, and yet the game still gets banned? What the hell kind of logic are they going by? The fact that you're an alien doing it to a human is what I thought would be enough of a reason not to RC it, because last I checked I can't cloak, nor do I have a mouth in my mouth (xzibit yo), or have giant tails or wristblades that can tear people a new one.

It's stupid reasoning imo. There's already a ton of stuff accepted into Australia that is just as if not more violent but this game gets banned anyway.

Slipvayne21

2 years ago

Man, i dont think i have bough a game in AUS for years now... and heres why.

another import. By by aussie dollars....

Fetidchimp

2 years ago

and yet i can go down to the pub, get utterly **** faced until 5 am then go and beat my missus and her dog, but they ban the depiction of maths being acted upon by other maths in a non existent world, we are arse backwards.

lapzod

2 years ago

Fetidchimp wrote

and yet i can go down to the pub, get utterly **** faced until 5 am then go and beat my missus and her dog,

What? You get charge for that under an assortment of laws...

Fetidchimp

2 years ago

The getting drunk until a ridiculous time was the point, which leads to stupidity being caused most of the time.............
i can play AVP until 5am without consequence, except maybe my eyes.....yet game banned due to unfounded fears of.....of ah i don't quite know the reasoning anymore.
Alcohol does cause violence, especially in melbourne, yet no one in power seems to give 2 hoots about that...
and beyond that, what, you seriously think that i would think that it's ok to beat my missus and her dog?
Good god.

Island_Wolf

2 years ago

It's because everyone drinks alcohol. Pollies thinks for themselves

.

Like increasing the amount of hours from 50 hours to 120 hours before being eligible for a Driving Test. These politician don't need to do it anyway so they wouldn't care less. If it doesn't affect them, they couldn't care less. And yet they spent many hours in parliament demanding a higher pay for the pressure they are put through for helping to shape Australia's future *rolleyes*

GreyWolfJai

2 years ago

Fetidchimp wrote

i would think that it's ok to beat my missus and her dog

According to Australia it all depends on how many games you play!

Marka

2 years ago

Acording to Mr Atkinson the OFLC lets these games "under the radar" on purpose. What has he got to say about this?

GooberMan

2 years ago

I vote we apply to become a province of Canada.

Less humourous response can be found here.

Jeremy

2 years ago

http://palgn.com.au/15618/sa-attorney-general-to-appeal-modern-warfare-2-rating/

I'm worried... First Atkinson says this and then the banning inconsistencies continue, with two in a week... You heard it here first, we're in trouble.

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Aliens Vs. Predator

Pre-order or buy:
PALGN recommends: www.Play-Asia.com

Australian Release Date:
  18/02/2010 (Confirmed)
Publisher:
  SEGA Australia
Genre:
  Shooter
Year Made:
  2009
Players:
  1

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