After the Australian Classification Board decided to slap its ludicrous censorship laws on the upcoming Saints Row 4, effectively banning it from being distributed in the region due to the game featuring drug use and an ‘Anal Probe’ weapon, publishers Deep Silver have announced today that the game will be making it to stores Down Under.
The statement from the company said:
Deep Silver and AIE are pleased to report that the Australian Classification Board has now approved Saints Row IV for sale. They have granted the game an MA15+ rating. To achieve this rating one loyalty mission featuring the character Shaundi has been removed. This mission has been widely reported on and contains the use of alien narcotics to obtain certain superpowers. This mission represents approximately 20 minutes of gameplay out of the hours available to purchasers.
Deep Silver also assured fans that the content cut from the game wasn’t impactful upon the story, saying:
The removal of this mission has no negative impact on the story or the superpowers and will not detract from the enjoyment players will get from their Saints Row IV experience. The rectifier weapon will be available as part of a DLC package as originally intended. Deep Silver stands by this decision and thanks the Australian Classification Board for their assistance with this matter.
I’m glad that Australian gamers will be able to get their hands on Saints Row 4, which if you read Crave Online’s preview of it you’ll know that it’s shaping up great, but it’s a shame that any game featuring remotely questionable content faces such a huge task in being greenlit over there.
In related news, click through the gallery below to view a selection of games that were actually banned, and the crazy reasons why they received such a harsh punishment.
10 Banned Video Games (and the Crazy Reasons Why)
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BANNED: Mass Effect
Where: Singapore
Why: The original Mass Effect was banned in Singapore because of a "lesbian sex scene" between a female and an androgynous alien. Its sequels were also banned in the United Arab Emirates because of the homosexual relationships the player can have in the games.
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BANNED: EA Sports MMA
Where: Denmark
Why: EA's mixed martial arts simulation game wasn't banned because of the gratuitous kicking of heads featured in the game, but rather because of a law in the country that prohibits the marketing of energy drinks, something which featured quite heavily in the title.
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BANNED: Saints Row 4
Where: Australia
Why: Australia is incredibly conservative when it comes to video games, and this was made clear recently when it was revealed that the upcoming Saints Row 4 would be banned in the country, as it featured a weapon called an 'alien anal probe' that apparently promotes sexual violence.
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BANNED: Injustice: Gods Among Us
Where: United Arab Emirates
Why: The DC Comics fighter was banned by the UAE because its title features the word "God." The game was repacked with the title Injustice: The Mighty Among Us, but as the on-disc content remained the same, the ban was not lifted.
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BANNED: Pokémon Trading Card Game
Where: Saudi Arabia
Why: The Pokemon Trading Card Game was banned in Saudi Arabia because the cards apparently supported Zionism. According to the mufti, the highest religious authority in the state, the cards have symbols that include "the star of David, which everyone knows is connected to international Zionism and is Israel's national emblem."
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BANNED: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Where: Pakistan
Why: Black Ops II was banned in Pakistan because of its supposed negative portrayal of Pakistanis, but that's not the surprising part - the surprising part is the incredibly harsh punishment for selling the game. If a retailer is found to be selling the hugely popular FPS, they face community service or, even worse, a jail sentence. Yikes.
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BANNED: ALL video games that feature shooting
Where: Venezuela
Why: Venezuela is the first country to outright ban all violent video games, with the country's president Hugo Chavez telling citizens that there were some games that required players to kill him, calling all video game consoles, specifically the Nintendo DS and PlayStation, "poison." Fun guy.
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BANNED: Command & Conquer: Generals
Where: China
Why: China is strict when it comes to video games, with many developers editing content in their games to meet the country's demands.
However, China's banning of Command & Conquer: Generals for portraying the country in a "negative light" was more than a little confusing, as the game actually saw the player fight alongside China, who were portrayed as one of the world's superpowers.
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BANNED: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Where: Indonesia
Why: Forget about all the blood and violence, San Andreas caused an uproar when it was released after a hacker discovered a sex mini-game titled 'Hot Coffee', which allowed players to take control of protagonist CJ while he did the no pants dance with his girlfriend. Although this mini-game wasn't accessible without a hack, it still led to San Andreas being banned in Indonesia, along with receiving an 'Adults Only' rating in the US.
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BANNED: Homefront
Where: South Korea
Why: South Korea and North Korea have had a tumultous relationship to say the least, so South Korea decided that it would be for the best to ban Homefront, a game which pits the player as members of a resistance movement fighting against a North Korean military occupation of the US. Considering North Korea's historically short fuse, this was probably a wise decision.
