Australian Classification Board Sticks With Saints Row 4 Refused Classification

Post by Eorl @ 10:37pm 29/07/13 | 17 Comments

Last month Volition's hyper FPS sandbox title Saints Row 4 was awarded Australia's first refused classification since the new R18+ rating had come into effect earlier in the year, due to the game including a controversial "anal probe" and references to several performance enhancing drugs.

Earlier last week the classification board revealed that a re-assessment would be made today on the refused title, and that verdict has come through. Sadly, Australia will still be unable to buy Saints Row 4 with a re-affirmed refused classification given by the board.

A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the computer game Saints Row IV is classified Refused Classification.

In the Review Board’s opinion, Saints Row IV could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.

As a result of the refused classification, Saints Row 4 will prohibited from sale throughout Australia. This new decision specifically targets the standard version of Volition's title, with publisher Deep Silver previously expressing that they will be "reworking some of the code to create a version of the game for this territory by removing the content which could cause offence."

A full statement can be found on the Classification's website.

australian classification board refused classification r18+ rating saints row 4

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Latest Comments

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Trauma
Posted 02:16am 30/7/13

I feel so much safer knowing that the ACB is keeping the bad things away from me.

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The GuVna
Posted 07:54am 30/7/13

A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined...

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Rominion
Posted 08:56am 30/7/13

Cause these bans are going to stop everyone downloading them. ACB needs to wake the fk up.

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eski
Posted 12:46pm 30/7/13

10:37pm 29/07/13

Working late Eorl?

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Eorl
Posted 01:08pm 30/7/13

Working late Eorl?

Gotta bring the rage worthy news as soon as possible. I just really hope that the censored version still offers the insane gameplay that Saints Row is known for, albeit without the offending content. Guess we shall see soon enough.

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 01:57pm 30/7/13

Current Members of Review Board

On their webpage:

The members of the Classification Review Board are chosen to be broadly representative of the Australian community. This means that they are drawn from diverse areas, age groups and backgrounds. Board members are not required to hold any specific qualifications, but they must meet certain selection criteria which reflects the experience and qualities needed to effectively carry out their role.

The members of the Classification Review Board live in different parts of Australia and travel to Sydney to make review decisions.

The part in bold I did.

There are a grand total of 5 (five) review board members.
Victoria Rubensohn, age unknown, 40+. Lawyer background.
Fiona Jolly, 45, Lawyer background.
Melissa de Zwart, age unknown 25+, Lawyer background.
Jane Smith, age unknown, 40+, O wow not a lawyer.
Peter Attard, 45, not a lawyer.

So our DIVERSE range include 4 women, 3 who are 40+. 1 apparently plays computer games, the youngest.
The 1 male on the board is also 40+.

So I highly, highly, highly doubt that these 5 people are

chosen to be broadly representative of the Australian community. This means that they are drawn from diverse areas, age groups and backgrounds.

How could they with 3 lawyers on the panel and 4 out of 5 aged 40+?

These are the people that make the decisions for you and I about what we can/can't watch lawfully in our country. Absurd.

I really hope I'm wrong and there are more than these 5 members...

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 02:25pm 30/7/13

Well I jumped the gun a little there, those members are the people who review the decisions of the classification board. I stand by the fact they (review board) are NOT representative of the broad Australian community.

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greazy
Posted 03:18pm 30/7/13

Well I jumped the gun a little there, those members are the people who review the decisions of the classification board. I stand by the fact they (review board) are NOT representative of the broad Australian community.

I think this is a moot point because as the post says:

Saints Row IV could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.

It's an incomplete classification system. IMO very little material should be banned, it's up to the person to judge the material with the classification system as a guide.

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fpot
Posted 03:27pm 30/7/13

Was anyone actually going to buy it from an Australian retailer/Australian prices on Steam anyway?

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Seven
Posted 03:29pm 30/7/13

I was. Won't now.

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fpot
Posted 03:31pm 30/7/13

Why were you? You were probably just going to pay $20-40 more. First thing I do befrore I buy a game is check out Steamprices and if the game is cheaper overseas get someone to buy it for me there and gift it. Saint's Row IV is $20 cheaper in the states.

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Hogfather
Posted 04:14pm 30/7/13

Was anyone actually going to buy it from an Australian retailer/Australian prices on Steam anyway?

Just because one stupid problem means people get around another stupid problem doesn't make the problems stupid.

Did you see the Burkha around the PAX booth for this? Australia is a f*****g joke.

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fpot
Posted 04:17pm 30/7/13

True. And I guess a large percentage of the population probably wouldn't even know about the gifting from another country trick.

At least our classification system isn't as bad as Germany's.

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Khel
Posted 04:38pm 30/7/13

Well, maybe in some cases, but not this case :(

http://www.elitepvpers.com/news/en/2737967-saints-row-4-uncut-germany.html

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Reverend Evil�
Posted 05:00pm 30/7/13

This and GTA5 were the only games I was looking forward to playing. Looks like I'll just be ordering it from overseas. They sure showed me who's boss!

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scottjames12
Posted 08:41pm 30/7/13

It's a sad joke. Look at some of the content which 18+ rated films are allowed to have, and yet they are saying we as ADULTS aren't allowed to play this game? That we, as ADULTS, must be protected from its content? That it is too outrageous for even a R18+ rating? Are you kidding me?

Goes to show that nothing has changed, really. Sure, they changed the number from 15 to 18, but that's about it. I feel embarrassed to live in such a nanny state country. The rest of the world is laughing at us.

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arkter
Posted 10:17am 31/7/13

As a person who has the internet - lol @ buying the cut up Australian version. Great way to drive tax revenue away from Australia.

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