A statement from Sega reads:

“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.”

Crimecraft was banned last week, now this. That takes the tally up to six or seven in 2009. I hate my government. 
 
On top of that, the guy standing in the way of us having an R18+ rating, South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson, loves lauding it over Aus gamers. While one hand he scares voters with 'cruel and depraved sex and gore' in games, he also tells gamers the general public at large 'don't care' about this issue. 
 
Time to get on the import train again. Goddammit.

This deserves a riot act.

That's pathetic =|
Seems like a major nanny of a government you've got there.
Why do they ban so much anyways?

"wow thats stupid. whats up with that asshole not wanting a higher rating? who the fuck is he to say what is allowed. "

"That's pathetic =| Seems like a major nanny of a government you've got there. Why do they ban so much anyways? "

What about other media that's considered adult only, like violent movies?

" This deserves a riot act. "

No idea if its gonna be a good game yet, but Im sorta hopeful..regardless that sucks, yet at this point definitely isnt unexpected.

"What about other media that's considered adult only, like violent movies? "

"@Bubahula said:

"wow thats stupid. whats up with that asshole not wanting a higher rating? who the fuck is he to say what is allowed. "

Dude has been a minister since 1989. Gets voted in by his constituency of Croydon in South Australia ( a few thousand people) every time by an overwhelming majority. As a minister, a bonus of the job is that he's also an Attorney General, which every state in Australia is required to have. In order to pass an R18+ rating for games, the vote from the AGs has to be UNANIMOUS. He's the only AG who is opposed to it, thus no R18+ rating for 20 million+ taxpaying Aussies. "

"@Rayfield said:

"@Bubahula said:

"wow thats stupid. whats up with that asshole not wanting a higher rating? who the fuck is he to say what is allowed. "

Dude has been a minister since 1989. Gets voted in by his constituency of Croydon in South Australia ( a few thousand people) every time by an overwhelming majority. As a minister, a bonus of the job is that he's also an Attorney General, which every state in Australia is required to have. In order to pass an R18+ rating for games, the vote from the AGs has to be UNANIMOUS. He's the only AG who is opposed to it, thus no R18+ rating for 20 million+ taxpaying Aussies. "

thats fucked up. im betting he doesn't even know what hes voting against. "

" @Rayfield: I probably shouldn't mention I have a relative that lives in Croydon.   Australia, I love you but you're chock full of fuckwits. "

Aha. Ahaha. Hoo. The Australian government does not know how to handle video games. Remember what they did with MMOs? Ugh.

“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 location 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.

Head 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, including ample wound details and visible skeleton.

In the opinion of the Board, the violence in the game causes a high playing impact due to its first-person, close-up perspective, conceptual nature and the level of explicit detail involved in the depictions. The game is therefore unsuitable for a minor to see or play and should be refused classification.”    

Wow. Australia still refuses to respect the very existence (not mention profitability) of people over 15 who like to play video games.  
*doublesigh*

Wait wait wait...AvP is already going in for classification?!  SERIOUSLY?! 
 
When the fuck is it coming out?  I'm going to forget that other games even EXIST when this hits!!!

Fuck Australia sucks, it's run by ignorant morons.

DOOD, THIS COMES OUT NEXT MONTH!!!  Holy shit!!! 
 
Where have I been?  Where is the advertising?  Goddammit, please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD tell me that this game isn't going to suck and Sega's not sending this game out to die and forget they ever have it because I've seen nothing for the game so far HOLY SHIT! 
 
/die a happy man

Man that sucks. Australia is really afraid of games it seems.

Looks like you will get an edited version at least: UPDATE, i read it wrong, no edited version!

Rebellion responds, noting that an edited version will NOT be released in Australia. "We will not be releasing a sanitized or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices." Oh, snap!

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/04/australian-classification-board-vs-aliens-vs-predator/
 
This stuff pissed me off.:(

FML. Im moving to Australia from NZ, and i was looking forward to this. 
Maybe ill install steam on my brothers PC, and get him to buy it for my account when its out.

The fact that Atkinson belongs to a socialist and normally progressive political party (Labor) is the most disturbing.  Labor has a history of freeing these things up as everything else is pretty much open in Australia.  Maybe the election next year could see the end of Labor and in this case, that could be a good thing, but I really doubt the socially backwards Liberal alternative is going to change anything.   
 
Curious though, that if they bring in a R18+ rating, most stores would be unlikely to sell them anyway.  I am not sure who would.  It would be financially damaging to get a R18+ rating and editing for a MA15+ would be more profitable.

Oh he knows alright. He may not understand and fear games that aren't Mario-based, but he's well aware of what he's doing. Last year, Sydney's Bond University conducted a study and found the average age of an Aus gamer is 30 and 90% of people surveyed believed there should be an R rating for games.   Every time Atksinon is presented with this, he claims the study was conducted by the Aus video game industry for their own agenda and Bond University was somehow paid off. He even went so far as to make the 'money-grubbing' finger gesture is response to the study instead presenting any sort of facts to back up his claims. "