Sega Australia's general manager, Darren Macbeth, tells Kotaku "It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are particularly proud that the game will be released in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed whatsoever. This is a big win for Australian gamers. We applaud the Classification Review Board on making a decision that clearly considers the context of the game, and is in line with the modern expectations of reasonable Australians".

The ruling means the game will now be classified MA15+, meaning only those aged 15 years over can purchase the game. It also means no cuts or edits will need to be made to the title in order for it be sold, which is lucky, since developers Rebellion had sworn that's something they weren't going to do.

Like Macbeth says, it's nice to see common sense win out for once in this country.

The paper has been released to canvas public opinion on whether Australia's classification guidelines should be amended to include an R18+ rating. It's not a clear statement of intent, nor a sign that changes are on the way; it's the government simply saying "hey, we're listening, what's up".

Still, this is probably the best chance for Aussies fed up with receiving heavily censored titles to have their opinions heard officially, so if you're an Australian citizen or resident hit the link below and fire off an email if you'd like to contribute.

[An R18+ Classification for Computer Games - Public Consultation]

Aliens vs. Predator got the big thumbs down on Dec. 3, primarily for its depictions of gore and violence. Its developer, Rebellion, has said it will not modify the title in order to receive classification, so this amounts to a big "pretty please?" to Australia from Sega.

The Review Board has invited applications to be considered an "interested party" to the review, but reminds that this review and its reconsideration can only be within the scope of Australia's existing classification regulations. I.e., no one's being invited to complain about creating an R18+ rating category for games, as such an option is for lawmakers, not the review board, to implement.

Aliens vs. Predator: RC Rating to be Reviewed [Refused-Classification.com via Game Politics]

Raupp is looking to "curb the manufacture, distribution, importation, distribution, trading and custody, storage [of] the video games that affect the customs [and] traditions of the people, their worship, creeds, religions and symbols".

A senate education commission has already approved the bill, meaning it's on its way now for a vote in Brazil's Committee on Constitution and Justice. If passed, anyone caught violating the law could face 1-3 years in the slammer.

Criar ou distribuir jogos ofensivos pode virar crime no Brasil [UOL, via GamePolitics]

This morning, for example, I awoke to find Rebellion - the developers behind Aliens vs Predator - saying that they wouldn't be making any changes to the game in light of its failure to secure classification in Australia. Were that simply from a business standpoint (ie, it's too small a market to go back into the code), that's fine. Whatever.

But they went and provided an official statement on the matter, which said "We will not be releasing a sanitised or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices."

See that, right there? It's harsh. And it's 100% bullshit.

Whenever a game is refused classification in Australia - a move which effectively bans the game, since it is illegal to sell a game without a Classification Board rating attached - I hear the same old thing being said by publishers and gamers alike. That it's either the fault of the Australian government, the Classification Board, or some underlying moral flaw in the Australian people.

Let me tell you why games are continually "banned" in Australia. It is not, as you may believe, the fault of the Australian "government". Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his cabinet have never broached the subject. They have not passed any laws banning violent video games, nor will they. This is a free, liberal and democratic country.

Nor is there some movement or mass media crusade in this country, like there is in Germany, to crack down on violent content in video games. Newspapers, talk shows and TV hosts have better/more important things to talk about. It's not even on their radar. The Australian people, like people everywhere else, are free to purchase what they like, and since the biggest game of the year down here will be Modern Warfare 2, we clearly enjoy a bit of the ol' ultra-violence.

And it's not the fault of the Classification Board. They review what they're given and have to rate it within the guidelines they're given; they're not some autonomous body, some powerful government force able to lobby for changes. They do what they do within the rules, get paid, life goes on.

So whenever you see or hear a publisher, developer or writer from the US or Europe blaming any of the things above, ignore them. They don't know what they're talking about.

The actual cause of Australia's current situation can be traced back decades, to the time ratings for video games were first introduced. Because at the time games were so simple, childish and crude (they were, after all, still considered "toys"), it was decided that the maximum rating they'd need was MA15+. A mistake, then but an innocent one.

Fast forward to this decade, and suddenly games are incredibly realistic. The Xbox 360, PS3 and PC can depict scenes of shocking violence, and a maturing development scene means sex and drugs now feature prominently in video games as well. Games aren't just meeting the MA15+ rating, they're often exceeding it.

So, it's time for a law change, then! Should be simple enough. Australia has a number of international developers lobbying the government, it's a billion-dollar market, it's a free country. Except...to amend the classification laws, all six of Australia's state Attorneys-General need to unanimously agree to the change.

Five of them do, and have been for some time now. They're reasonable people, who realise that adults should be free to choose their own adult forms of entertainment. But one - South Australia's Michael Atkinson - does not.

An incredibly conservative man, Atkinson vehemently opposes the introduction of an R18+ rating in Australia, as he believes that would make it too easy for children to access the mature content in an adult game. Despite the fact it's legal to sell not only R18+ DVDs in this country, which would presumably allow the exact same thing, but in some territories (like mine) it's even legal to purchase XXX pornographic material.

Despite years of letters, phone calls and industry lobbying, Atkinson has refused to budge. He likely never will, meaning the only way Australia's classification laws are liable to change is if he dies, or loses his seat at the next election (a gaming party is seeking to do just that, but campaigning on such a limited platform, they won't likely be successful).

Well, that or change the constitution. And that's not going to happen over something so trivial (which, in the grand scheme of things, this is).

So developers, publishers, and everybody else with an opinion on why a game is "banned" in Australia or what's wrong with us if/when it is...try and keep all this in mind next time you go pointing the finger.

Sharp-eyed reader Mateo has noticed a little edit on the back of the game's box. Above, you'll see the back of the retail box, the one shipping with an actual game inside.

Below? Below you'll see the game's pre-order/coming soon box, which had the cheek to show a little more...cheek.

It's the reason Fallout 3 had to be edited, and why NFL Blitz has never been released in the region.

Another game effectively banned, blah blah blah, yada yada yada. It's not the first, it won't be the last, and anyone that draws attention to their ignorance by saying "what, Australians don't like violence?" or blames the entire government (it's the fault of near-sighted beaurecrats in the 1980's and a single state attorney-general), please, don't.

Drug Use The Reason For Crimecraft Banning [Kotaku AU]

In other words, it's China Crackdown time, which is also known as "Tuesday" to the rest of the world. The country's already swatted World of Warcraft (or one of its expansions, anyway), and more than 200 online games were smashed as part of a national birthday celebration back in October. This time, the country's Ministry of Culture wants a content cleanup to make sure the games properly support approved political and cultural themes.

The ministry's memo said violent games "have adversely influenced consumers and especially the physical and mental health of minors." It also ordered game companies to knock off the killin', both of humans and nonhumans. In particular they want them to refrain from "low-brow cultural content that is having a negative effect on the healthy development of the industry."

Low-brow content that retards game development? Such as those fake Donkey Kong machines y'all sent us a while back?

China in Violent Content Crackdown [Develop]

Seems Sega know that the upcoming Aliens vs Predator is so violent, and packed with so much gore, that they're not even going to bother submitting it to the USK, Germany's classification board.

Rationale being that the USK, with a reputation for being sticklers for the ol' killerspiel, would only force sweeping changes to the game, changes Sega didn't want to part with, so they're instead just going to save some cash and not bother localising or distributing the game in Germany at all.

Aliens vs. Predator: Too gory for Germany? [PC Games Hardware]

PC Games Hardware benchmarked both the uncut Left 4 Dead 2 and the censored German demo using to a 60-second demo sequence from the second chapter of "The Parish." The sequence involves a ton of common infected as well as multiple Boomers and a Spitter. The setup: Radeon HD 5870 used to display the demo at 1680 by 1050 with maximum details, "4x MSAA and 16:1." I can't quote what that means exactly but "the setting is quite challenging for the CPU."

Here's what they found:

The direct comparison between cut an uncut version reveals huge differences in performance. It doesn't matter if we use a dual-core E6600 or quad-core Q6600 processor, the less violent version of the demo runs about 40 percent faster that the uncut version. Furthermore the difference between the two uncut results (dual-core vs. quad-core) is bigger, too, what indicates a higher CPU workload.

This isn't just a trivial difference, PC Games Hardware points out owners of the cut version may play on "uncut" servers. So, "a scene that lags in the uncut version might be running smoothly in the cut version - especially in Versus Mode this could make the difference between death and survival."

That said, someone with a full version may also reduce the depiction of violence through the game's command console.

Left 4 Dead 2: Unfair Performance Benefits with Cut Version? [PC Games Hardware via Blue's News]

I picked up the game for the 360 the other day so my girlfriend and I could play through "Angels of the Silences" from Counting Crows, but there were several other tracks that caught my attention. For instance, I secretly enjoy Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin Down," despite the fact that everyone else I know despises it. Fair enough. I start playing - alone - only to discover that some of the more colorful lyrics have been cut. For example:

Original Lyric: "I'm just a notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song"
Band Hero Lyric: "I'm just a notch...but you're just a line in a song"

No bed post reference. Got it. Later on in the song I encountered this:

Original Lyric: "Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet, wishing to be the friction in your jeans"
Band Hero Lyric: "Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet, wishing to be the friction"

Jeans are also bad.

It isn't just that song. I encountered several more edits, including this one my girlfriend pointed out from OK Go' s "A Million Ways."

Original Lyric: "one last eighty proof, slouchin' in the corner booth"
Band Hero Lyric: "slouchin' in the corner booth"

That song also removes a line about "another couple klonapin," which given the previous edits is understandable. Perhaps this is why the game wasn't called Band Heroine.

The point here is, when Activision says the game is family-friendly, they mean family-friendly. This is the price you pay for putting popular contemporary bands in a game and then aim for an E for Everyone rating. The silliest thing of all, is these are songs that everyone has heard on the radio in their original form, so the edits are simply a disappointment for fans of all ages.

Performing the songs is still enjoyable, mind you. Especially when you imagine singing the missing lyrics loudly in the face of the game producer who thought editing our favorite tunes was a good idea.

According to a report on Reuters, NetEase - the company operating the game in China for publishers Activision Blizzard - have been ordered to "stop operating" the title, cease charging existing user's accounts and block any new account registrations.

The GAPP claim that because of these supposed violations, the game lacks the necessary approval required to be run under China's increasingly strict laws governing online video games.

This move is the latest blow in an ongoing struggle between the GAAP and the Chinese Ministry of Culture, which was behind last month's bluster over foreign investment in Chinese online gaming firms.

Indeed, things are so messy between the two that it's unclear whether the GAPP's actions will even be enforced, with reports emerging that NetEase haven't even been contacted by the GAPP, and that the Ministry of Culture have labelled the threats inappropriate.

NetEase, Activision caught up in China turf war [Reuters]
'World of Warcraft' Faces Goverment Crackdown In China [MTV]

UPDATE - Yup, appears this is more to do with a conflict between Chinese government bodies than the game itself. Reuters report that the MoC have said the GAPP "oversteps its authority" in shutting the game down, along with a clarification that it's only expansion Burning Crusade that's affected, not the core game itself.

You can see for yourself in that video above. The scorecard, according to the Steam community forums is comprehensive: the Australian version of Left 4 Dead 2 will have no bloodspatter on the screen; there will be no zombie dismemberment; there will be nothing beyond a "small splash of blood" when you attack an infected - no guts or gore; infected won't light on fire if they get hit with a molotov, and corpses will disappear from the screen.

But wait, there's less! The bullet-proof Riot Cop uncommon infected will not spawn, I guess over cop-killing concerns? "If someone with an uncut version joins a game with Australians with the cut version, Uncommon Infected will NOT spawn," says the forums.

Wow. I was thinking melee would be subject to the two-hand touch rule. Good thing they saved that!

Kotaku Australia wrote up the full scoop - with a workaround to defeat the censorship. Although they point out this was tested only on the demo and may not work with the full release.

What's Cut From Aussie Left 4 Dead 2, And How To Uncut It [Kotaku Australia]

Pre-loaders of the PC version over Steam found the file "borderlands_low_violence.ncf" in their download; it's not a part of the North American version. When contacted about the file, 2K Australia said:

We have been talking to the US 2K team via email and working out how this happened/ what the next steps are to amend this via Steam. They're working on clearing this up with Valve right now and know to ask how they will handle those people who have already d/l'ed the wrong version.

So, bottom line for Aussies: No content changes were made to receive classification, but this file does make the game "a wrong version." 2K promises to have this cleared up by Oct. 30 - three days after Oct. 27, the game's original unlock date for Europe and Australia.

Whew! Glad they're hot on the case. Because, for real, seeing a level 18 bruiser's face melt off, and his eyeballs pop out and roll down a flight of stairs, after a critical shock sniper attack, is simply not to be missed. Not that I'm rubbing it in or anything.

Borderlands Accidentally Censored for Aussies on Steam [Ausgamers]

LEGO Rock Band's support of Rock Band store purchases is limited to only those songs "identified to be suitable for all ages," according to a press release.

"Those cleared songs are the only tracks that will appear within the LEGO Rock Band store for purchase. The LEGO Rock Band store will continually highlight any new family-friendly tunes that can be played across the Rock Band platform as they are released for Rock Band. "

While I understand why Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games might think this is a good idea (and maybe this is a ratings issue), shouldn't they let parents make the decision on which music their children can listen to?

Songs included on LEGO Rock Band can be transfered to your hard drive to play on other Rock Band games for $10 for all but the Wii version.

Here's your full listing of songs for the game due out on the Playstation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 this holiday. I've also listed out the 23 songs included on the DS version of the game.

PS3/Xbox 360 Version
All American Rejects, "Swing, Swing"
The Kooks, "Naïve"
The Automatic, "Monster"
KoRn, "Word Up!"
Blink-182, "Aliens Exist"
KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See"
Blur, "Song 2"
Lostprophets, "Rooftops"
Bon Jovi, "You Give Love a Bad Name"
P!NK, "So What"
Boys like Girls, "Thunder"
The Police,
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
Bryan Adams, "Summer of 69"
The Primitives, "Crash"
Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting"
Queen, "We Are The Champions"
The Coral, "Dreaming of You"
Queen, "We Will Rock You"
Counting Crows, "Accidentally in Love"
Rascal Flatts, "Life is a Highway"
David Bowie, "Let's Dance"
Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters"
Elton John, "Crocodile Rock"
Razorlight, "Stumble and Fall"
Europe, "The Final Countdown"
Spin Doctors, "Two Princes"
Everlife, "Real Wild Child"
Spinal Tap, "Short & Sweet"
Foo Fighters, "Breakout"
Steve Harly, "Make Me Smile"
Good Charlotte, "Girls & Boys"
Sum 41, "In Too Deep"
The Hives, "Tick Tick Boom!"
Supergrass, "Grace"
Iggy Pop, "The Passenger"
Tom Petty, "Free Fallin"
Incubus, "Dig"
T-Rex, "Ride a White Swan"
Jackson 5, "I Want You Back"
Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
Jimi Hendrix, "Fire"
We the Kings, "Check Yes Juliet"
Kaiser Chiefs, "Ruby"
The Zutons, "Valerie"
Katrina & The Waves, "Walking on Sunshine"

DS Version
All American Rejects, "Swing, Swing"
P!NK, "So What"
The Automatic, "Monster"
The Primitives, "Crash"
Blur, "Song 2"
Queen, "We Are The Champions"
Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting"
Queen, "We Will Rock You"
Counting Crows, "Accidentally in Love"
Rascal Flatts, "Life is a Highway"
David Bowie, "Let's Dance"
Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters"
Europe, "The Final Countdown"
Spin Doctors, "Two Princes"
Good Charlotte, "Girls & Boys"
Sum 41, "In Too Deep"
Iggy Pop, "The Passenger"
Supergrass, "Grace"
Jackson 5, "I Want You Back"
Tom Petty, "Free Fallin'"
Kaiser Chiefs, "Ruby"
Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
Katrina & the Waves, "Walking on Sunshine"
We the Kings, "Check Yes Juliet"
KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See"

State authorities said the games "encouraged players to engage in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and prostitution," according to the Beijing News. The offending games were run from abroad and had not received permission to operate in China. Wait, so, CrimeCraft's available in Chengdu? Wat?

Here's my favorite detail. According to Agence France-Presse, "more than 200 online games had been investigated as part of the campaign, launched to coincide with communist China's 60th birthday on Oct. 1." Kotaku agrees that that is how you f—-in party down: Just start bannin' the hell out of everything.

That gives me an idea. Oh, and, because I just got off the phone with someone from the U.K. I would like to say the following: "Chiner." That is all.

China Launches Crackdown on Online Gaming [AFP on Yahoo! Tech, via Game Politics]

The news, sourced back to 4players.de (translation) attributes a statement to Activision saying that "although it is not a conspicuous element in the normal game ... we have decided to take this game immediately from the German market."

Whether that means the content isn't in the game but is on the PC version for modders to exploit, or if it's a swastika as part of a background somewhere, who knows.

Planet Wolfenstein notes that the Wolfenstein teams from Endrant and Raven already have been laid off, putting a revised localization into doubt. Update: Raven's workforce reductions were across the board, not specifically targeting the Wolfenstein team.

Update: Via twitter, Kotaku reader Spunior pointed me back to one of the sites also linking to 4player.de. Schnitterbericht has a ton of screenshots showing differences in the U.S. and German versions of Wolfenstein. The final one (scroll alllllll the way down) shows a faint swastika at the bottom of a poster. If that really triggered a voluntary recall, Mein Gott in himmel!

We've emailed Activision for comment. Should any be provided, it'll be updated here.

Sell Stop in Germany [4players.de, via Blue's News]

Yup, Valve's Zombie shooter has been refused classification, which means it can't be made commercially available in the country. Not quite the same as a banning, but it has the same effect.

We've contacted Valve for comment, and will update when/if we hear back. Previous games to have suffered this fate usually receive an MA15+ rating later down the line after edits have been made to the offending content.

UPDATE - Here's why it was "refused classification":

* The game contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play.

* It notes that this violence is "inflicted upon ‘the Infected' who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently."

* The report singles out the use of melee weapons as those that "inflict the most damage" and cause "copious amounts of blood spray and splatter (sic), decapitations and limb dismemberment… or even cause intestines to spill from the wounds."

* In conclusion, the Board finds that the "interactive nature of the game increases the overall impact of the frequent and intense depictions of violence. This coupled with the graphic depictions of blood and gore combine to create a playing impact which is high."

* Interestingly, the report also reveals that it wasn't a unanimous decision and that "a minority of the Board is of the opinion that the violence is strong in playing impact and therefore warrants an MA15+ classification" instead. However, the majority voted to refuse classification.

"It notes that this violence is "inflicted upon ‘the Infected' who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently". Remember, kids, these are the people refusing the game classification. People who think zombies with limbs missing and their guts hanging out are "living humans".

The LA Times' Charles Proctor reports that, amidst concerns surrounding China's laws forbidding any reference to the Nazi party, THQ have rebranded the Germans in this new CoH title as "The Federation".

They've also removed any and all instances of the Iron Cross emblem, which fans will know can be found on pretty much every single German vehicle and structure in the game.

Despite these sweeping visual edits, THQ's online boss Steve Dauterman promises the actual game mechanics of the German side will remain untouched.

Now, I'm normally not one to criticise regional edits like this, but...they do know that there already were no references to the Nazi party in the game? And that the Iron Cross is the symbol of the German armed forces, was before the Nazi party, and remains so to this day?