So I live in Australia. It’s a nice place. It’s warm most of the year. The people are nice (mostly). We are a fairly laid back lot. We also have a very strong public ‘nanny’ streak running through society where people not only suggest how you should live but legislate that you do so. We also have a strong anti-authoritarian streak. Example: By law, we have cigarette packets that the health warnings covering most of the package and usually with charming photos of organs diseased by heavy smoking. So entrepreneurs sell ‘jacket-packets’ so that you don’t have to be reminded about what you’re doing to yourself. Gambling at poker machines (slot machines/ Fruit machines) is a national epidemic since state governments, craving the revenue, legalised their use in clubs (veteran’s clubs, sports clubs, etc). People leaving their children in a locked cars in the parking lot while they blow their welfare checks in the club made for big headlines so all advertisments for gambling establishments have “Gamble responsibly” written as a tag. We also have a left-wing government who want to impose a filter over all internet traffic to keep out the undesirable stuff. All of it.
Australia is one of the few places in the world where we have a unified ratings system. Everything, from movies, to DVD’s, to television programs, to videogames, is classified by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (which is funny because books don’t have ratings on them). G rating is for everyone. PG is Parental Guidance. M is for mature (think PG13 or T rating), MA15+ is for adults over 15 years of age (so most R rated movies form the US), R rating for harder material (really horrific movies, soft core porn, and funnily enough, old movies like the Godfather that were classified years before MA15+ was introduced more recently). And X which is hardcore porn and only available in-store or via mail order from stores in the Territories (there are six states and two territories which have some vague differences in how they are run).
Every country has a ratings stem and all of them have their ‘push-button’ issues which cause them to wield the banhammer. In the UK, there’s something in the laws between an 18 and an R based on the angle of the erection. Scandinavian countries banned the Empire Strikes Back back in 1980 because of the violence. The US network TV has restrictions that gimp it compared to cable shows, etc. In Australia, linking sex and violence will get you banned faster than a fanboy troll on NPD day. And anything real-world seems to get their goat up
For some reason, the R rating doesn’t extend to games. Fallout 3 was initially refused classification because your character could get positive benefits from taking Morphine. Change the name and voila- everyone’s cool again. GTAIII was released and the banned when the media hyped the fact you could have sex with a prostitute and then beat her up to get your money back and the game was promptly banned and pulled from the shelves. The same thing happened with GTA San Andreas after the Hot Coffee. Marc Ecko’s Getting Up is still banned because of the graffiti aspect (though Jet Grind Radio got through fine). And Dead Rising- a game where you could do some rather vile things to the Zombies, got through no problem. Silent Hill Homecoming and FEAR 2 were originally Refused Classification, but were resubmitted and passed. GTA IV was never Refused Classification, but Take 2, who have many run-ins with the OFLC over the years on GTA and Manhunt games, decided to go straight to gimping for their big 2008 title. But then the PC version was passed no problem so somewhere along the way the game was quietly patched to bring the game into line with the rest of the world. L4D2 was submitted three times. The original version was sumbitted, RC‘ed, appealed and RC‘ed again and then the gimped version passed.
So last night I played the gimped demo on 360. There are other places on the net where you can see the differences but basically, the minute you kill a zombie, they fade away. They don’t even hit the ground most of the time. If get a machete and slice at a zombie, they will have disappeared from view before you have even finished your swipe animation. The net result is the game isn’t just censored, it’s actually unplayable. I am not a gore hound, in fact gore actually turns me off faster than bald Britney cosplay. But the way Valve have toned down the game to get it through isn’t particularly inventive or worthy.
So that point of Australians working around the barrier comes into play. You can fairly easily hack the demo (on PC) so that the game is the same as most of the rest of the world. It’s fairly forgone conclusion that the full version will also be able to circumvent the gimping by some kind of space-magic fuelled de-gimpification process. At least on PC.
All I can say is, I hope the Aussie media can keep their hands off MW2. Oops, spoke too soon.
As E3 approaches, Controller1.com would like to paint you a picture. E3 is going back to its roots as a big bombastic show with loud music parties, booth babes and swag. But you don’t have to wait until June to know the score. C1.com would like to tell you about what you probably already know.
Now some of these games may not make it as a 2009 release, but they are likely to be released before E3 2010.
The Playstation Three 3 tripple 3.o will be receiving Uncharted 2: Honor Amongst Thieves as one of its big games as well as the cryptically named Massive Action Game. We may also be seeing another Ratchet and Clank game, something that’s always welcome in this new online reality we call the year 2009. There’s no driving game announced so let’s assume Gran Turismo 5 is finally coming out. A motion controller of some description, one that had 391 axes including up, down, left and right and time, may also be on the cards as may a break-apart controller. Sony will likely not talk about how the PS2 is carrying their company but will mention all the things you can do with a PS3 apart from games. They may also announce a PSP Go- a PSP that is not present-compatible with any PSP games you may already own on UMD.
Speaking of breaking, The 360 looks to have Forza 3, Halo ODSAT&T and maybe even that saucy minx Alan Wake up its sleeve. Fluid, a rumoured motion controller for 360 or the camera-based controller that has also been the subject of gossip could be unveiled. Corporate executives and new control schemes make for goofy conferences. Crackdown 2 is a strong possibility, even if its only a tease. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Halo LMNOPQRSTUV had the Crackdown 2 beta?
Our friends Nintendo will have to show something other than what’s already released. Wii Fit is huge. Wii play is huge and Wii Sports is ubiquitous. Motion plus is almost here and the microphone was about as welcome as a 78 digit friend code at a slumber party. Despite the fact that the DSi has been released to great sales and games from 2005/2006 such as Mario Kart DS and All New Super Mario Brothers are still in the top 10 NPD figures, Nintendo will need to unveil something other than Zelda on a train for the DS.
Third parties are great parties to attend. But you get stuck with the bill.
Activision are going show Tony Hawk’s arthRITIC Ride. It uses its own controller that lools like an arc mouse turned upside down. They will also have Modern Warfare 2 (pssst- don’t call it Call of Duty 6. I did once but I think I got away with it) which will have thousands of perks, noobtubes and frustrated shouts of ‘Bullshit!’ to entertain us all for the next two years.
Activision will also have wave after wave of Guitar Hero products flung at us. Guitar Hero for kids (Band Hero), DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5 are just the beginning. There might even be some Wolfenstein action if we’re lucky. Could we see a big WoW announcement (like an ex pack for next year)?
EA will obviously have more Maddens and Tiger Woods games and obviously a fair few Wii sports games. We’re likely to see more of Army of Two 2 and the 5 dozen Battlefield games they have in the works: Heroes, 1942 and B:BC2. There will likely be some Maxis action for Sims 3 and something to do with Spore. Harry Potter? Medal of Honor? Syndicate? Who knows. Burnout and Need for Speed? I think there will be some sort of Need for Speed showing- especially since they’ve already announced forty versions of NFS. But its been a while since Burnout Paradise was released. Sure the game is a ‘platform’ but how long does it stay that way? There will likley be Rock Band offshoots like RB Pearl Jam and the Beatles, a little known Liverpool pop combo from the 60’s.
Ubisoft has been quiet of late. We think there will be an Assassin’s Creed 2 showing. We may see some TOM CLANCY’S tm Splinter Cell Conviction showing and I’d lay odds about hearing about a new TOM CLANCY’S tm Ghost recon title. Whether its TOM CLANCY’S tm GR3 or TOM CLANCY’S tm GRAW3, we’ll have to wait and see. There’s an outside chance we’ll hear about a a TOM CLANCY’S tm Rainbow 6 title since there’s not been a lot said about that in a while. Depending on whether they did well enough for Ubi, maybe TOM CLANCY’S tm Endwar 2 and TOM CLANCY’S tm HAWX 2. If we’re good boys and girls, we may get a TOM CLANCY’S tm I am Alive trailer and a look at TOM CLANCY’S tm Beyond Good and Evil 2.
Take 2 may or may not choose to show some more of Mafia 2 and Red Dead Revolver Redemption since they’re close to being released and we may at the very least hear when the next GTA DLC is coming out. I expect more about Bioshock 2. Some have said a new GTA reveal is possible but I’m guessing it would be more than a year away from release at any rate.
Capcom will likely show re-releases and remakes of any game it hasn’t already done 15 times as well re-releases, remixes, re-runs and re-hashes of ones it has already done five times previously. So take a franchise they’ve ever released and slap one of the following words on the end: redux, remix, retread, turbo, alpha, ex, chop till you drop, et al. There will be Dark Void, Lost Planet 2 and Dead Rising 2. We might also see Resident Evil add-ons, SFIV add-ons and Wii ports of PSone games. Devil May Cry 5?
Konami have been teasing with something that many people who won’t stump for a PS3 have been wishing for- Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Xbox 360. Having played MGS2 on the original Xbox, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for anything great in terms of a good port. Any Castlevania or Silent Hill announcements will make fans of either series wet their pants or shit their pants.
Sega will no doubt having something cooking. Unfortunately, It’s likely to be a crappy Sonic game where rather than than have a 2D game where Sonic runs really fast, we’ll have a shithouse 3D game where he runs really fast off the edge of cliffs for 10% of the game followed by 90% of Sonic turning into a monk. Jet Set Radio would redeem them. So would a new Crazy Taxi. Instead, we’ll probably get Mario and Sonic at Levi Rosenberg’s Bar Mitzvah. There’s always Bayonetta but whenever they go on about how the protagonist’s costume is really just overgrown pubic hair, I think I’ll pass.
Square Enix will be there.
How about Valve? Portal 2? Half Life 2 Episode 3? TF2 or L4D news?
We’ll know in two weeks. Feel free to leave comments about what you are looking forward to
Here’s a quick look at the demo of the first episode of Wanted (PSN tested). Operation Winback on the N64’s lawyer called and they want their game back.
Based loosely on last year’s movie Wanted which you control a main character who doesn’t look like James McAvoy or Angelina Jolie, but could be the result of a transporter accident, so we’ll call the playable character Tuvix.
Wanted is a third person title that makes you think of a 10 year old n64 game rather than Gears of War. Why? It doesn’t look all that bad, but it doesn’t look all that great either. How does it play? It plays ok as a game where you sneak up an press the melee button, but as a shooter, its kinda painful. I couldn’t recommend it.
A demo is obviously meant to make you buy the full game but when your whole game is merely an episode, the demo for this game is at least a substantial experience, enough to say: this is shash.
The look is kinda fizzy though the framerate holds up well. Sound is fine to be sure but its somewhat lacking charisma.
