Australian R18 game classification passed and starting january 1st

[Alistair]

steam staff, as you may be aware australia has passed legislation for a R18 video game rating as of january 1st, can we please, PLEASE get the uncensored version of L4D2? the U.S version looks so good and no offence but our censored game is... lacking.

[Satoru]

Unless EA decides to put the game through certification it won't happen

[Alistair]

EA? isn't L4D2 made by valve?

[HairyOreo]

R18 in Australia. THANK GOD. There will be so many more games to play.

[Grady Vuckovic]

Lets hope it happens. I heard in a different forum discussion someone suggest a DLC which with an 18+ rating that unlocks that uncensored version. I think that might be a great solution for the game. It's either that, or buy the game again with a director's edition or something and that would kinda suck. But I'd do that anyway, because the game is worth it and I wanna see some damn gore! I wanna see the bodies pile up damn it, it's so .. I don't know.. when I shoot a zombie and see them disappear instantly, I'm like, "Aww..", sometimes I want that satisfaction of going up to a dead zombie and giving them a few 'F U' shots to the head!

[Satoru]

Note that NOTHING will change unless every publishers decides to go into their back catalogs and recertify their games. This is VERY UNLIKELY to happen.

Future games will be rated correctly.

Past games will most likely remain unavailable.

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por aussie:

EA? isn't L4D2 made by valve?

L4D2 was distributed by EA and therefore they would ahve to recertify the game locally.

[Grady Vuckovic]

Well I'm sure if Valve decided they wanted Australia to get the uncensored version, EA's feelings on the matter would become irrelevant. And Valve does support it's past games long past their original release. Just check out Half Life 2, that's still getting updates to improve it and add new features even in 2012.

[Delushin]

Plus side is that moving forward we are finally growing into our shoes and leaving the shelted hollow trees :)

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por Grady Vuckovic:

Well I'm sure if Valve decided they wanted Australia to get the uncensored version, EA's feelings on the matter would become irrelevant. And Valve does support it's past games long past their original release. Just check out Half Life 2, that's still getting updates to improve it and add new features even in 2012.

Considering Valve has no retail power at all, spitting in the face of your only retail distributor is a bad way to do business. It seems like a risky maneouver to re-rate only the PC version and not the console ones. Not to mention they dont' have any offices in Australia to do all the nonesenical submissions that would be necessary.

The HL example is not relevant since we would effectively be talking about a NEW distribtution of a game in Australia with new boxes, etc with the new rating system. This would ahv to span consoles as well. Few companies are going to bother with older titles that are well beyond their age.

[Grady Vuckovic]

Or they could just sell the R18+ version online only through Steam for aussies, doesn't have to be sold through retail? And they run games through the classification process all the time, that's no biggy.

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por Grady Vuckovic:

Or they could just sell the R18+ version online only through Steam for aussies, doesn't have to be sold through retail? And they run games through the classification process all the time, that's no biggy.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/730/?snr=1_7_suggest__13

CS:GO has no PEGI/ESRB rating. They don't do the rating thign at all. The publishers do.

[Grady Vuckovic]

My point is, Valve is one of the biggest game developers in the business, and this is one highly successful game, and an uncensored version is very much so desired by the Australian market. I'm sure if Valve wanted to, they could work whatever business deals or agreements they have to in order to get it sold in Australia uncensored.