FF:QLD The Gamers Gaming Thread About the Games they're Playing

Well, I just finished Mass Effect, and it was absolutely fantastic. Very probably the most cinematic game I've played, and a really solid, fun sci-fi epic. Highly recommended.

 

Diablo 3

GLEE.

 

Seconded.

My copy of the Surfing The Highway arrived today, and immediately shattered any consumer remorse over buying the signed hardcover. It is one sexy beast of a book. Rightly presented as a timeless classic for the ages, this is a collection I will one day share with grandchildren on the CyberPorch.

 

Well, here's something to chew on: there have been rumours drifting about for the last week or so that Fallout 3 has been "refused classification" by the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification. Well, it's looking now as though it's true.

Any Australian gamer should be aware at this point of the government's ass-backwards lack of an R rating for games, meaning anything that exceeds MA gets the automatic ban-hammer. Fallout 3 will feature not only a large amount of blood and guts, but apparantly morphine use (presumably as a health-pack of sorts) that can lead to addiction on the player's part. And since it is of course utterly impossible for games to be made for adults or to deal with complex and mature themes, the OFLC has put the kibosh on it.

Now presumably the game is going to be modified for local release, expunging the prurient content that we're not grown-up enough as a people to cope with. Some might remember that just a few months ago Grand Theft Auto IV quietly suffered the same fate, removing a small amount content in a particular cutscene. I'm not aware of the exact details, but my understanding is that it was just cinematic content, not a large-scale game element, as with Fallout. As you might expect, though, many many Australian gamers decided to take matters into their own hands.

I've been meaning to get acquainted with Play-Asia.com. Looks like this October it'll be my chance.

 

ffs. Why does our rating's system not have an R rating? Argh. This is only going to contribute to the piracy rate we already have. Fingers crossed, it'll go up on Steam where they only have to adhere to the american standard (I think. The uncencored version of the Soldier of Fortune 3 is on there, so I assume so).

At any rate, I can get the collectors addition shipped to Australia for cheaper than it would be to buy it here.

 

Oddly, we used to have an 'R' Rating...when did they remove it for video games, since it's the same rating system for movies? And I honestly can't see there being any content in Fallout 3 that could garner anything higher than an 'MA' rating.

Sammich, you might want to hit us all up for links to the collector's edition.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Magnus: So far as I'm aware there has never, ever been an R rating for games. Even when the ratings system was brought fully in line with film ratings, R was explicitly disallowed.

This has been going on for a long time. Back in the mid 90's, an FMV "interactive movie" game called Phantasmagoria was "banned" in this way because of a (very tame by all accounts) rape scene. Since then, it's been quietly going downhill. This seems to be a relatively up-to-date and accurate list of all the "problem" games over the years. There are various reasons for the bannings, ranging from the fairly obvious (the strippers in Duke Nukem 3D, the idiotic level of graphic violence in the Manhunt games), to the slightly peculiar but nonetheless telling (the "glorification of graffiti" in Mark Eko's Getting Up).

The general trend seems to be that expensive, high-profile games get edited and released in cut-down forms. Take the removal of strippers from Duke Nukem 3D and the prostitutes from various Grand Theft Auto games, for example, or the toning-down of graphic violence in Soldier of Fortune 3. The low-budget or just plain crappy games, like the recent Leisure Suit Larry knock-off or Postal 2, just don't bother. Up till this point, there haven't really been any games left unreleased that many people cared that much about.

Fallout 3 could change that. It's not yet clear what the root cause of the ban is. The level of gore won't help it, certainly, but it seems more likely that this rumored morphine gameplay mechanic is the main thing at stake. And unlike taking the stripper sprites out of Duke Nukem, this is a feature, and perhaps not one that can be expunged lightly. What if it serves as a key plot point (compulsory or optional)? Will Bethesda compromise the game by completely removing it? Or will they stand their ground, and leave their expensive blockbuster title unreleased here?

Basically, this is the first ever triple-A game to run up this fully against the R problem, and I think it's going to cause some big ripples. As I said, I'm buying it from Play Asia now. Not only will it be almost half the price, but I don't want to risk getting a compromised version of the game.

 

Cynical as I am about The Force Unleashed - about the Force XTREME!!! concept, about the hype about this as a "multimedia campaign", about LucasArts: The New Class in general - I have to admit this is a classy trailer.

 

This is a little bit of a cross-post with the Upcoming Movies thread, but I thought it would be slightly better appreciated here. The first trailer for the Max Payne movie, starring our old friend Marky Mark, has hit the web in teeny-weeny eye-strain-o-vision. And I'll be damned, but it actually looks really cool. They've got the style nailed, with the slightly over-blown narration and a really nice graphic novel-esque style to the framing (without going the whole hog as Sin City did). There's a sprinkling of iconic moments from the game there too, including the Ragnarok nightclub, the helicopter buzzing the skyscraper, and Mona Sax (archetypal femme fatale) disappearing into the elevator. I've got to say, my anticipation for this thing has gone up a notch. There's bound to be a high-resolution version coming out soon enough, and I'm keen to get a better look.

 

Actually, the first "Terminator" game, waay back in the misty days before the Golden Age of Adventure Games, carried an 'R' rating. Only game I know of that carried it.

Phantasmagoria was only banned in a couple of states, Queensland being among them. You could purchase the game in New South Wales and Victoria. Though why would you? It was actually crap

The thing that annoys me is the somewhat arbitrary natrue of the rulings; how did Fahrenheit get through unscathed, when Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas got reviled for pretty much the same content?

Still, Fallout 3 is a big target, hopefully the Censorship board has bitten off more than it can chew for once. However, given this government's puritanical mindset, I doubt we're going to see much forward advancement on this issue.

Gotta say, didn't like the trailer for The Force Unleashed. Annoyance at a nin-PC version aside, it smacks of bad EU, and the protaganist couldn't be more dark or angsty if he tried.

The Max Payne trailer was much better, but it was more Sin City than Hard Boiled than I'd have liked. A quick check shows me they've made some changes to the plot and characters. Why? It was already the perfect action film with its cast of characters and set pieces. Still, the look and tone seems just right. Another film to look forward to in the coming months.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Actually, the first "Terminator" game, waay back in the misty days before the Golden Age of Adventure Games, carried an 'R' rating. Only game I know of that carried it.

Screenshot or it didn't happen.


No, I jest. I'd be curious to see that, I thought this was something that had always been the case. Are you sure it's an OFLC rating, and not some random overseas or otherwise unofficial one? I know my beat-up old TIE Fighter box has some weird European ratings indicator on the front, and it wasn't unusual back in the day to see American ESRB ratings on games sold down here.

Anyway it's been made official that "realistic" drug use was the sole reason for the refusal of classification. And while this report makes it sound like some small amount of tweaking could make the game scrape through, I really kind of feel like making a stand on this one. Frankly, I don't want to take the risk of getting a version that is compromised in any way. Plus, by buying it from Play Asia I'll be sticking it to EB as well, the overcharging bastards that they are.



My level of enthusiasm for Force Unleashed remains at a resounding "meh". The game engine technology is awesome, but the game is doing nothing for me. Ditto the story.


Eh, I always accepted that Max Payne's storyline would be modified somewhat for the screen. Frankly, the second one has a much better-written and tighter narrative than the first one, which feels more like a collection of set-pieces at times. Still, the root idea is good, and I personally really like the style I'm seeing from this tiny glimpse. Reaction online seems to be mixed, but I'm all for it at this point. Certainly I think Mark Wahlberg will do a fun job as Mr Max.

 

The First Edition of Glubbo's "NOT LIKELY! NEWS" is out:

[image=http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg220/ncc77523/ps/scoutdispenser.jpg]

 

For any Dexter's Laboratory fans -
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[image=http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/2798/warholfortressbystpdjrkpj5.png]

 

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. It coincides with my interests.

 

Edition #2 of Glubbo's "NOY LIKELY! NEWS" is out...

[image=http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg220/ncc77523/ps/heavyupdate.jpg]

 

I saw this over in Games, thought some of you guys might be interested Good Old Games

 

Today the EB sale yielded unto me the Fallout Collection (That is, Fallout 1, 2 and Tactics) for the minimal sum of $14.91. I couldn't really justify leaving it in the store for that much...

Also picked up Silverfall for $10 because apparently I'm physically unable to resist fantasy related games when they're cheap...

 

Yeah I've contemplated that one too, Morgs, only thing is I remember reading a review that said the game was ok but the maps were really buggy. Not a fan of buggy maps. Been contemplating whether it is worth it for that price though...

 

Buggy maps can make things trying. Will see how it goes when I get to it. I can always pass it on if you decide you don't want to fork out the cash for it.

 

Full Fallout 3 Trailer

This looks awesome. No matter what the government says, I am getting me a copy of this game.

 

Between the phrase "dating experience in vault may vary" and the use of Bing Crosby over action footage, that is one gosh-darn swell trailer.

 

Take a look at IGN where they have some in-game footage from the Xbox360 demo at E3... I'm going to be one pale sonavabitch after this game is released in October.

 

Aliens: Colonial Marines is being written by two of the BSG writers, and has concept design by Syd Meade.


DO. WANT.

 

I think this is going to be the new Alien 3 in my personal canon.

That is exactly what I would say, in a hypothetical world where the franchise continued beyond Aliens.

 

Yeah, pity they never made any other sequels. Would have been cool if they'd made some kind of Predator vs Alien sort of thingies, also. Oh well, guess we'll never know how that would have turned out.