Refused-Classification.com reports that Koch Media’s medieval role-playing game Risen has been Refused Classification by the Australian Classification Board, making it the third game to banned in 2009. It was due for release October 2nd.
A pair of overly tantalizing in-game breasts mock the foundations of a moral Australia.
According to the Wikipedia entry, the game centres around a protagonist shipwrecked after a storm on Faranga, an island home to an active volcano. Ancient temple ruins have recently risen from the ground, and bizarre creatures infest the island. Added to the situation, the Inquisition forbids anyone to exit the city of the island.
Sounds interesting, but here’s what probably caught the attention of the ACB. R-C writes:
The ESRB describe the sex and drug content as follows.
“During the course of the game, players can interact with prostitutes (referred to as “whores” in the game) at a local brothel. Players can trigger a lengthy dialogue to engage in their services; sexual activity is strongly implied, but never depicted on screen”
Many of the characters in the game smoke a fictional drug called “brugleweed.” The “wood reefer” plant is described as having a mild relaxing effect on users, and can be bought, sold, and used by players.
Sex, drugs and one hell of an out of touch classification system. Rock on.
16 comments
Bob Bobington says:
Aug 10, 2009
We really need R and X ratings for our games.
“Whores”, “wood reefer”, and implied sex? Sounds like every second movie released for the teen audience.
Looks like piracy is the only alternative for gamers looking for mature games.
Bob Bobington says:
Aug 10, 2009
We need R and X ratings for our games.
“Whores”, “wood reefer”, and implied sex? Sounds like every second movie released for the teen audience.
Looks like piracy is the only alternative for gamers looking for mature games.
Glenn says:
Aug 11, 2009
Mike: “Sex, drugs and one hell of an out of touch classification system. Rock on.”
Agreed.
Max T says:
Aug 11, 2009
Will someone PLEASE sack these bloody prudes.
I’m fed up to the back teeth with this incompetent pack of wowsers.
Max T says:
Aug 11, 2009
i WILL NOTY TOLERATE the OUTDATED morals of this lot of wackers being forced upon me.
Gary says:
Aug 11, 2009
But the game sucks. No doubt the designers were counting on the “titillation” factor to sell it, and the inadvertent effect of refusing to allow it to go to market here has spared the gamers of Oz hours of pathetic game play.
(I suggest if we add “X” and “R” ratings we also add “S” – for “sucks”!!)
Pharaoh says:
Aug 13, 2009
Ahh, so you’ve played it then?
Not only does it sound like the same fare that you get in tons of teen films, those films would likely get an M or MA rating. Not only is gaming censored through the lack of R and X ratings, it’s marked more harshly than other forms of media.
Glenn says:
Aug 13, 2009
Again, Playboy: The Mansion gets passed MA15+ with a ‘Nudity/Sex’ warning, yet this gets banned because of the same reason. What makes this game any different?
bob says:
Aug 13, 2009
what? hey wasn’t fallout refused classification because of the realistic naming of drugs and so they renamed them to stimpack and psycho and it got passed. and yes brugleweed with a mild affect on players. maybe they would let the game passed if the “weed” had a major impact and killed you near instantaneously or some sort of law enforcement character popped out of nowhere and arrested you. maybe they want a more negative (or what they call realistic) depiction of what drugs do to you.
and the whole whore thing. again with fallout 3 you can have implied sex with a whore in megaton so why the double standards?
is it because of the inquisition thing perhaps?
this country is run by incompetent bible bashing fools. this isn’t the dark ages. stop acting like everything you do is because god wills it.
Jack Tar says:
Aug 17, 2009
Have you looked at Conroy and Rudd of late and their anctics?
As far as they appear concerned they aren’t so much acting as down right believing everything they do is due to their god’s commandment.
Jayson says:
Aug 18, 2009
I agree with bob, this country is backwards, totally. We need this R rating, it’s complete common sense to have a complete code for games.
“A pair of overly tantalizing in-game breasts mock the foundations of a moral Australia.” That cracked me up!
Jack Tar says:
Aug 25, 2009
Interesting, I don’t recall writing the comment above….
Jack Tar says:
Aug 25, 2009
Ah! Never mind, read it incorrectly.
Disentangler says:
Aug 30, 2009
They are kidding, aren’t they? Come on, I’m a single mum with 3 kids, 2 daughters and a son, and even I see this as being nothing less than wowsering. Banning this game from being classified or released is doing nothing to protect my children. The wowsers need to take a look at some of the crap they let pass through on to the television set!!!! Makes this game and other stuff that has been refused classification look completely TAME by comparison! These people working in the classification bureau are COMPLETE IMBECILES!
Get a grip you media muppets and take a big does of get in touch with REALITY and the REAL WORLD instead of sitting behind your desks picking your noses and reading the bible!
Amy says:
Nov 30, 2009
We better not let them find out that there’s sex and prostitutes in Fable and Fable II.
M-dogz says:
Dec 25, 2009
That’s what I never understood – they ban this game for ‘implied sex’, yet Fable and Fable II contains, you know, slightly more than ‘implied’, and those two are promoted like hell?
If anything those idiots banning this game made me want to get it even more – hence why I received it for Christmas XD