Dark Sector banned in Australia

By Randolph Ramsay on 15 February 2008

Australia is well known for having a strict games rating regime, a fact that was demonstrated yet again today with the banning of another title. This time around, violent sci-fi shooter Dark Sector was refused classification by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), making it illegal to sell the game down under.

Dark Sector, which was due out for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Australia at the end of March, is a third-person action game which sees players taking the role of a virus-infected black ops agent endowed with superhuman abilities. In Australia, the highest rating available to a game is MA15+, as opposed to other forms of media such as film or DVDs which have an R18+ classification (the R rating prohibits sales to anyone under the age of 18). Games which feature content deemed unsuitable for a MA15+ rating are refused classification and are effectively banned from sale.

Adam Zweck, sales and product manager for AFA Interactive (the local distributors of the game), told CNET.com.au's sister site GameSpot AU that the OFLC banned Dark Sector due to its high-impact violence, particularly the finishing moves the game's main character can perform on various enemies.

"Obviously we're disappointed in it [the decision]," Zweck said. "We feel there is justification for an appeal. However, we're exploring several avenues at the moment to see what we can do to get the game on Australian shelves."

The OFLC has sent through its official ruling to GameSpot AU, which says that Dark Sector "contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 years to play."

"The finishing moves and most violent game play includes decapitation, dismemberment of limbs accompanied by large blood spurts, neck breaking spurts, neck breaking twists and exploded bodies with post-action twitching body parts. These moves are relatively easy to accomplish and once the player has mastered the moves and is able to get close to his foes, these violent moves can be executed," the OFLC's ruling said.

"Successfully shooting an opponent results in the depiction of blood spray. When Hayden cuts off his opponent's limb with the glaive, large amounts of blood spray forth from the stump and the injured person screams in agony which increases the impact."

Dark Sector is the latest game to be banned in Australia due to its content. Last year, sports game Blitz: The League was banned due to depictions of drug use, while shooter Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back was banned for excessive violence (Soldier of Fortune was later reclassified after content changes by publisher Activision). Other games to be refused classification include Eidos' Reservoir Dogs, Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, BMX XXX, Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Postal, Postal 2, Narc, and more. The two GTA games listed eventually made it back onto the market after some content changes.

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User comments
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the tim
16/02/2008 09:09 PM

This is ridiculous. When is the OFLC going to realise that gamers are not kids anymore? It is high time video games were allowed to get an R18 rating. why are we so far behind the rest of the world?

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game freak
18/02/2008 04:14 PM

i agree now days most of the people that buy games are old enough to play games rated over MA15+ and besides if we have r18+ ratings for movies and stuff so why not for games its time the OFLC get that through

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Eizhale
21/02/2008 04:27 PM

Yes it's stupid as a 30 year old gamer I have to put up with a government that still believes only kids play games! Hurry up and give us our R18+ rating! What's going to happen when PS4 comes out? The games will be getting pretty realistic so what's going to happen then? I live for the day that Sonic the hedgehook get's banned for realism!!

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old dude
02/03/2008 01:29 PM

30 year old gamer try 40 and still gaming hard! Even the kiwis have realized that gamers these days are older and have seen it all before (most kids are sneaking pornos at home by 16). Australian censorship is draconian, time to pull their heads out of there u know whats and move foward to the 20th century.

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muzzar
02/03/2008 10:54 PM

where like a third world country when it comes to tech i mean seriously cars and computers are twice as fast and d advanced as they are here violent vidieo games are not ok for kids under 18 but than if i had 1 cent for every 50 kids under 18 i c drinking beer and bringing home porn well **** id be ritcher than bill gates.

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ma9net
04/03/2008 02:08 PM

just watched an article on a current affair saying the average age of gamers in australia is 28..hmmmm why no 18+

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blackcorz
11/03/2008 12:10 AM

I wrote this lil' speech last year about the OFLC banning a certain game called Rule of Rose on the PS2 here in Australia. I believe it was worthy of being read by everyone, of course it was not which is unfortunate. So, I'd like to regurgitate said speech for you here and hope you agree with me since it also applies here as well. Mature gamers unite! Blackcorz said: This has really got up my nose. For years, we aussies have been denied many mature games just cause we don�t have an R18+ rating. The fact of the matter is this � THIS is not a game for children.. or� your so called �babies�. It�s farkin� pathetic. Deny us our rights as mature individuals and you deny freedom in the expression of interactive gaming and storytelling. And they wonder why there�s a lack of sales for these games being �shared� around the internet because we can�t buy them locally or import them. Serves them right. There�s too many shallow-minded parents out there that take the easy way out! WHY don�t you actually put in 100% effort into bringing up your children properly, monitor what your children are doing online and for God�s sake, let�s make the OFLC bring in the ratings we deserve!

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