Game Stooge

Aliens Vs. Predator Banned in Australia

• Scribbled on December 4th, 2009 by Jonah Falcon
• Filed in ESRB/Ratings, Industry News, Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Shooter, Sony PlayStation 3, WTF

Yet another video game has been banned by the United Prudes of Oceania – this time it’s Aliens Vs. Predator. The official reason is the violence in the game:

The game contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 years to play.

The game contains first-person perspective, close-up depictions of human characters being subjected to various types of violence, including explicit decapitation and dismemberment as well as locational damage such as stabbing through the chest, throat, mouth or eyes. Characters can be stabbed with a Predator’s wrist blade or an Alien’s tail in depictions reminiscent of impalement.

The Predator collects “trophies” by explicitly ripping off human heads, their spinal columns dangling from severed necks. Heads can be twisted completely around in order to break a character’s neck. Eyes can be stabbed through or gouged, leaving empty, bloodied eye sockets. It increases impact; for example, a Predator can stab a character through both eyes with its wrist blade and then rip off their head, the spinal column still attached. Extensive post mortem damage, including decapitation and dismemberment, is also possilbe.

Depictions of violence such as the above are accompanied by copious amounts of blood and gore, including ample wound detail and visible skeleton.

In the opinion of the Board, the violence in the game causes a high playing impact due to its first-person, close-up perspective, conceptual nature and the level of explicit detail involved in the depictions. The game is therfore unsuitable for a minor to see or play and should be refused classification.

Funny, but the same content was in the Alien and Predator films. Why weren’t they banned? I guess we must worry about teenagers running around ripping the spinal columns out of their friends’ backs. You know, for fun. There’s still no reason there’s no R+18 or Mature rating in Australia. Apparently, no one plays games there but children.

Aliens Vs. Predator is due for release in Feburary 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.