It seems that the R18+ issue has really gathered some steam over the past couple of days. Michael Atkinson addressed the issue personally, a Member of Parliament backed an e-Petition for the cause, and now the Treat Us Like Adults blog has organised a protest that will take place in Brisbane, Australia.
Hit the jump to check out all the details, and find out how you can get involved.
It seems a clever soul has gained the support of a local MP here in QLD and generated an e-petition in support of an R18+ rating within the QLD Government. I’m sure many of you are thinking, “Another petition? Well, that’s useless”.
Not exactly; E-Petitions that gain significant amounts of support get officially submitted to parliament for discussion, and at the very least, puts the issue in the forefront of the state assembly for a while.
As a result, it may even get some media play, or (hopefully) become a pet project for a committee and encourage support. In any case, it’s another cog in the growing practical support machine to change the outdated and basically ridiculous rating system that has neutered games like Fallout 3, Left4Dead 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV to name but a few.
More info and link post jump.
You may be getting sick and tired of hearing about his latest escapades in attacking the proposed R18+ rating, but Michael Atkinson is at it once again. This time, he has written a lengthy letter detailing just why he is so opposed to such a change in Australian legislation.
You can download the entire scanned letter here, or just hit the jump to read the juiciest parts.
James Pinnell, Colin Robinson, and I recently returned from the International Digital Entertainment Festival (iDEF) 2009, where we were promised a feast of gaming, electronics, and exclusives.
Dubbed as one of the largest gaming expos in the southern hemisphere, I felt myself wanting far more than the meager rations that were on offer. Certainly there were a few unreleased titles worthy of a trip home to change my pants, but if iDEF is all that Australia can muster in way of an international gaming exhibition, I have to wonder at the current state of our profession.
It may not have been my most anticipated title at iDEF, but I certainly gave Ubisoft’s upcoming Wii game, Just Dance, a fair go. I sold what little pride I had left to the eGames booth babes simply to entertain you fine Gamer Limit readers.
While I won’t be hailing it as the “greatest release since Guitar Hero” any time soon, you can hit the jump and read my thoughts on the game. Oh, and see the ridiculously embarrassing video – but you don’t have to watch that.
We’ve been gone for a while, but the LimitDown has returned; now with extra Australian* flavours and preservatives.
The original circus performers; James Pinnell and Colin Robinson, have decided to share their beer cache with Simon Jones, producing what can be only described as a dynamic trio.
It seems that Australians just can’t get enough of highly anticipated games being censored. This year has already seen a host of titles take on the OFLC and fail.
Today, it has been revealed that the Australian PC version of Borderlands contains an aptly named “borderlands_low_violence.ncf” file. Sources within 2K stress that the mode is optional, and that the file has been included “accidentally”.
Read on to find out what 2K Australia had to say on the matter.
As weird as it may sound, it looks like Australian zombie killers are going to have to focus their killing prowl on something less gruesome. After Valve’s appeal to Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification ban on L4D2, the OFLC has recently announced their decision, and the results aren’t pretty.
As of today, the game has officially and forever been denied the MA15+ rating in Australia. What this means is that retailers are forbidden to sell the game as is. Read on for further details. Read more… »
Around the inter-web, we see videos and hear stories of people throwing their Wii Motes at their TV screens due to “Slippery Palm Syndrome” (not an actual disease). Well, Sony Australia has taken the concept much further and has used a modern day slingshot to catapult a PS3 into a Sony Bravia.
I’m no psychologist, but I like to categorize this as a classic case of “Fashionable Excessive Behavior.” While the video will have you sitting there in awe, at the same time you’ll also be thinking in disbelief.
I’m not exactly sure what the scientific purpose is, and I’m sure there are hundreds of other options to go about effective advertising, but nonetheless this is pretty damn cool. Hit the jump to get your eyes splattered
In a recent development, it has been revealed that Transmission Games, a popular Australian studio based in Melbourne, has shut its doors.
Kotaku Australia has reported that, after losing several lucrative publishing contracts, the firm was forced to lay off more staff. Today, the studio shut its doors, with all workers being made redundant.
We like to think that one of the pluses of having such a flexible, global team here at GL is that we’re able to be everywhere at once.
While most of the insane breaks and major developments reserve themselves for E3, GDC and TGS, it’s easy to forget that there are a couple of gaming exhibitions occuring in other regional centres throughout this big bad world we inhabit.
Two of the larger upcoming events landing at the end of October- eGames Expo (Melbourne, Australia) and Eurogamer Expo (London, United Kingdom) promise to provide if not a ton of surprises, but at the very least a couple of juicy tidbits, some face-to-face hands on with upcoming releases and maybe a scoop or two.
What else do they have in common? Gamer Limit will be at both!
The saga of Gabe Newell being flown out to Australia has been a popular talking point for gamers across the globe. The fantastical idea of an unknown modder catching the attention of the man who gave us Half-Life and Left 4 Dead has been a heart-warming tale indeed.
Well, now Gabe has come and gone after keeping his promise to Joe W-A. Hit the jump to check out the extended interview from the latest Good Game episode.
