Australia's classification board

[Nintendo]

DOA Dimensions on Nintendo 3DS removed from sale in Australia

The game was released with a PG rating for "mild violence and sexualised gameplay," but after a media campaign led by ABC News, Australia's classification board has revoked the rating, telling VG247: "Information provided to the board last week suggested that the game contained content not drawn to the board's attention in the original classification application.


"Dead Or Alive Dimensions is now unclassified and cannot be sold in Australia unless it is resubmitted for classification."


ABC News pointed to news that broke last month of Dimensions being cancelled at the eleventh hour by its Swedish distributor over fears that it violated child pornography legislation. The chief culprit is the game's Figure mode, which lets players take 3D photographs of the game's characters from any angle.


With the Dead Or Alive series famous for the prominent display of its female fighters' assets - and Kasumi, Kokoro and Ayane all under the age of 18 - distributor Bergsala decided against releasing the game in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/doa-dimensions-removed-sale-australia


When it comes to video game classification ratings...I live in the worse country.


Kokoro (shown below) is a young Geisha in training who was 17 years old in 2005, but is now 23 years old.


Also, I'm 100% sure that Kasumi and Ayane are way over 18 now.

http://www.classification.gov.au/

 

[Mr Rob]

For a modern video game character, she's surprisingly well dresses.


However, one cannot top the early 90's:

 

[DaMummy]

germany took out any living beings being killed in turok games, while showing nude females on national tv, im not sure if this is the most logical thinking or most drunk-on-german-beer-at-age-of-16 thinking

 

[WizardStan]

It's just different priorities. For some reason the US grew up thinking sex was bad and guns were good. Germany on the other hand, with its particular history of the last 100 years or so, has the opposite.

 

[Devo3d]

oh yeah these guys are bandwagon joiners. they did the same thing after hot coffee mod.


it's like whoever its ultimately up to just goes whatever other countries are doing + whatyever media says = ban.


funny though, coz it just means lost sales for australian retailers. any gamer with a modicrum of sense will get it from play asia


oh and still with no r18+ for games is bs also. wish the govenors general would fix that already

 

[Nintendo]

Apparently, Nintendo or Tecmo are going to submit this game again hoping for an MA15+ rating this time around.

 

[Poem58]

Next someone will make the determination that despite the adult appearance of a video game character it is a newborn at release and it will be 18 years after release before the character can be classified no longer a minor. So Lara Croft will be 15 this year. Stupid politicians have nothing better to do like I don't know, working on REAL problems?


"Sorry Bob, can't go out this weekend I'm broke"


"Broke didn't you just get paid?"


"Yeah, but I played Burnout, and got caught speeding, the ticket is for $250 and I may lose my license"


ABC news reports "Man charged with multiple counts of homicide, theft, menacing, inciting a riot, criminal trespass, drug charges and more after playing Grand Theft Auto, more at 10"

 

[Jourdy288]

Sigh.. I'm not a DOA fan simply because it strikes me as a pervy series, but this is taking it too far! Seriously, this game is the first in the series to get a "T" in the US! This is a shocker... Well, I suppose not, considering Australia's record. Regardless, that's just plain sad. They'll do anything to make themselves look heroic.

 

[vadsamoht]

This is a shocker... Well, I suppose not, considering Australia's record. Regardless, that's just plain sad. They'll do anything to make themselves look heroic.

I guess, although I can see the reasoning behind their decision. Anyway, Australia will almost certailny get an R18+ classification before too much longer, ending all of this ridiculousness.

 

[Blue Protoman]

18+? So what, is real porn reserved for 30-year-olds down under, then?

 

[vadsamoht]

18+? So what, is real porn reserved for 30-year-olds down under, then?

No, it's just that the current ratings finish at MA15+. So, anything that isn't considered suitable for 15-year olds is refused classification (RC), and cannot be sold or imported into Australia. And this only applies to video games, not anything else. Ridiculous, no?

 

[Blue Protoman]

I heard that this is one of the least fanservicey DOA games in recent years.

 

[vadsamoht]

^ Maybe they really banned it because they wanted more?

 

[Nintendo]

What upsets me here in Australia, and vadsamoht knows this already is the fact that a kiddie game with a lot of blood/violence in it gets the same MA 15+ rating as GTA IV, which has not only the violence, but has the sex and hooker killing in it as well. <_<

 

[vadsamoht]

What upsets me here in Australia, and vadsamoht knows this already is the fact that a kiddie game with a lot of blood/violence in it gets the same MA 15+ rating as GTA IV, which has not only the violence, but has the sex and hooker killing in it as well. <_<

You sayin' I play kiddie games?

 

[Nintendo]

Hahaha, I was talking more in general terms.

 

[Jourdy288]

What upsets me here in Australia, and vadsamoht knows this already is the fact that a kiddie game with a lot of blood/violence in it gets the same MA 15+ rating as GTA IV, which has not only the violence, but has the sex and hooker killing in it as well. <_<

Wait, WHAT?! I thought a game like that would be flat out banned in Australia 0_o...

 

[Nintendo]

Australia is weird sometimes.

 

[Nintendo]

Dead Or Alive: Dimensions Has Been Reclassified

 

[Sugar_Kane]

I find it amazing that a game can be pulled purely due to the classification that they impose on it. If a kid wanted an "adult" game then they would just have their parents buy it for them, I don't think anybody takes game ratings seriously. It's also very telling that the board needed 'new evidence' to have them revoke their initial rating, shouldn't someone at the board be playing these games before passing judgement? Does anybody play these games before they are rated?


I imagine the meeting went like this:


Board: It says here that this game is about mercilessly pummelling your opponent into unconsciousness via one on one gladiatorial combat, involving bone shattering martial arts manoeuvres and, in some cases, edged weapons. We the board grant this a C for child friendly, ages 3 and up... what's that?... there's covered human girl breasts in it?! the kind that are whapped into our childrens faces on every tv show and music video currently available to mankind?! In that case we revoke our previous rating and grant a P for pedo, 26 ages and up, we simply cannot have female anatomy bouncing around spoiling our child friendly violence.


The whole thing is a farce.