Express your displeasure here:

http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Contactus_Contactus

Read this and take a shot every time you read "explicitly"

Well at least we know now that Quan Chi is officially in the game as playable and so is Shao Khan... which also leads me to further believe that Shao Khan will be playable at the start of the game and wont be the main boss anymore. Kinda an homage to Shang being the main boss in MK1 then being Playable in MK2

On another note TMK just posted on twitter that he gets out of work in 1 hour.... expect a full on hour long RANT on youtube within the next 24 hours

I've always liked you, ManWithTheGoldenGun. Your Sareena sig reminds me of how awesome Aculeus is.

But you're crazy, no..you're insane if you think Shao Kahn is going to be playable from the start.

I can't wait to see that.

If anyone's interested, I've expressed my displeasure, thusly

"To whom it may concern

I'm writing, having just read the extremely unfortunate and distressing news that the latest installment of the Mortal Kombat franchise has been refused a classification, thus restricting myself, an adult man from being able to play one of the most anticipated games of the year.

Why are we stuck with an embarrassingly outdated system, when ALL developed countries in the world have an R18+ or equivalent rating? Bureaucratic red tape and obtuse officials have repeatedly delayed the process, and to my understanding, the upcoming NSW election will delay it further.

To be frank, this is outrageous. Why are video games singled out as a medium when it comes to censorship and classification? Why is it okay to watch a film about people brutally and realistically butchering people for sexual pleasure (Hostel), to watch a film featuring small children dissolving horrifically in acid and infants devoured by monsters (the Feast series), but not for an adult to play a clearly adult and clearly fanciful video game?

The current rating system seems to assume that anyone planning to play video games is under 16, when all recent studies have shown that adults make up the greatest bulk of gamers. Why are we banned from playing games that are clearly marketed for us? If a game is rated MA, children can't get access to it, and with an R rating this would be even more strict. How can children be exposed to such a game except by already inappropriate methods?

Obviously, appropriate channels exist to get the rating system changed, but these are bogged down in technicalities and delays that have been impacting the Australian gaming industry for years. How can it improve when our own government is actively censoring premier game series, like Mortal Kombat or Left 4 Dead.

For the more immediate future, I strenuously appeal to the members of the OFLC to rethink this refusal. Mortal Kombat has been overtly cartoonish and ridiculous in content since its inception in 1992. Whilst graphics have improved over the years, both children and adults are sensible enough to see the clear distinction that these characters are completely fictional and fantastical. These are robots, impossibly gifted women, demonic ninja spectres and caricatures, not realistic interpretations of humans. The violence is purposefully over the top. How can it be considered an accurate representation of violence when people get up with nary a scratch after being stabbed with a sword through regular gameplay? How can it be considered accurate representation when, in Arcade mode, you can perform a fatality on a computer controlled version of your own character?
The fatalities are absurd, and cannot be justified as "realistic". A woman ripping off peoples heads with her bare hands? Shooting ice from your hands? Tearing torsos off with no effort at all? They're as silly now as they were in the 90s and anyone playing the game will already be prepared to cope with such violence.

Attempts to "protect" children are admirable in intent, but refusing classification to a game that is fanciful, beloved and HIGHLY anticipated is insulting to the adult gamers who have already pre-ordered or purchased copies of the game.

Please, rethink this decision. No one will suffer for letting this game through, but thousands of gamers across Australia are today infuriated and offended.

Sam Langsford"






Hope I didn't come off desperate

Sadly the classification board is only doing their jobs. They are however very inconsitent. God of War 3 got through with just as detailed violence and gore. The scenes when defeating helios and hercules are just as bad as any in MK.

They are working with a broken system.

You did good, sam. Hopefully other people send complaints as well worded and don't just threaten them like a lunatic.

Condolences to my Aussie brothers and sisters. I propose relocating to New Zealand, importing your copies thereabouts, coming back over, and filling the AUC board offices with sheep before they all get in on a morning.

This is ten kinds of bullshit, and I'm sorry to see it, even if we kind of expected it.

On the lighter side of things, hey, I never thought MK would cause any kind of real controversy again, over its gore anyway. Feels almost like it's 1992 again.

I will contain my squaling about the revealed spoiler fatalities for another thread.

...OK, just a little one. *Eeee*

nice post sam. It doesn't come off as desperate, they just need to know that were not going to let them just walk all over us when it comes to this.
Like everybody has been already said, they have been highly inconsistant. hopefully something will be done about this, but right now im not holding my breath. We better be able to, at the very least, import it.

Beyond a joke.

when will governments learn when you ban somthing or make somthing illegal you just make people want it so much more! and people will do whatever it takes to get it!

gov: we dont think this is appropriate for you we dont think you can handle it.

me: oh fuck i gotta get that!


ps. 15 hour story mode! that is just EPIC!!!!

As I said before, I feel sorry for you guys. Can't imagine my rage if I lived in Australia. I hope you guys will find a solution.

On the other side, I am glad to see Jade's fatality return. I really wanted this to come back. With the addition of head rip/impale it makes it even more brutal. And Kahn ripping his opponent in two, vertically, with his bare hands sounds fuckin sick!

A 15 hour storymode? Fuck. A. Duck! Is this game for real?

And finally, 25 characters? That can't be right. We have more than that confirmed, rigth now.

how can you alllow god of war 3 and not allow mk, which is on the same violence level, i guess warner didnt pay the auz gov enough money, im gonna have to go to game and get a refund on my preorder.

The Google Doc is down now.
Edit: I don't suppose anyone saved it.

Yeah, Gow3 outdid MK in both nudity, and violence at the time. That's what I don't understand as well. Maybe because MK is the reason the ESRB exists.

Australia's censors are notoriously inconsistent.

They're not all rated by the same people, you s ee?

I remember reading an article in a ps3 mag here once, with an interview with one of the younger guys on the panel. They have a "cross section" of various people, some hardcore gamers, others not so.

Certain people are assigned certain games, and obviously different people have different opinions, so MK seems to have been screwed.

Often their excuse is "this is humans doing it to humans", whereas AVP or some of GOW is against monsters (or monsters against humans)

This is the MK fanbase we're talking about. Of course someone saved it. http://delimiter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ScanDoc_2011_02_25_14_32_54_951.pdf

Only 25 characters?? and Bosses are playable??

so how many characters are not making it then.... Smoke, Rain...

I'd be extremely hesitant to assume they played the complete version, nor bothered to unlock everything.

25 is most likely the starter number

Bugger

While this is bullishit why doesn't everybody just order it from eBay? I have done this numerous times as it is cheaper and btw u should still get to play online . I ordered ssf4 from japan (NTSC) version and I was still ok on my aussie profile, if not I will play on my US profile (I have done this b4)

call NRS or WB and see if they can mail it to you in a brown package.

Id software did it for their German customers for wolfenstein.