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Necrovision sees the light in Australia

Classification Board lifts ban on WWI supernatural shooter; Aussie version "modified."

Last month, Necrovision received the dubious honour of being the first game in 2009 to be banned by the Australian Classification Board. However, it seems the vampire-infested World War I shooter has joined the likes of Fallout 3, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and Dark Sector--games that were initially refused classification down under, only to be reclassified after content changes were made.

The game was initially refused classification for excessive violence, but the Classification Board has confirmed to GameSpot AU that Necrovision has now received an M rating after a modified version was submitted for reclassification. According to the Board, the violence in Necrovision has been toned down to the level where it is "moderate in playing impact and justified by context." Because there's no R18+ rating for video games in Australia, any game deemed unsuitable for the MA15+ rating is effectively banned.

"Players frequently kill zombie enemies with gunfire or by employing dynamite or hand-to-hand, ‘melee-style’ combat. Some of the violence includes shooting with a nail gun, implied stabbing or slashing with bayonets and entrapment using barbed wire," the Board said in a statement. "The Board notes that blood detail appears throughout the game as a grey 'dust' effect when enemies are hit. Zombies fly into the air or their bodies jerk when bullets impact. However, no further injury or wound detail is visible."

In its original ruling of the game, the Board specifically called out excessive blood spray and the ability to continue to inflict damage on bodies as key reasons for the initial banning. "When the player shoots an enemy combatant, a large volume of blood spray results and the enemy may be dismembered or decapitated. Injury detail is high with pieces of flesh seen flying from bodies when shot or a high level of wound detail visible on bodies. Post mortem damage occurs when bodies are shot resulting in blood spray, dismemberment and decapitation," the Board said.

Check out our in-depth feature on Aussie game classification, Censory Overload.

37 Comments

  • a140lbstud

    Posted Oct 3, 2009 12:07 pm GMT

    People don't you understand? You are dumb and don't know your children that you see every day. The government is all knowing and knows your children much better than you do. That is why you don't understand. Could you imagine a society that allowed people to make their own decisions? What if they made a bad one... I don't even want to think of a world like that...

  • maliGGs

    Posted Aug 15, 2009 7:20 am GMT

    I strapped my kids up clockwork orange style and forced them to watch 48 hours straight of war footage and porn whilst chain smoking winfield reds. According to the "honourable" michael atkinson, there is no way of stopping kids from getting their hands on anything these days with the internets and all this other newfangled technology

  • peetowser

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 5:15 am GMT

    Why don't you just take our kids and raise them yourselves, govt?
    Because in reality that is your job, to"parent" the parents, to oversee that society isn't "contaminated" by too much reality (or fantasy-based storytelling, it's all the same) and most of all that the only depiction of "realistic violence, graphic sex and substance abuse" remains the exclusivity of movies, TV and 6 o'clock news.

  • Semione

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 1:27 am GMT

    fyi this all started over i think one of the gta's (san andreas) where you can modify it with i think the "coffee part". australia never used to be soo anal but i guess its for our kids protection...even though they are 13 pregnant drinking and smoking, just as long as they dont play video games everything will be alright.PLEASE for all you gamers around the world can you please write a letter to the Office of South Australian attorney general Michael Atkinson. he is the basterd who is stopping the R18+ of games, all the other ministers dont disagree like he does.

  • gameking5000

    Posted May 27, 2009 11:23 pm GMT

    Oh. I just don't understand what's so good about vampires and zombies in games

  • thibbledorfP

    Posted May 27, 2009 4:38 am GMT

    @gameking5000

    I was making light of the ridiculousness of the rating board's objections to the violence.

  • gameking5000

    Posted May 26, 2009 11:42 pm GMT

    @thibbledorfP

    Zombies and Vampires aren't even alive.

  • thibbledorfP

    Posted May 26, 2009 2:46 am GMT

    Necrovision is a dangerous game, as it features violence directed towards undead. Australian children may play the game, and then go out and hurt zombies and vampires. Zombies and vampires are important segments of the Australian population, and as a multicultural nation; we won't support any hate-speech from any medium.

  • Glade_Gnarr

    Posted May 25, 2009 11:26 am GMT

    We should keep an eye on that rating board 'cause they sure sound like nazis.
    The way they descrived the game sounded awesome but in the trailer it looks like a Bioshock rip off with a little bit of Wolverine action.

  • ZippyDSMLee

    Posted May 25, 2009 9:17 am GMT

    Deano: Hell most domestically released games in Oz land are 100$ your saving money by importing it!

    wisted14
    Oz land has no 18+ rating its 15+........

  • Deano

    Posted May 25, 2009 1:31 am GMT

    I walked into EB games the other day and they wanted $119 for street fighter 4...

    pretty outragerous considering I picked up a copy online for $70 including overseas postage.

    even if there was an R18+ it wouldn't change my mind on importing. The rating issue it irrelevant to me for that reason alone. No wonder our oz economy is boned, why am I going to pay nearly 80% markup for a game.

  • gameking5000

    Posted May 24, 2009 11:36 pm GMT

    Is the classification board soft or is it just me

  • dr_satan666

    Posted May 24, 2009 8:29 pm GMT

    It's finally come to this..... censored with dust.... No blood spray just f***ing dust!!!
    I almost feel guilty for importing games and not supporting the aussie gaming market, but then they go and pull this kinda sh*t! - they deserve it..... NEWSFLASH - aussie gamers are not kids... Atkinson, the time of pacman and pong has passed. Pick up and play a real game for christ sake!!!

  • Twisted14

    Posted May 24, 2009 6:25 pm GMT

    Um... why did they tone it down so much for an M rating? They probably would have only needed to tone it down slightly to get the MA...

  • ZippyDSMLee

    Posted May 24, 2009 12:15 pm GMT

    And yet Fallout 3,Bioshock and Dead space are dozen times more gory and detailed and didn't get as heavily edited..... hypocrite much Auz land? Me thinks you need to fire your AG....
    --------------
    As for the game itself its focused on fun and action the AI dogs you every chance it gets there's no fancy AI per say they can use grenades so think Half life without a cover script in it.

    Level design is a bit better than Half life 2 at times its a explore based map design not a dumb gun and run like halo2+,Doom 3,Quake 4, COD,ect.

    Still all in all its a B game that remains a B game not a A game that waffles on C-B.

  • 24k_Solid_Gold

    Posted May 24, 2009 7:40 am GMT

    I'm sorry, but that game looks MESSED UP.

  • funkyrandom

    Posted May 24, 2009 2:17 am GMT

    looks like a whole game devoted to that segment in the darkness

  • Head_Psychosis

    Posted May 23, 2009 7:37 pm GMT

    lol@ rockatanski." Atkinson eat kaka?" Hahahah that made my day!

  • keggerz

    Posted May 23, 2009 6:53 pm GMT

    oh yeah and head this is an alpha build trailer meaning it aint finished

  • keggerz

    Posted May 23, 2009 6:50 pm GMT

    ah well
    the fallout 3 stufff didn't really do much hopefully it wil be the same here

  • rockatanski

    Posted May 23, 2009 5:24 pm GMT

    Nope. Not buying Oz version. Atkinson eat kaka.

  • paperwarior17

    Posted May 23, 2009 2:12 pm GMT

    Here in the US we have E, E10+, T, and M. AO is virtually non-existant. However, most games with graphic violence fall under M.

  • zaprct

    Posted May 22, 2009 11:08 pm GMT

    I can't imagine it would have been worth the developer's time censoring this game just for the Australian market, especially since it's not a high profile game.

  • Head_Psychosis

    Posted May 22, 2009 9:22 pm GMT

    I'd love to know what you people are whingeing about as, apart from the sheer violence of this game, it looks very generic, boring, repetitive, and just lame. Even the graphics seem rather sub par and the gameplay looks like it's a direct ripoff of say either Doom or Wolfenstein.
    IMO, it shall not be missed.

  • imprezawrx500

    Posted May 22, 2009 7:50 pm GMT

    "If anyone in AUS wants the R18+ version. Do what I do. eBay =D"

    Depending on what the distributor does you may be able to get it from nz if they don't ship the uk version to nz.

  • casket56

    Posted May 22, 2009 7:13 pm GMT

    we get it modified and stripped of violence
    ...please explain why we have to pay the same as everyone who gets the unmodified version in other countries
    Stupid government

  • Jekken6

    Posted May 22, 2009 4:24 pm GMT

    Good that it is coming to australia. But those will be getting the PC or PS3 version should import.
    Also, this game looks like a mix of CoD, Killzone 2, Oblivion and Resident Evil.

  • raghraghragh

    Posted May 22, 2009 8:21 am GMT

    If it's modified for it's violence content, would anyone even want to play it? I'll answer my own question and say no.

  • jirf

    Posted May 22, 2009 6:31 am GMT

    The game looks crap, but what they said about other games is outrageous, I mean so many games that they say " It doesn't pass classification because of violence" have been banned but so many more with higher levels of violence exist in stores, do your jobs you MORONS.

  • jordan_johnson

    Posted May 22, 2009 6:31 am GMT

    If anyone in AUS wants the R18+ version. Do what I do. eBay =D

  • backatcha

    Posted May 22, 2009 5:35 am GMT

    Just get R18+ already!

  • Wrathesoul

    Posted May 22, 2009 4:50 am GMT

    Another game shipped here from another country losing australia more business and to think they are worried about the recession yet find ways to stop money from staying in the country by screwing with things that make them the major $$$ so ppl get from overseas real smart goverment

  • Sillygostly

    Posted May 22, 2009 3:24 am GMT

    What... the...?! So, they've stripped down the violence to the point that the game is now rated M rather than MA15+?! Madness. :-o

  • Conno08

    Posted May 22, 2009 1:43 am GMT

    Another game that will be toned down on violence, stupid rating system. We need to get to the R18+ level soon or I'm going lose it.

  • An-Archist

    Posted May 22, 2009 12:00 am GMT

    Wow, The Aussie rating board ruins yet another potentially great game?

  • Infrared187

    Posted May 21, 2009 11:57 pm GMT

    I guess this explains why NecroVision is available on Steam in Australia while the uncensored version of Dark Sector isn't.

    After playing the demo, it didn't seem much of a loss to me, anyway.

  • gameking5000

    Posted May 21, 2009 11:42 pm GMT

    Another issue that will energise the R18+ debate I suppose

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