Saints Row 4 is out now; here’s our Saints Row 4 review.
If it’s not anal probes it’s something else. Isn’t that always the way? Saints Row 4’s been refused classification for a second time by the Australian ratings board, meaning that it “cannot be sold, hired, demonstrated or advertised in Australia.”
Despite Volition removing their offending anal probe from the recesses of the game, the resubmission of the game was refused for tying drug use to incentives and rewards. Something that was mentioned during the first examination of the game.
“A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the computer game Saints Row IV is classified Refused Classification,”says the film board announcement. “In the Review Board’s opinion, Saints Row IV could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted”
Back in June, when the game was first refused classification, the classification board said “In the Board’s opinion, Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context. In addition, the game includes elements of illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards. Such depictions are prohibited by the computer games guidelines.”
This isn’t the first time a major release has been refused classification on the back of drugs. Fallout 3 was originally in trouble for having medkits and other stimulants named real world drugs. Bethesda got around the ban by renaming the items. I wonder if Volition will try a similar trick.