Archive for: banned

Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2, Issues Nation-wide Recall

UPDATE: Seems this report may have been in error. According to Activision, no ban or recall has been issued. For more details, click here.

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Looks like that controversial (and optional) airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 got the attention of the Russian government and not just Fox News. The level, which involves the player walking with a group of Russian terrorists who violently mow down a large group of innocent people in an airport lobby, has been met with much debate amongst the gaming public.

Russia apparently caught wind of the game’s content and ordered a nation-wide ban of the game, even going so far as to recall already purchased copies.

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Microsoft Bans 1 Million Alleged Pirates from Xbox Live

The Big M swung the banhammer fast and hard earlier this week, leaving as many as 1 million modded consoles without Xbox Live access, reports Information Week.

It should be noted that this action comes on the heels of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, whose multiplayer functionality is expected to strain the online service substantially. The move may have been accelerated by the troubling number of pirated copies floating around the internet prior to its official launch on the 10th.

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The Zombie Apocalypse is Coming to Australia After All!

You might recall a post some time ago about Left 4 Dead 2 being banned in Australia. Obviously Australians felt much safer following the ban, figuring their status as an island nation would protect them from the incoming zombie hordes. No doubt they grew complacent, thinking their future would be undead-free.

Wrong! In a twist fit for an M. Night Shyamalan flick, Valve has decided to make several huge edits to the zombie shooter in order for it to meet the requirements of an MA15+ rating.

“The game no longer contains depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment,” says News.com.au. “No wound detail is shown and the implicitly dead bodies and blood splatter disappear as they touch the ground.”

Developer Valve and publisher Electronic Arts originally appealed the OFLC decision, and are hoping that an unedited version will be released in the territory. We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all signs are pointing to no on that one.

Hopefully the Australians haven’t grown soft from their lack of violent video games. They’ll need everything they can muster in this battle against the undead.

[Via: News.com.au]

Australia Goes Beyond the Boycott and Bans Left 4 Dead 2

It seems Left 4 Dead 2 is the most recent victim of Australia’s outdated ratings system. The ratings board refused to classify the zombie shooter due to “strong violence.” Australia, which lacks an equivalent to the ESRB’s M rating, simply doesn’t rate games that go beyond their MA15 classification. This, in turn, effectively bans the game from any sort of as-is release in the country.

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