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Saints Row IV "low violence version" on Australian Steam store

New version of Saints Row IV up for sale in Australia after the game was refused classification.

237 Comments

A "low violence" version of Volition's upcoming open-world game Saints Row IV has appeared on Australia's Steam store (via Kotaku), a week after the game was refused a rating by the Australian Classification Board.

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The exact adjustments to contents of Saints Row IV's low violence version were not mentioned, though Deep Silver has already said it will rework the game so it can be sold in Australia. GameSpot has asked Deep Silver for clarification.

Saints Row 4 was refused Australia's recently introduced R18+ rating, and therefore effectively banned for sale in the country, with the ratings board specifically referencing an "alien anal probe" weapon and the main character's drug use as primary reasons to withhold the game from sale.

"In the Board's opinion," wrote Australian Classification Board acting director Donald McDonald, "Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context," the statement said. "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."

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Avatar image for bitemebad91
bitemebad91

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we have R rating in aus now, why couldnt it be R? and keep everything?

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abdoalwaer

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It's like Australia is begging people to start pirating games.

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Bumblebee1138

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That's won't bring any profit or loss to them so why do they care?

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djames12345

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Edited By djames12345

Saints Row 3 Rated E for Everyone

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masterhound

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WEAK

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SnuffDaddyNZ

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Edited By SnuffDaddyNZ

Who cares? The "Full Violence" version will be available on torrent no doubt, all censorship does is promote piracy.

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DWalker131

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Edited By DWalker131

@SnuffDaddyNZ and importing the game elsewhere, does the country no favors

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cboye18

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GTA V will be game of the year!!!

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SuperDutchy

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Some people liked the Saints Row series. I was not one of those people.

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BuBsay

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@SuperDutchy Congratluations!

And this is pertinent to this discussion... Why?

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Tribesmaster

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Low violence version of saints row. Instead of going around shooting people, you go around hugging them instead. Unless that is too violent for Australia as well.

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Avatar image for SnuffDaddyNZ
SnuffDaddyNZ

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@Tribesmaster

It's not the violence, it's the "ratings board specifically referencing an alien anal probe weapon " - even though "Kill All Humans" never had the same problem despite have said weapon.

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digeratiB

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@SnuffDaddyNZ @Tribesmaster Kill all humans had an alien anal probe? What?

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Avatar image for MN121MN
MN121MN

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@SnuffDaddyNZ @Tribesmaster I think the board wants to firm it's image by attacking newer titles and not reviewing old ones.....

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SoreBastard

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Now if only we could censor life and all of its filth! baahhh!

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abhisheknerdy20

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I prefer GTA V not this shit

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suhinho

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i swear i bet the people on the classification board are very old wasps that i believe needs some revitalising... replace them with younger generations who have actually played a video game before... i mean look whos our fucking pm... again?!

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aesir05

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@suhinho they are actually not old, they just have huge egos and want to stay in the spotlight and just tell everyone what they should do and how


someone should anal probe them

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valium88

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Saints Row without the violence? That's like eating a veggieburger, good call AUS.

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oyvs

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@Serial_Killa smoked alot of weed bfore this post

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blackrunie

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Edited By blackrunie

get with the times, australia...
seriously, you're becoming the amish on the field of gaming...

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oyvs

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australia great views/animals/sea.............. content regulations, racists, surfer dude mongs.

you have to take the good with the bad

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uglypinkmoose

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poor Australians :/

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Fragzoon

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Pay EXTRA $$$ to get "LIMITED" edition. Too bad for Aussies...as usual....

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Saketume

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Edited By Saketume

Don't pay for the censored version if you want things to change.

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kamikazeespleen

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A low violence version of Saints Row?

That surely isn't at all possible.

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acelogan1989

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good

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AverageGameJoe

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Pirate Bay FTW!!!

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Collarcat

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I am happy that the Australians will still be able to play Saints Row 4, even though it will be a worse version compared to the rest of us.

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telaros

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Laugh at the Australians now people. This will be what America gets by 2016 when all FPS games get a ban or have to use water guns.

Players won't 'die' they'll slowly lay down and take a nap.

Your character will say "Sleep tight" and other witty catchphrases like "I hope you have a nice day!" and "Sorry for getting water in your eyes!" as they all ride on LEGO planes that shoot LEGOS and disappear when they crash into something instead of exploding.

The future of gaming folks. Soon we'll all be playing Nintendo games again. Though they'll all just be jumping puzzles with no enemies because stepping on turtles is animal abuse, and setting things on fire can make children become pyromaniacs.

Not to mention fursuits will totally be banned from the game as hair men in animal costumes are clearly pedophiles and depraved individuals. Nintendo has to keep a clean imagine after all!


<3

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Neil1

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Edited By Neil1

@joesguy @xsonicchaos Yeah, dumbass! If it were that simple, it would've been fixed years ago, yes?

Go away now.

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Trance_Circa

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Ah Good o'le censorship; Because we all know fictional material in a video game is just to much to handle sometimes. Go truck yourselves A.C.B.

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Panda-Pat

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Noob version

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xsonicchaos

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@joesguy I'm not from US. See, first learn to write, then learn how to speak with people, then form a coherent phrase of your opinion and even after you have an unsuccessful debate with someone, it's really uncalled for to name people idiots. It's just shows how low your intellect is and, frankly, I don't know why i even bother.

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xsonicchaos

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@halovsmetroid2 I consider whining to be a quite productive form of complaining actually, as it has been proven over and over again, even recently. I do not sum up the success of the 18+ rating as whining however, no matter how unsuccessful it became in the recent light. You know what, I am sorry I said anything! If you don't want my support, I won't give it to you. Have fun! We should do this again sometimes.

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Avatar image for halovsmetroid2
halovsmetroid2

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Wow before you go ahead and comment on different countries political problems at least know what you're talking about. The countless petitions and rally's australian gamers have put up in the last 10 years, means we're doing a lot more than whining. Summing it up as us 'whining' is actually quite insulting considering it took 10+ years to get an adult rating here and like ANY law their are flaws, because they are created by people for people.

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kid_Jump94

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does anybody remember when saints row the third was first shown? it showed an open world sity, you were sliding under peoples legs, punching them in the balls, you were driving a car with a cat that sucked them up and fired them, that was something new, ive never seen anything like that before, it was wacky, crazy, and new and i loved it (despite its flaws)


this cenership kinda takes most of that fun away, ive always wanted to use an anal probe :p i guess now some people cant ._.

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halovsmetroid2

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Im sure your local sex shop can help with your want to always use an anal probe

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joesguy

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What's really unfortunate is that no one of legal age with half a brain is going to stand by this decision. That's where region free games and piracy come in. All this does is hurt Australian business. Many of us smuggled Mortal Kombat into the country before it was given the green light - And nothing happened. No buildings burned, no babies eaten, no dogs in blenders. The classification board really has to get their shit together.

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xsonicchaos

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They should do weird stuff for the Aussie version, like when you special melee random people instead yougive them flowers or frikin fluffy bunnies. Or when you Duke hijack cars you wash their windows instead and make them squeaky clean. if you really don't want sissy pansy in pink baby tutu dress with rainbow sprinkles, take a frikin stand for your rights. No, you you did nothing, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. Guess what, whining and complaining might actually work. Or you can be a tough manly man and deal with it. Your choice, aussie gamer!

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CDWJUSTIN

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hahahaha

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bomber1992

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Hey Australia, time to vote some people out of office.

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Avatar image for bbq_R0ADK1LL
bbq_R0ADK1LL

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@bomber1992 I'm pretty sure they just got a new Prime Minister about a week ago.

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Nemesis4747

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@bbq_R0ADK1LL @bomber1992

its the previous prime minister who was voted out and has now been voted back in because everyone seems to forget kevin rudd is a spitfull little cockroach and even more damaging to the country than Julia, who was just plain weak and useless

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Avatar image for bbq_R0ADK1LL
bbq_R0ADK1LL

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@Nemesis4747 @bbq_R0ADK1LL @bomber1992 Shoulda voted for Tilda Swindon then

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kordy6

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@bomber1992

AUSTRALIA...... if your in the minority come over and live here and tell the majority what they can and cant do.

you think i am joking?? CANT, celebrate christmas or easter at schools as you might offend someones childCANT, sing baa baa black sheep as its racistthe list goes on and on and on, and while they seem like small things the average australian is losing there freedoms, given away to the moral police minority and everyones either to apathetic or scared of being labelled a racist or worse to say anything.its a shame cause its not the australia i grew up in
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SoulxReaperx366

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@kordy6 offend someone's child? no, offend the parents of the child for "exposing" the child to things that exist in the world.

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Nemesis4747

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Edited By Nemesis4747

@kordy6 @bomber1992

totally agree with you mate, i hate all this political correctness crap thats so popular these days, we live in a nanny state and im ashamed to be australian

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jimmkd84

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Edited By jimmkd84

trust me guys im Australian, no one stands up for anything here. they just blindly follow and all they do is complain when something is wrong. the R18 was supposed to combat games getting refused classification but there's no point the will still keep getting banned. Best thing for us to do is to import from overseas

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