Wow. If only Fallout 3 could rely on a major publisher like EA, Microsoft or Sony. I'm sure then a few palms could be greased and the situation resvolved. As it is, I extend my comiserations to our antipodean bretrhren.

-- teh moominz --

We just had a bit of a discussion at the GDNet Lounge touching on the OFLC (originally from an idea of mine about spurning countries with draconian rating systems). Apparently, the reason for there being no R rating for games in Australia is that the approval of the states attorney-generals, and the AG for New South Wales is blocking it because of his far-right, Christian Conservative views.

NSW voters might want to put some pressure on their state government to get their AG, Michael Atkinson, removed from office. And considering how Victoria's AG is a supporter of Atkinson, perhaps voters there should do the same thing about theirs.

Michael Atkinson is the South Australian Attorney-General. He is the most vocal opposer to the R rating for games, on the basis that kids might be exposed to what he calls "questionable and morally irresponsible material". He refuses to accept the argument that there are R-rated movies available in Australia so there should be no problem having R-rated games, which I believe is due to the fact that he probably believes that only kids play video games.

And that's before we even mention his religious beliefs, which obviously are going to sway his vote towards the "no bad games for everyone" option. Because we all know that if a game is banned, it simply cannot be procured in Australia... *cough*

They won't get one Ryan because "SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDRENS!!!!!!!". :P

In the first two Fallout games, you could use stimpacks or mentats to heal yourself and get smarter.

I can't rememeber if there actually morphine in the stimpakcs, but morphine is still used in hospitals to to away people's pains??

Both Emil, Pete and Todd have said that Fallout will be (a somewhat) different game than Oblivion.

 Wow, they haven't seen Buffout, Mentats, Psycho, *Jet*, Super stimpacks, or Voodoo.

And have they just caught on to the whole "Stimpack" thing in video games? This has been used hundreds of times.

Marines use Stimpacks in Starcraft. Ban that filth!!

Yet another reason to import. Luckily Aussie customs doesn't really do much to stop banned (RC) games from getting into the country (Got my copy of Dark Sector right here, and I'm an Aussie). Probably too busy trying to find actual dangerous stuff to bother, which is fair enough.

This whole thing about the R rating is complete stupidity, when it should be simple. I especially dislike some religious conservative trying to push his outdated views on what I should play onto me. Or simply that he assumes that since I play games, I must be a 'child'.

When will it be over and we (as the the gamer generation) can have our turn at persecuting some new form of media, and this old generation can step down.

-Tristan

What I find hilarious is how unbelievably gullible people are. Some no-name clowns makes ONE post on Gamespot, whom has about a two post history and has been a member for about five seconds tells everybody that his friend works for the government and has given him inside information.....Next thing you know dozens of desperate journalists are taking it as fact without any sort of reliable source WHAT SO EVER and soon after even more desperate journalists decide to humiliate themselves by using a Gamespot post as a source for their article. There is an influx of posts exactly like this on Gamespot every single day and you know what? They're called "troll posts" which are created by trolls trying to kick up a stink and get a petty rise out of everybody. Maybe we should start using random forum posts to receive ALL of our news just because sometimes the people posting decide to use good grammar to make their post look more legitimate! YEAH GREAT IDEA!

Dear Gamepolitics,

As a scientist for the past 26 years I have just discovered that the sun will combust within the next decade and swallow the Earth whole. Please evaculate to Mars ASAP!

Sincerely,

Some random idiot

Please.....I would expect this sort of garbage from FauxNews. Once again the media proves that they are the lowest form of life on the planet.

Garbage.  Drug use is an M classification at best, and even then, didn't Fallout 2 have morphine use in it?  That wasn't banned.  I highly doubt this will result in an RC.

Anything that starts with "I have a friend" I find to be dubious information at best. Mind you Fallout 3 very well might get banned in Australia, but I don't think the first place that we will hear about it will be gamespots message board.