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Crash 'n the Boys Australian rating hints at Wii U Virtual Console release
An Australian Classification rating for the 1992 NES urban olympics title Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge has surfaced, hinting at an upcoming release for the Wii U's Virtual Console service. Notably, Crash 'n the Boys is part of the same series as developer Technos' River City Ransom, a cult classic that ranks as an all-time favorite among many NES fans. While it arrived at retail late in the NES's lifespan and never gained much of a following, Street Challenge's appearance on the Wii U could potentially be followed by Virtual Console upgrades for Super Dodge Ball, Double Dragon, and other well-remembered titles from Technos' back catalog. Crash 'n the Boys is rated PG for "mild violence" – a generous classification, as the game includes a swimming minigame in which players attempt to drown their opponents. Joystiq's David Hinkle took the game for a spin back when it first launched for the Wii's Virtual Console, calling it "fun, but tiring."
Crimson Dragon rated in Australia, features markings of 'Project Draco'
It would appear the final name of "Project Draco" will be Crimson Dragon, if the pieces of a recent Australian classification fit neatly together. The author of the classification is listed as Grounding Inc., with Microsoft as publisher. Also, the game is called Crimson Dragon, which seems to perfectly describe the flying reptilian protagonist of the game.Project Draco, a Kinect-based dragon shooter, is heavily inspired by the Panzer Dragoon series. This observation is totally cool since the game is under the direction of Panzer Dragoon creator Yukio Futatsugi and many of the game's original team members. Project Draco is expected to fly sometime this year.
Iron Galaxy Studios' Wreckateer leaked in ratings, to be published by Microsoft
A game called Wreckateer has been spotted in the Australian ratings classification system, listed as being developed by Iron Galaxy and published by Microsoft. Iron Galaxy Studios is a company that's done a lot of technical consulting for other game developers -- it recently helped Capcom bring Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online to digital platforms, not to mention work on You Don't Know Jack. According to its webpage, Iron Galaxy is also working on some yet-to-be-announced projects with Microsoft and Twisted Pixel, and it appears as though Wreckateer is at least one of those projects. That's all we know about the game thus far, other than that it's an original title, and it's been rated General for all audiences. Wreckateer, whatever it is, was just classified this week, so presumably we'll be hearing more about it soon.
Virtua Tennis 4 'World Tour Edition' rated in Australia
The Australian ratings board has posted a classification for some kind of new version of Virtua Tennis 4, called "Virtua Tennis 4 World Tour Edition." This one differs from the original in that it's got an M rating and warnings for severe, graphic violence. No, we're totally kidding. It's rated G ... for graphic violence. Kidding again. It's "General." Our best guess for the identity of this "World Tour Edition" is that it's the Vita release of Virtua Tennis 4. The PSP Virtua Tennis game bore the "World Tour" appellation as well. It certainly makes sense for a game you can take with you.
'Mutation Station' rated for Xbox in Australia
Mutation Station, what's your classification? "General," according to Australia's ratings board. Something under that title is being published for Xbox 360 by Microsoft, as the rating reveals. No details about the title have been officially announced, but a safe guess would be that it's another Kinect Fun Labs widget, one that lets you alter the appearance of anything you put in front of the camera, either by warping it or tacking on virtual tentacles and stuff. An unsafe guess would be that it's an app that causes your Xbox 360 to overheat, and then directs you to get closer to it and soak up the radiation it emits. [Thanks, Sacra.]
House of the Dead Overkill 'Extended Cut' refused classification in Australia
The new content in the "Extended Cut" of The House of the Dead: Overkill has resulted in the game itself being cut from Australian release. The Classification Board has refused classification of the PS3 update of the Wii game. The R18 rating has yet to go into effect, meaning that material considered too "adult" is still refused classification. The original potty-mouthed zombie shooting game was released in Australia in 2009, though there was some controversy at the time about the rating lacking notification about the vast, prolific use of profane language. Perhaps, then, it's not that this version is much more objectionable -- it could just be that the board wasn't paying close enough attention the last time. We've contacted both Sega and the Classification Board to learn more about the (expletive) situation.
