oflc
Latest
Rumor: Tony Hawk's Motion signals another add-on
Is Activision about to dip its bloated, corporate toe into the murky world of DS peripherals once again? Whispers about the next Tony Hawk game shipping with a motion-sensing device that plugs into the handheld (à la the Guitar Grip) have been flying around since, well, since the company revealed that the title would "utilize new technology not yet seen on the DS."And now, your honor, we present the latest piece of evidence: an OFLC rating for a DS game known as Tony Hawk's Motion. Could that name suggest anything other than a motion-sensing device or self-applicable go faster stripes for your DS? We've already seen the Guitar Grip peripheral snapped up by tons of people with a higher cramp tolerance than us, so maybe Activision wants more of that sweet pie.[Via Shacknews][Update -- Fixed errors, thanks Pyro!] Ah, the crazy, unhinged world of the DS plug-in peripheral. Activision's Guitar Grip was far from the first to appear on the scene -- back in 2006, Metroid Prime Pinball shipped with the Rumble Pak, while a DS camera, the Love and Berry card reader, and Taito's paddle controller are available in Japan. And who can forget Mag Kid's downright odd (and dangerous) "slide sensor"?
Disaster: Day of Crisis gets Australian rating
Following rumors of a cancellation, it's nice to hear any kind of news about Monolith Soft's Disaster: Day of Crisis -- even if that news is somewhat inconclusive. It seems the title, which was announced alongside Nintendo's latest home console before being put on indefinite hold, recently received a Mature rating from Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (for "violence, themes and infrequent coarse language", for those who were curious) on Wednesday. Could this signify an end to Disaster's time out? We'll let you know when we hear something more concrete.
Edited version of Fallout 3 headed to Australia
As we reported last month, Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) refused classification for the highly-anticipated shooter Fallout 3, effectively making the game illegal to sell in the island country. Apparently, this was due to the nature of the drugs used in the game, which allowed a player to enhance themselves at the cost of a corresponding negative effect. Bethesda then resubmitted the game with edits, and now the OFLC has classified the game MA 15+, the highest rating allowed on any video game in Australia.So what was taken out? The OFLC stated "the reward and incentive for in-game drug use had been significantly toned down." Does this statement imply gameplay changes? It is bad enough when this type of unwarranted censorship occurs, but if there are indeed changes to the gameplay elements, maybe it is best for those of you Down Under to import the game from elsewhere.[Via Joystiq]
Fallout 3 unbanned in Australia, edited down under
The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) has reclassified Fallout 3 with a MA 15+ rating, essentially unbanning it in the territory. The title was previously refused classification, which meant it could not be sold in the territory, thanks to the Australian government's [insert expletive here] notion that any video game unsuitable for a 15-year-old should be illegal for all ages -- there is currently no R 18+ rating for games.Gamespot reports that Fallout 3's "reward and incentive" for in-game drug use had been toned down to receive the MA 15+. The OFLC originally objected to the use of "chems" -- substances that would give characters positive and negative effects -- as the board felt the chemicals and their delivery methods were too close to the real, pre-apocalypse world.
Alien Crush Returns to Australia
PAL regions got the first official release of the amazing pinball game Alien Crush just last year via the Virtual Console. According to the OFLC, the new WiiWare version is Australia-bound as well. Not to be too presumptuous, but this suggests a worldwide release as well. We never doubted that Hudson would make Alien Crush Returns available around the world, but it's nice to have some evidence. Also rated: Tetris Party and something called Pit Crew Panic, another Hudson Wii game. We have no idea what that is -- some kind of racing-related thing, sure, but ... could it really be a whole game about replacing tires and such? %Gallery-19346% [Via Siliconera]
OFLC rates R-Type Dimensions for Xbox 360
The Bydo Empire just won't stay dead, as Australia's Office of Film and Literature has rated a previously unknown title called R-Type Dimensions for the Xbox 360. Little is known about the game other than it is being authored by Lode Runner dev Tozai, leading us to believe that the title, be it a shooter, strategy game, or some kind of R-Type-themed cooking sim, will be released over XBLA.While R-Type Dimensions has yet to be rated by the ESRB, we doubt an official announcement is far behind. What we do wonder, however, is that if this does turn out to be a XBLA shooter, what the folks at Tozai know that Cave does not.[Via GamerBytes]
A new Wii game so yummy, they named it twice
A mysterious new Wii game showed up on the Australian OFLC ratings database, called Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam. It's approximately one yummy yummier than a plain old Yummy Cooking Jam. And ... that's all we know! You don't really get much gameplay information from a rating.Well, we do know a bit more information. It's developed by Virtual Toys S.L., developer of ... several Imagine series games. And it's being published by Nintendo, which to us is a signal for WiiWare. And, actually, even if it does turn out to be Imagine-style, we wouldn't mind a WiiWare cooking game for five bucks or so as a distraction.
No treats for OFLC as it gives away My Dog Coach
Ubisoft continues to leave no stone unturned in its quest to make us games that help us through the wretched, miserable slog that is life. Having already dealt with French, words, weight loss, and life itself, the latest in Ubi's My Coach series might deal with training dogs.We say "might" because My Dog Coach has yet to be officially announced, but Siliconera spotted a listing for the title on the OFLC database (which is usually as good as a confirmation), and Ubisoft already has its own Nintendogs-a-like. My Dog Coach: Understand Your Dog with Cesar Millan enlists the help of celebrity "dog psychologist" (yes) and Dog Whisperer host Cesar Millan, whose techniques (well, according to Wikipedia) stray some way from traditional methods of teaching your pet to sit, speak, etc.Does this mean you'll be able to get your pooch doing the foxtrot? Paws crossed!
Fallout 3 refused classification in Australia
We didn't think Fallout 3 was close enough to completion for a rating, but the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification has already refused to classify the title, effectively banning it from sale in the country. The game be resubmitted, with edits, in the hopes it meets the gudelines for MA15+ rating. If Grand Theft Auto IV could do it, we have no doubt that Bethesda will find a way to edit the game for sales in the Land Down Under. So much for the Bloody Mess perk.(Alternate captions: "Was it something I said?", "I can has rating now plees?")%Gallery-3507%[Via Internode; thanks, Eden]
ESRB to curb early game leaks
Here are a few of the recent games that were announced via early ratings by the ESRB: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, The Last Guy and Earthbound for Wii. A change in the ESRB's submission form will likely plug up those leaks, according to a memo leaked to Next-Gen. When publishers submit their game for rating, they now have the option to choose a date when the title is eligible to be uploaded to the ESRB's website. If left blank, the game will be eligible for display 30 days after it has been rated. The ratings board hopes that publishers don't overuse the new option. Said the memo, "The ESRB system will not work for consumers if publishers arbitrarily select dates bearing no reasonable relationship to consumer interest in the product." Our sights now turn to Australia's OFLC, Germany's USK and Britains's BBFC for early game leaks.
Mega Man 9 registered with OFLC
You guys remember the OFLC right? They're Australia's version of the ESRB and the guys who had GTA IV censored. However, this time around news is positive concerning the OFLC as a filing with them revealed the possibility of Mega Man 9. Of course, don't be fooled by the relatively small "9" on the end there; there has been so many Mega Man titles that in reality it's really something like Mega Man 112. The OFLC shows that the name was registered last Friday and will be a multiplatform release.We wonder: why was the title registered specifically with OFLC? Perhaps Capcom knew there were many eyes watching the ESRB and wanted to keep this one super-secret by sneaking down under first. It looks like that tactic didn't work out.[Via Joystiq]
Mega Man 9?
We'd have a hard time thinking of a more exciting title to see listed in a ratings board database than Mega Man 9. There hasn't been a new game in the real Mega Man series since 1999's Rockman & Forte: Challenger to the Future on the WonderSwan -- which we never got (its prequel, Megaman & Bass, was released on the Game Boy Advance in the U.S in 2003). There hasn't been a numbered Mega Man game starring the iconic Astro Boy ripoff since 1997's Mega Man 8. The spinoffs are okay, but they're not Mega Man.Suffice it to say, then, that this Mega Man 9 (which is listed as "multiplatform," though that's the OFLC's catchall) is probably awesomely huge news. Unless it's a port of Megaman & Bass, in which case it's ... still pretty neat.
Capcom registers 'multiplatform' Mega Man 9 with OFLC
We began to lose track of games featuring Capcom's iconic blue bomber when they began adding arbitrary letters and words to each sequel -- that's why we were overjoyed to hear that Capcom recently registered Mega Man 9 with the Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia's ESRB). That's right, just Mega Man 9 -- not Mega Man Zero 9, Mega Man X9, Mega Man 9 ZX, or Mega Man 9 2: Electric Boogaloo. The OFLC entry has the game slated for a multiplatform release, though the most insubstantial of rumors hint that Rockman's new adventure will take place on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. We usually scoff at unattributed gossip, but with vivid visions of online multi-man robot slaying dancing through our heads, our powerful scoffin' muscles feel a tad bit atrophied.
Super Mario OFLC: Legend of the Green G
Australian and European gamers were forced to watch even more wistfully than us as we rejoiced of the news that Nintendo of Japan was planning Super Mario RPG for release this month. Because the game also came out in the U.S., it offered the possibility of a future Virtual Console release. Well, now, in an even more unlikely turn of events, the Australian OFLC has rated the game before the American ESRB!You may have to wait for the next Hanabi Festival to roll around (because Super Mario RPG never came out in Australia or Europe!), but soon, you could (potentially) be enjoying Square and Nintendo's bizarre isometric RPG. As usual, we must remind you that an OFLC rating is no guarantee of a speedy, or even real, release. However, the news makes it seem even more likely that Super Mario RPG will actually come out worldwide. [Via Cubed3; thanks, velocitySTRIKE!]
Trauma Center makes it to Australia ... stat
The Wii-eager Australian customers were all happily discussing which games they would purchase when Nintendo's hot new console hit the shelves on December 7th, 2006. Plenty of gamers were looking forward to Trauma Center: Second Opinion, which was shaping up to be a quality title.After a miniscule eighteen months, TC:SO has now been rated by the OFLC for release! Yes, it apparently takes that long to bring a completed game to the shores of ridiculous retail prices. Aussies are used to delays for other big name games like Super Paper Mario and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (which still isn't out), but this one really takes the cake. It's worth noting that there still isn't an actual release date -- it's merely been rated. So, is there potential for a two year Australian delay for a US launch title? You bet!Forget the emergency room, this one is long dead.
Prey the Stars actually coming out somewhere?
Koei showed off a weird eating-based game called Gabu Gabu Planet, developed by their Koei Canada branch, at TGS last year -- as if they intended to release it. Since then, Prey the Stars (the game's Western name) has been a fixture in retailer release lists, though with no projected date. The Australian OFLC database now suggests that Koei may be planning to release the game soon (even though it's not about Chinese historical warfare). A rating for Prey the Stars has appeared, with THQ as the publisher. Of course, Prey the Stars was rated by the ESRB as well -- in February of last year -- so gobble this news with a grain of salt. %Gallery-15253%[Via Siliconera]
Nintendo planning to Make 10 in Australia
It looks like the latest of Nintendo's training games to get localized will be Tashiten: Tashite 10 Ni Suru Monogatari, a Nintendo-published math training/adventure game about adding up to 10 in various, clever ways. A game called Make 10: A Journey of Numbers, developed by Tashiten developers Muu Muu, is now listed on Australia's OFLC ratings database.If past training games are any indication, we can expect to see Make 10 in both Europe and Australia, where it will be a high-profile release -- but not high-profile enough for Nintendo of America to care. After the break, we've embedded a short, adorable commercial.
Everyone's Pokemon Ranch becomes My Pokemon Ranch in Australia
Does Nintendo think English-speaking gamers are less willing to share? Minna no Pokémon Bokujo (Everyone's Pokémon Ranch) has popped up on Australia's OFLC database under then name My Pokémon Ranch. The message is clear: get your own Pokémon Ranch.More significant than the name, of course, is the fact that this OFLC rating predicts an upcoming release for the WiiWare Pokémon storage utility/collection game. A rating doesn't help predict time of release at all, but it is an indication that one is on the way.We're quite curious to see whether the release of a game that interacts with Diamond and Pearl on the DS will cause online activity in those games to swell. It may get kids all excited about Pokemans again.[Via Vooks]
Picture this: a rival for LOL
As family board games go, Pictionary pretty much rocks our world, so the news that Sega's Pictoimage has been classified by Australia's OFLC, while a touch surprising, brightened our day. If it's being classified in Australia, there's every chance this could reach other English-speaking corners of the world.Pictoimage coming out in the west may not be as random as it seems, however, especially as Agetec announced plans last month to localize Archime DS (as LOL in the U.S. and as Bakushow in Europe). Perhaps Agetec's gamble has convinced Sega that such a game could work outside Japan. Like LOL, Pictoimage will support up to eight players from one card, but also comes with a single-player mode, with a database of 300 drawn images.Single-player Pictionary doesn't exactly sound like a mountain of fun, but we'll remain open-minded for now. %Gallery-21261%
Rockstar stands behind Australian GTA IV edits, calls for '18' rating
Rockstar has assured Australian gamers that the edited version of Grand Theft Auto IV, chopped up to better fit the country's highest possible rating of MA15+, will not alter the experience in a "significant" way. Rockstar explained, "While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience." As incredible as said experience is, the controversial company still recommended that Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification implement an R18+ rating in order to avoid these allegedly insignificant edits. "We strongly support the OFLC and will continue to work within their guidelines; however we believe the government needs to bring games in line with other media by introducing an R18+ rating, or edits to games will continue to be necessary," said Rockstar. Once the game finds its way into Australian hands, we're sure to discover just which aspects of the game wound up on the chopping bloc.
