Paperboy Posts: 11 Joined: 19 Jan 2008 | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3920 Joined: 7 Nov 2007     | Yahtzee imported a game for the wii... |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008    |
Technically, Yahtzee did something illegal. If you import something into Australia which is refused classification, then you will get fined and could go to prison. It's a shame too, since we Aussies will be missing out on an awesome game. |
Beat Writer Posts: 209 Joined: 16 Jun 2008     | Hmmm... about 15 years ago back when I was in high school, my dad got back from a holiday to England. He brought with him a gift, a game called Phantasmagoria. At the time it was pretty interesting (came on 7 cds, and was among the early adopters of full-motion video capture/playback). When I told my friend at school about it, he gave me a magazine article about it, and how it had been banned in Australia (I believe the reason for the ban was a rape scene, but I never understood why, since the two people involved were clothed). I'm sure they're more strict these days about imports, but I really can't see you getting in much trouble if you buy a game and have it shipped to you from overseas. |
Muckraker  Posts: 339 Joined: 3 Jan 2008    | It's not legal to own the game for personal use? I could see fines being dished out to persons selling and making a profit off of these games, but how exactly would they regulate a game title delivered from overseas? |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1374 Joined: 12 Sep 2007    |
Freedom is dead. Long live the nanny state! |
Copy Clerk Posts: 114 Joined: 23 Jan 2008  | Dark Sector recently got a modded version reclassified as MA15+ if you're that desperate to play it and hyper concerned about something being illegal or not - go to a local store and order a copy. (this isn't intended to start a debate on editing games and anyone who does start that should have their account blocked by the moderators) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
I think they're pretty lax about personal use, but if you get caught, you can expect massive fines (for video games that is).
Ultrajoe and his companions are right: we need a revolution! |
Copy Clerk Posts: 114 Joined: 23 Jan 2008 |
I would imagine the likelihood of being caught would be quite substantially increased with the new consoles being hooked up to the net and all... |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 741 Joined: 12 Apr 2008  | They are ways of getting it imported. Try being REALLY nice to any relatives overseas! ;) |
BANNED  Posts: 938 Joined: 14 May 2008  | I once bought a bunch of games in the Philippines because they where like super cheap (Lunar 1 and 2, Legend of Dragoon, some fighting game) I played them on a relatives PS1 while my family was there for like a month or something. Then when I got back home with my games they didn't work on my PS1. That is when I learned of the wonderful world of piracy and the sadness that dawned on me when I realized I wasted $15 on games and no one told me about modding your PS1. User was banned for: A boss encounter one may never forget.... (Permanent) |
BANNED  Posts: 12958 Joined: 30 Jan 2008   |
Actually, he didn't the game was imported by the person who sold it to Games Trader, and even then it wasn't available to us only because it hadn't been coded yet and paid to be imported on a mass scale. User was banned for: Poll: What is your opinion on the Metal Gear Solid storylines?. (Permanent) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
If you're sure about Manhunt's legal status in Australia, ok then. But, the legal status for Dark Sector, at the time of writing, if RC, and thus he can't legally import it. And shouldn't, for that matter. |
On the Record  Posts: 5674 Joined: 2 Dec 2007    |
Not really. He got a earlier copy. SSBB came out around the review. So they probably had boxes of the things, just not displaying them. As for the Manhunt review. That was given classification, just taken off the shelves. So if you have a copy that okie dokie. |
BANNED Posts: 12958 Joined: 30 Jan 2008 |
No, they actually did retroactively ban it, and order that all copies be handed over (or something, I'm pretty sure you can't possess a copy). User was banned for: Poll: What is your opinion on the Metal Gear Solid storylines?. (Permanent) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
Indigo's right; they banned the game some time after it was released, so Yahtzee could've legally obtained that game, finished it, reviewed it, and had it taken away... or not. Regardless, you can't import Dark Sector OP. Sorry, but since it's been refused classification, you can't import it. The same goes for Fallout 3, so we Aussie gamers can't import and enjoy the game. |
BANNED Posts: 12958 Joined: 30 Jan 2008 |
I thought it was that we could get Fallout 3 for personal use. It keeps changing from day to day. Damnit, now I'll have to get off my arse and do something. User was banned for: Poll: What is your opinion on the Metal Gear Solid storylines?. (Permanent) |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2904 Joined: 12 May 2008   |
Dark Sector isn't worth it. Trust me, It's a piece of crap. It's whack a mole with fancy graphics. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2163 Joined: 15 Jun 2008   | So... I couldn't, for example, go to the UK, buy a copy, bring it back in my suitcase? Or perhaps just the discs in a CD holder? would customs even be on the lookout for that? |
BANNED  Posts: 1891 Joined: 26 Mar 2008    |
Nah, my mate used to bring back hundreds of copied movies and games back from Kuwait on his trips. Customs doesn't check. User was banned for: Poll: Round 4 - North: (1) Turbine vs (2) Valve. (Permanent) |
BANNED  Posts: 681 Joined: 6 Dec 2007 | Kind of ironic how Australia is so anal-retentive with their laws, seeing as they started out as a prison colony... User was banned for: Mom Calls For Ban On Underworld. (Permanent) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
Customs might not be out on the look out, but legally, if you imported a banned game, they could get you. Though, chances are they have no idea the game's banned, and you won't get caught. Still... |
Paperboy Posts: 12 Joined: 9 Jun 2008 | It wouldnt surprise me if games software and movies were flagged these days. I mean, if ur importing something, they've gotta tag what it is when they freight it, and customs scan all that on arrival. If part of that tag has to be what the game's actually called, it'd only take a computer half a second to send some nasty bum rape your way. But i dunno what the go is, maybe someone whos more bored than me can look it up and let us all kno? :P |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 741 Joined: 12 Apr 2008 | I know a friend who got around the ban on Postal 2, he just asked his cousin in Britain to buy two games and swap the contents of the boxes. |
Muckraker Posts: 237 Joined: 21 Jun 2008  | Why is Australia so paranoid about video games? Canada is about the same amount of nanny state as Australia, yet the only game ever banned in Canada was "The Guy Game" since it had a 17 year old in it. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
Because we have a politician who's pandering votes and/or believes he's doing the right thing by not allowing Australia to have a R18+ rating, and a board of classifiers that probably haven't heard that the average Australian gamer is 28, and never even played a video game(yes, video game; a computer game is something different). Ever. |
Muckraker Posts: 237 Joined: 21 Jun 2008 | All of this anti-video game paranoia is spear-headed by one man in Australia? Is he the PM or something? |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1879 Joined: 11 Jul 2008  | Sounds like someone with the same ideas as JAck Thompson, but with the ability to not look like a rabid loony, and therefore actually get things done, sadly for the aussies. I agree tho, its ridiculous that people who enjoy video games are all lumped into the 'kids' category, despite the average age of gamers probably being in the mid 20s by now.(he said the aussie age was 28, after all). We really need to stop doing everything 'to protect the children' and let the damn parents do some protecting. If a game says '18+ - not for sale to children' you dont buy it just because your brat is on the floor banging his fists and wailing, you buy him hello kitty adventure or pokemon orangeygreen, or something safe. ( or just give him a smack out of view of the CCTV and save yourself $60.) The people in power need to realise some entertainment is suitable for all, and some is only suitable for adults, and get on with it. I wonder if they realise their neighbours, New Zealand, encouraged Peter Jackson to make hideously over violent zombie movies, which then got him the Lord of the Rings gig, which in turn propelled NZ tourism to unheard of levels, so not all adult material is bad. (convuluted argument perhaps?) |
Muckraker  Posts: 270 Joined: 2 Apr 2008  | Man I'm glad I live in a country where technically banning a game is illegal. Yes they can rate it AO and most game retail stores won't sell a game rated that but you can still get it online and be perfectly within the law. However with the way the Amendments are being treated. I'm sure that won't be the case for long. I agree that parents should take control of their children's life. "I bought this game for my kid and..." STOP RIGHT THERE. YOU bought it for your child and you want to get the game company in trouble because you're too damn lazy to read!? Your child needs to be taken away immediatly. Seriously, at Gamestop they have to tell the parent it's M so I'm really concerned about the parenting skills of generation Y if they're too lazy to LISTEN. Sorry, that just gets me pretty pissed off. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 |
Nope, Attorney General for South Australia (a state). Funny enough, all the other AGs are for it, and the Victorian one is actually pushing for it. It's just this bastard holding us back. Oh, and it's not because he thinks all gamers are kids. It's because he reckons that just because a few brats could get their hands on a R18+ game is reason enough to deny a whole subculture access to their past time. I'd love it if this bastard tried that logic with alcohol. |
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I have been recently looking into buying a PS3 copy of Dark Sector from the UK. The only thing that is stopping me is that I have heard bad things about importing games that have been refused classification from overseas. I have heard about fines ranging from $500 to $26,000...the latter seeming highly unlikely. And seeing as I would be using someone I knows credit card to buy it cause I don't have one...I really don't want to get them into trouble.
Thanks in advance.