With the R18+ rating recently introduced into Australia, it was thought that we would finally be on par with the rest of the world, allowing adults to play games that are meant for adults. Unfortunately this isn’t the case and we are still getting censored versions of games with the latest victim being South Park: The Stick of Truth.
After being labelled R18+ last week, it turns out Aussies will be getting a censored version of the cartoon RPG when it arrives in March. Its adults-only rating is thanks to “High impact crude humour, sex scenes and references to sexual violence”. There’s also strong impact language and nudity, which is to be expected from South Park but no drug use is in the game so it beats GTA V.
Ubisoft have released a statement on their Facebook Page acknowledging that the game has been censored as well as discussing what features have been revised for the game to be classified in Australia.
“No full sequences have been removed from the game, only small sections amounting to less than five minutes of gameplay. Three mini games have been removed.
These modifications in no way detract from the narrative of the game, meaning the player will still enjoy an authentic South Park experience.”
After a rocky development history riddled with delays and a studio shutdown, South Park: The Stick of Truth is set for release on 6 March 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.