A three-member panel of the Australian Classification Review Board has unanimously agreed Saints Row IV, in its original form, will remain classified Refused Classification. In the Review Board’s opinion, Saints Row IV does not meet the R18+ classification guidelines as proscribed drug use related to incentives and rewards is forbidden. For now, Saints Row IV cannot be sold, hired, demonstrated or advertised in Australia. The Review Board met on Monday July 29, 2013 in response to an application from Koch Media to review the original decision made by the Classification Board on June 19, 2013 to classify Saints Row IV Refused Classification. An alien anal probe weapon and a side-mission that featured the use of “alien narcotics†related to in-game superpowers were the reasons the Classification Board cited for the ban. An ‘Australian Edition’ of Saints Row IV, which we imagine will omit the anal probe weapon and the drug-related side mission, was available to play at PAX Aus. With this in mind, why Koch shelled out for a review of the original decision is unclear. Undead Labs’ State of Decay, which was refused classification in Australia less than 24 hours after Saints Row IV for proscribed drug use related to rewards, was tweaked by the developer (references to real-world drugs and stimulants were changed). The subtly adjusted game was classified R18+ and is available in Australia now. Following an application for review, the Classification Review Board makes a fresh classification decision that takes the place of the original decision made by the Classification Board. In December 2009 the Classification Review Board overturned a Refused Classification decision for Aliens vs. Predator, opting for an MA15+ rating instead. Source: IGN
