Even though the R18+ rating has been introduced for video games in Australia, the bad news don't stop in Down Under.

An official report from the Australian Classification Board (ACB) informs that the game South Park: The Stick of Truth has been rejected twice by the board members. The title was submitted under the irritating name "Codename" and under its real name but that didn't have any effect on the outcome of the process.

While the board classified the title as "satirical in tone and intent" after the first rejection which took place on September 19th, 2013, the game would still feature enough elements that would cross the line for adults (and with that, make the application of the desired R18+ rating impossible). The board explicitly mentions two scenes:

The first one is an hommage to the very first episode of the TV series and includes that an alien probe is inserted anally into various characters within an "interactive animated sequence" and - mainly - with "no indication of explicit or implicit consent".

The second scene takes place in an abortion clinic that is entered by the protagonists who are dressed as women. Here, an interactive sequence is described that includes an amateurishly executed abortion with a coat hanger and a vacuum cleaner. The ACB members clarify that this scene alone wouldn't have caused the rejection.

On November 7th, 2013, a slightly modified version of the game was submitted to the ACB. While the abortion clinic scene remained unchanged (and was critiqued once again), the sequence with the alien probe was altered. The report doesn't really say in what way, though. The respective excerpt from the report could be interpreted in the way that the change is that the game explains beforehand that the protagonists are now sedated or sleeping and thus don't feel the pain of the actions.

Furthermore, the board now mentions a previously ignored issue that revolves around a scene in which the protagonists refer to a rape that the Kenny character had to endure. However, that would still be within the boundaries of the R18+ classification since it is a verbal reference and doesn't include explicit or interactive sexual violence. Eventually, the ACB concluded once more that the game oversteps the boundaries of the R18+ rating.

The last classification process took place on November 21st, 2013, and ended in the result that a heavily censored version successfully got the rating. The alien probe scene was totally removed and replaced by a simple text that describes the events. It is framed by a picture that shows crying koala bears and the word "CENSORED" in big red letters placed right next to it. A last jab by the developers directed at the ACB.

If you want to purchase the uncensored version of South Park: The Stick of Truth, you can do so at Amazon.com.