With little explanation offered (alright, so, basically no explanation whatsoever), the United Arab Emirate states have reportedly banned the distribution and sale of THQ and Vigil's Darksiders: Wrath of War. According to UAE-based GamesLatest, the game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions" -- a standard phrase used to near-universally describe banned games in the Middle Eastern states.
Unfortunately, that task of enforcing such a ban can be a mighty difficult one. Many retailers in the UAE simply order from wholesalers, bypassing importing laws altogether, and sell their games under the table (and untaxed, might we add). And then, of course, there's always the internet -- we hear you can buy stuff through it.
[Via GamePolitics]
Reader Comments (36)
Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:29PM Dr Perry Ulysses Cox said
Yeah, antilight nailed it. It's a really cool feel with pretty tight gameplay, a nice art style and fun combat/puzzles. I know how you feel, though. With ME2, Heavy Rain and FFXIII right around the corner, it's hard to justify buying other games. I just hope that Galaxy 2 doesn't come out until summer...
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 3:01PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
The game is seriously fun and awesome. It's kind of like God of War + Zelda + Prototype with the art style of Warcraft, Too Human and God of War all mixed together. Its damn fun and its a blas to play. Damn shame it wasn't marketed better because if it were released last year I'm already confident saying it'd be a top 10 game on my list.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 3:10PM Jack Tretton said
Not bad at all -- looks good, easy to pick up and play, decent voice acting. But the 360 version suffers from a lot of hiccuping. It's a tad annoying.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:16PM (Unverified) said
Probably people that like GoW and Zelda style combat and puzzles which Mass Effect 2 doesn't seem to offer given it's prequel. Can't a guy or gal like both?
Also for those getting Darksiders on 360 there is a screen-tearing fix underway:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/105/1058958p1.html
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Also for those getting Darksiders on 360 there is a screen-tearing fix underway:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/105/1058958p1.html
Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:25PM Dr Perry Ulysses Cox said
That's like asking if you like soup more than burritos. I own Darksiders and think that it's a blast, and as soon as ME2 comes out I'll own that also.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:26PM (Unverified) said
Death should have been modeled on Terry Pratchett's version, that would have been fun to play as a wise-cracking skeleton who always talks in caps
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:26PM Ahmedz said
Hang on, Darksiders gets a nono and Bayonetta is all fine and dandy?!
Something's not right here...
and also, if it's banned in the UAE, it's also banned in Bahrain T__T
ah fuck this I'm going back to the UK in 2 days so I don't really give a fuck anymore ;)
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Something's not right here...
and also, if it's banned in the UAE, it's also banned in Bahrain T__T
ah fuck this I'm going back to the UK in 2 days so I don't really give a fuck anymore ;)
Posted: Jan 7th 2010 1:32PM StormX said
Is a UAE customs or police officer actually going to know at a glance if the game you're carrying happens to be "banned"? Seems like a kinda silly thing to even try in this day and age. It's a consumer level product, globally available. People are going to get it if they want it.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 2:24PM (Unverified) said
When I used to live in Dubai they would literally confiscate all your VHS tapes to check them when you entered the country.
They didn't with CDs/DVDs (doubt they do now) so it's not really hard to smuggle anything in.
This basically sums up to making the game slightly harder, but not difficult, to get.
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They didn't with CDs/DVDs (doubt they do now) so it's not really hard to smuggle anything in.
This basically sums up to making the game slightly harder, but not difficult, to get.
Posted: Jan 7th 2010 2:25PM (Unverified) said
I should clarify-- they would confiscate the tapes to check the content for anything anti-Muslim/pro-Jewish. If everything was fine (i.e. no Fiddler on the Roof or porn), you could pick them up in a couple weeks.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 2:10PM thisredengine Tweet me said
Video game physics >>> Real-life physics
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 3:01PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
People who don't have a 360.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 3:21PM (Unverified) said
If it's banned in UAE, then it will also be banned in Saudi Arabia. But hell I don't care. God of War was "banned" but you could find it in any store in the city.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 5:58PM Vagn Henning said
You know, they actually enforce their moral and cultural standards on the Internet as well. I suppose anyone with a modicum of technical savvy would know how to circumvent the filters, but alas that didn't (doesn't) include me, so I had to live without porn for the four weeks I was stationed there a couple of years ago. Needless to say, I hated every minute of my stay.
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 7:06PM (Unverified) said
I wonder if this has anything to do with the Christian theology in the game. Not to be rude, but a large percentage of people over there are Muslim, and very tight about it
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Posted: Jan 7th 2010 11:43PM DerickDBrown said
Me!
I couldnt give a shit about Mass Effect 2. I'd shit all over Darksiders!
Wait no....
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I couldnt give a shit about Mass Effect 2. I'd shit all over Darksiders!
Wait no....
Posted: Jan 8th 2010 1:44AM (Unverified) said
Hear that? That's the sound of millions of people around the world not giving a shit.
UAE used to be a bunch of arrogant towelheads with money, now they're a bunch of broke arrogant towel-heads... nobody gives a crap anymore. It's like if Zimbabwe announced they're banning Tetris or something.
They'll have to go back to amusing themselves by imprisoning women for allegations of being alone in a house with a man.
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UAE used to be a bunch of arrogant towelheads with money, now they're a bunch of broke arrogant towel-heads... nobody gives a crap anymore. It's like if Zimbabwe announced they're banning Tetris or something.
They'll have to go back to amusing themselves by imprisoning women for allegations of being alone in a house with a man.
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