Singapore

It’s not often that those of us outside North America get to play a game first - but that’s exactly the situation with the new Turok demo. OK, so it’s not a full game - but let us have our fun for once. The demo arrived on Xbox Live for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and United Kingdom. Sorry to those of you in the US and Canada, we have no information regarding when you will be getting your hands on this one.

via Major Nelson

A few days after banning the game Singaporean officials have decided to allow Mass Effect to make its way on to the shelves. Today Online reported on the change of heart:

After fanning the ire of the video gaming community with the ban of Mass Effect, the authorities have done a U-turn by rating the highly-anticipated futuristic space adventure by Microsoft and allowing its sale in Singapore.
In a statement on Friday, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said the game had been reviewed by the Board of Film Censors (BFC) and is now rated M18. The decision comes ahead of its planned implementation of a classification system for video games.

It’s a big win for Singaporean citizens, with both the unbanning of Mass Effect and the addition of a rating system for games. Who knows, maybe players of the game will start to challenge the archaic homosexuality laws the country holds.

via Gamepolitics

The controversial lesbian sex scene in Mass Effect has led to the game being banned in Singapore. Not really surprising in a country which criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” While those living in Singapore can simply import the game, it would be nice if archaic views didn’t get in the way in the first place. For those wishing to see what the big deal is about (or not about) you can head over to Kotaku and see for yourselves.

via Kotaku