Australians rejoice: You’re allowed to play Saints Row IV

And you won’t become drug addicts

After a ridiculous amount of faffing about, Saints Row IV has finally been deemed appropriate for adults to buy. Until now, Australian men and women were considered responsible enough to get jobs, buy homes, and get married, but not responsible enough to play an over-the-top video game.

The offending feature in Saints Row IV was one particular mission, where The Boss uses alien drugs to acquire superpowers. Like a good nanny state, the Australian powers that be rightly assumed that such a feature would lead to countless grown men and women taking to the streets in an effort to score fictional drugs and develop fictional abilities. The damage would have been impossible to measure.

Deep Silver has revealed that this mission has been cut from the game, removing about 20 minutes of gameplay. It will not, the publisher assures Australian consumers, impact the story or change any of the gameplay. Now Australian gamers will be able to enjoy the digital mayhem and murder without the constant looming threat of being pressured into taking made-up drugs. It’s another victory in mankind’s never-ending battle against extra-terrestrial narcotics. 

Slightly modified edition of Saints Row IV rated MA15+ in Australia [All Games Beta]