Left 4 Dead 2 Banned from sale in Australia

Left 4 Dead 2's plans to go adventuring down under have come to a quick halt thanks to a ruling by the Australian Classification Board, the company in charge of giving games their official rating for the country. Their website shows that the game has received the rating RC (refused classification), however initial information did not reveal why this rating was given. As long as the game keeps this rating, it will be illegal to sell or rent the game in Australia. The original Left 4 Dead game was given the maximum rating of MA 15+.

A statement was made by the Classification Board to clarify the reason for the ban.

Quote: "the game contains realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence which is inflicted upon 'the Infected' who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently. However, it is the use of the 'melee' weapons such as the crowbar, axe, chainsaw and Samurai sword which inflict the most damage. These close in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore."

This is the fourth game to be banned in Australia so far this year, alongside Sexy Poker, Risen, and Necrovision, however two of these titles have been allowed for sale after modifications were submitted.

The ban has been confirmed by An EA spokesperson, however they did not comment on what actions the company will take to get the rating changed.

Quote: "We're still working through the submission process with the Classification Board, we want to explore all opportunities before we can make a comment."

Posted in Gaming by Locke on September 18th 2009 at 9:04am 1 Comment