LEFT 4 DEAD 2: Excessive Violence = RC
September 20th 2009
Last week saw LEFT 4 DEAD 2, the sequel to last years first person shooter, banned by the Classification Board.
News.com.au has made available the full Classification Board report in which excessive violence is given as the reason for the ban.
The Classification Board states:
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. The player can choose from a variety of weapons including pistols, shotguns, machine guns and sniper rifles. 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. Projectile shots to infected humans can cause abdominal wounds which can reveal innards or even cause intestines to spill from the wounds.
The Infected attack the player In an unrelenting fashion, with numerous foe attacking the player at one time. The use of the "melee" weapons can wipe out several Infected in one blow which cause the above mentioned blood and gore effects. The player kills a very large amount of enemy characters to proceed through the game. Whilst no post mortem damage can be inflicted, piles of bodies lay about the environment.
The interactive nature of the game increases the overall impact of the frequent and intense depictions of violence. This coupled with the graphic depictions of blood and gore combine to create a playing impact which is high.
LEFT 4 DEAD MA15+ (Strong Violence)
The original LEFT 4 DEAD was passed with an MA15+ (Strong Violence) rating by the Classification Board in September 2008. It was released by Electronic Arts in November.
2009: Games censorship so far
Nudity, sex, drugs, and violence are the reasons that four games that have been Refused Classification in 2009.
NECROVISION, like LEFT 4 DEAD 2, was banned because of violence, though a censored version was later passed with an M-rating.
SEXY POKER used nudity as an incentive and paid the price with an RC-rating, later reduced to an M following modifications.
RISEN used sex as an incentive, and for good measure combined some drug taking. It remains banned in Australia.
September 20th 2009
Refused-Classification.com
