Valve's zombie shooting sequal Left 4 Dead 2 The latest title to miss the MA15+ maximum over at the old Australian Classification Board earning the title (in it's current form) the dreaded RC which prohibits distribution in this country.

We won't know specifically what pushed it past MA15+ until an official report is released but it will be interesting to find out as from what we've seen of the game, it didn't seem any more violent or gory than the original Left 4 Dead.

Of course, it's not the first high profile game to receive this prestigious honour on its first pass and in all likelihood will be tweaked for re-submission, but it is sure to once again re-ignite the push for an R18+ category for videogames in Australia.

For more details on Left 4 Dead 2, stop by our hands-on preview from E3 2009.

Update: We've since gotten a hold of the official report and you can find out the specific reasons for the rating right here.

FAIL

It's probably a good thing for the game developer people.

Generates a bit more interest and will surely increase sales?

how s***.

This is getting ridiculous, It's getting tiresome and old, these ancient wankshafts still living in the 60's telling us what games we can and can't play that are/aren't good for us.

I don't want sales, I want a more violent/bloody/scary sequel.

I assumed L4D2 would have these things.

you'll still be able to post about it as though you actually played it much and were awesome at it

teehee

I wonder if creating a US steam account through a proxy on my US server and purchasing the game as a gift for my account would work?

Sopose there would be no aus servers to play on tho :\

So if we import from overseas will we be able to play it on Steam? What About Xbox Live?

What's next Diablo 3?

god damn this makes me angry;
i dunno that i would have played the game, but i should be allowed if i wnat to!

They recently classified a photograph of a man with another man's fist up his arse as 'PG' because it was art. It's hard to look up the photo to prove this :/

SA Attorney General Michael Atkinson is the main barrier to an R18+ classification for games.

AFAIK you can buy retail Steam games from O/S then activate them on Steam in Australia. I would never condone such a heinous crime, though.

Also, I can confirm thermite's reference to some of Robert Mapplethorpe's (hardcore) art being classified PG. That specific art piece is very dark and not like a shiny well-lit photograph. It's hard to even tell what's going on really. But yeah, PG rating is a joke for it.

[10:57:22] <+boba> banned for being a money grab
[10:57:24] <+boba> imo

Banned because boba rang the OFLC imo

We won't know specifically what pushed it past MA15+ until an official report is released but it will be interesting to find out as from what we've seen of the game, it didn't seem any more violent or gory than the original Left 4 Dead.

It's probably the fact you can dismember zombies with melee weapons. I think Deadspace had to tone that down to release here didn't they?

Or it could be something as retarded as the pills 'promoting drug use' (change the name to vitamins imo)

Probably over the stupidest little thing, like hitting a female zombie with a frying pan can influence domestic violence in the kitchen or something along those lines.

Probably over the stupidest little thing, like hitting a female zombie with a frying pan can influence domestic violence in the kitchen or something along those lines.

Are we allowed children zombies?

That would be awesome!

and zombies with crutches and wheelchairs.

Wasn't sure about purchasing this game because the first one got old really fast however would like the option. I guess the online shops and maybe steam will still sell it.

Wasn't sure about purchasing this game because the first one got old really fast however would like the option.

I agree, it's no TF2, but for $50USD I was definitely going to buy it.

I got my $50USD worth out L4D easily by running through each of the campaigns a dozen times each.

i would say its banned becasue of drug use. afaik there is pills like in the first game, but i think they also added syringes of adrenaline and maybe others they havent revealed yet.

This is absurd.

GAME UK.

Actually it's probably cause it has clowns and some wanker on the OLFC was abused by one as a child and is now completely creeped out.

Rack up another point on the OFLC's fail tally.

play-asia, cdwow, etc etc

If they don't want our money in the middle of a financial crisis, don't give it to them.

As far as I know Steam games don't require a rating. Valve could release an RC version on Steam. Though they'll probably edit the game for retail and more sales.

i thought cdwow sells aussie versions of games.

UK/European I think.

ahh thats right. i remember l4d had euro printed on it.

Didn't they edit the first game for Aussies by making it so you couldn't mutilate zombies after they were dead? Possibly the version they submitted didn't have that edit applied to it from the first?

It's probably the fact you can dismember zombies with melee weapons. I think Deadspace had to tone that down to release here didn't they?

Dead Space was all about dismemberment, it was all in-tact in the Aussie version.

Wasn't sure about purchasing this game because the first one got old really fast however would like the option.

I felt I got my value from the first week of play but then campaigns are done. After that it's just mucking around in survival and versus. Definitely needs more campaigns.

As far as I know Steam games don't require a rating. Valve could release an RC version on Steam. Though they'll probably edit the game for retail and more sales.

Steam games still require a rating, I think what you're thinking of is the loophole where games that are played fully online and have no single player component (such as most MMOs) don't require a rating.

Left 4 Dead 2 Refused Classification in Australia

It's not April the 1st again is it!?

Would it have been an issue if the had made it DLC for the the original L4D?

Probably not, because then you wouldn't be getting any new features, just another campaign.

Sorry to start another thread, but we've gotten a hold of the official report and taken a closer look over here.

http://www.ausgamers.com/forums/general/thread.php/2787015