The hotly anticipated Aliens Vs. Predator video game has been refused classification in Australia by the Classification Operations Board of Australia, Sega announced on Friday.
Vispi Bhopti, PR Manager for SEGA Australian issued the following statement: "SEGA Australia can today confirm that the initial submission of Aliens vs Predator has been Refused Classification by the Classification Operations Board of Australia. We will continue to investigate all options available to us, including the possibility of appeal".
An alleged copy of the board's decision (PDF) posted at states the game contains "violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 years to play... The game contains first-person perspective, close-up depictions of human characters being subjected to various types of violence, including explicit decapitation and dismemberment as well as locational damage such as stabbing through the chest, throat, mouth or eyes."
Because Australia lacks an R/18+ classification for games, any title deemed "adults only" cannot legally be sold. The lack of an R rating for games in Australia has been a cause of mounting frustration among gamers. Tow months ago, it was announced that EA’s hotly anticipated Left 4 Dead 2 had been refused classification in Australia by the OFLC due to "high-impact" violence. Other recent games to run afoul of the OFLC include Silent Hill: Homecoming, Grand Thefy Auto IV and Fallout 3.
Aliens Vs. Predator is slated for release in the first quarter of 2010 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC formats.
(Further reading: Banned Downunder: Five games that didn’t make it past the censors.)
