Unedited Left 4 Dead 2 Appeal Refused by Australian Ratings Board
The edited version Valve has created for the country will be released, regardless of Valve's appeal.
Kotaku Australia had the opportunity to talk to Gabe Newell recently, particularly about Left 4 Dead 2 and the version that will appear for release in Australia.
The game was originally refused classification in the country due to its excessive violence. Valve made an appeal to the Australian Ratings Board in an attempt to persuade them to reassess the title and the classification.
Newell informed Kotaku that the appeal was struck down by the board and that the edited version created by the company would have to be released.
Unfortunately for Australians, there will be no option to pick up the unedited version of the title in the country.
The Australian Ratings Board issued the following statement in regards to the game's release:
Press Release
According to the Classification Review Board, the game has been once again refused classification due to violence.
In the Review Board's opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification. The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.
In addition, it was the Review Board's opinion that there was insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional 'infected' characters. This was a major consideration of the Review Board in determining the impact of this game on minors.
Computer games classified RC cannot be sold, hired, advertised or demonstrated in Australia.
The Classification Review Board convened today in response to an application from the distributor of the computer game, Electronic Arts, to review the decision made by the Classification Board on 15 September 2009 to classify Left 4 Dead 2 RC.
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