The OFLC, the Australian equivalent of the ESRB, has rated the upcoming survival horror game Dead Rising 2 as suitable for ages 15 and up. As the OFLC does not have a Mature of 18+ rating option available, the board generally refused to classify similar games in the past. As all video games are required to bear an OFLC rating, this effectively forced developers to censor content or remove content from their games to allow these games to be released in the country.
In Europe, the game the United Kingdom and other European nations, the game is classified as 18+, while the ESRB has classified the game as “Mature”, or 17+. The Australian rating board has rated Dead Rising 2 as 15+ for “Strong Horror Violence, Blood and Gore, and Sexual References.”
In recent months, it has become increasingly likely that a “Mature” or “18+” rating will be introduced in Australia. In the past, the banning of games like Alien vs. Predator had already been appealed with success. The Australian version of Left 4 Dead 2, however, did not contain any depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies in order to meet the OFLC requirements last year.
Dead Rising 2 was delayed earlier this week, and is now scheduled for a release on September 28th for PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
I’m shocked after the butchering that L4D2 got in Australia.