Australian Censors rate it XXXX
AUSSIE censors have killed off the popular
Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back game claiming that it is too violent for gentle sensitive Australian souls.
The game, which was to be flogged on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, was refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
Gamers down under are up in virtual arms over the ban which is caused by the fact that Australia does not classify games as R18. If the censors think it will offend the sensibilities of an Australian 16 year old it simply gets banned.
According to the
Sydney Morning Herald, the average Australian gamer is 28, and over 50 per cent of gamers are over the age of 18.
So far
Blitz: The League,
BMX XXX,
Manhunt,
Reservoir Dogs and
50 Cent: Bullet Proof have all been banned.
Blitz was banned because it "contains drug use related to incentives or rewards".
What got the
Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back, banned was the fact that when you shot someone there was a spray of blood.
The censor said that when the enemy is shot from close range, the blood spray is substantial, especially when a high-calibre weapon is used, and blood splatters onto the ground and walls in the environment.
Targeting limbs of the opponents can result in the limb flying off with large amounts of blood spraying forth from the stump. Sometimes the pixel person may remain alive before eventually dying from the wounds.
The censors acknowledged that the gore could be switched off but the panel of experts came over all raw prawny and had to pop out for a quick chunder afterwards.
The INQuirer