Considering that one guy basically decides what games are
appropriate for sale in the entirety of Australia, and that one guy thinks every
game should be suitable for four-year-olds, you may not be shocked to hear that Alien vs. Predator was effectively banned by the
Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification
(OFLC).
Normally when the OFLC refuses to classify a game, the developers choose to modify the title in order to comply with the MA15+ guidelines. Unfortunately, when this happens the game usually looks and plays terribly. If you’ve seen footage of the Australian version of Left 4 Dead 2, then you know what I mean. Bodies disappear before they hit the ground, blood is barely visible and giblets are non-existant. The OFLC forced Valve to make an adult game “kid-friendly” — something which is almost impossible.
True to their name, Rebellion Developments, the team behind AVP, have refused to release a “sanitized or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices.” [via News.com.au]:
The inherent problem is that Australia does not possess a “mature” rating for video games. While films with overt sexual or violent themes earn an M18 rating, the OFLC operates under the draconian assumption that video games are solely made for children. Reading news stories which concern Australia’s policy toward violent video games, I often come across terms like “civil liberties” and “human equality.” Well, I’m not certain that the refusal to classify AVP is a restriction of human rights, but I do know that I’m willing to support Australian gamers in their fight to defeat the alien and predatory OFLC!