The other day we mentioned how the Mortal Kombat reboot, which has been prohibited from being released in Australia, due to their extremely stringent rules as it pertains to depictions of violence in video games, might finally be sold in stores via the Australia's Classification Board recently established R18+ rating.
Well, now comes word that Left 4 Dead 2, another game that had been effectively banned from the country, at least initially, might also make an appearance after-all. A completely intact return appearance, to be more precise.
According to Gamespot, Valve's Chet Faliszek told users in the official Steam forums that:
"… We have been exploring the options here and what we can legally do. We will have more information on this when we understand the issues fully and how we are moving forward but don't worry any cost associated with it doesn't worry us, this is something we want to do."
Left 4 Dead 2 was rejected by the Australian Classification Board in 2009 over "realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence". But unlike Warner Bros Interactive, who attempted to appeal a similar decision when Mortal Kombat was initially rejected as well, and who were ultimately unsuccessful, Valve re-submitted the game with some modifications.
This altered version removed decapitation and limb dismemberment. Which was enough to satiate the board; the censored iteration of the game was eventually released, but the response was fairly negative. Though all the complaints were directed at Australian Classification Board and its policies; many felt Valve did what they simply had to do.
One also has to wonder if this is the start of a trend and perhaps we'll see other games that had been initially rejected making another stab at the Australian marketplace.
