Shellshock 2 banned in Australia

Vietnam War-era horror FPS refused classification in Australia due to high levels of violence; Atari says no appeal currently planned.

Australia's strict classification system for video games--a system that sees any game deemed unsuitable for play by anyone under the age of 15 banned down under--has struck again. This time, upcoming survival horror first-person shooter Shellshock 2: Blood Trails has been refused classification due to its graphic violent content, according to a decision handed down late last week by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Shellshock 2 is an Eidos game slated for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms, and it was due for release in 2009. The game places players in Vietnam War-era Cambodia, where a mysterious chemical dropped into the jungle has had some strange effects on people. An Atari spokesperson said there were currently no plans to appeal the banning decision.

Unlike for films and DVDs, the highest rating available for a video game in Australia is MA15+. This means that any game with content deemed by the OFLC as unsuitable for a 15-year-old is refused classification and becomes illegal to sell. The last game to be slapped with an RC was Dark Sector in February this year. Other games to have been banned down under include Blitz: The League, Eidos' Reservoir Dogs, Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, BMX XXX, Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Postal, Postal 2, Narc, and more.

For more information about Australia's game classification system, check out GameSpot AU's extensive feature on the subject, Censory Overload.

71 Comments

  • gotham1175

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 5:23 am GMT

    Does Australia ban media coverage of all the horrible crap going on the middle east too?

  • Dagamemonkey

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 5:21 am GMT

    Australia's not missing anything. The game is mediocre at best.

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 9:07 am GMT

    Can't play as Australian troops in that game so why it for the Aussie gamers.

  • venomking93

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 9:21 am GMT

    lucky im nu australian!!

  • UFCFAN1989

    Posted Feb 16, 2009 10:59 pm GMT

    That suck for you aussies. All I know is i be dropping the money for this looks pretty good.

  • PSySpin

    Posted Feb 16, 2009 5:28 am GMT

    This must be the best law ever, Ausies Rock!!!!!

  • Wings_008

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:31 am GMT

    the Aussies need to loosen up a bit...............c'mon!

  • Gorenutter

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 10:29 am GMT

    Damn and I thought the BBFC was bad.

  • chechak7

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 1:52 pm GMT

    Eidos games is woseam can't wait

  • JP-

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 8:52 am GMT

    its a damn game i think more violent movies are seen then violent games are played by kids

  • StarlightHunter

    Posted Feb 3, 2009 10:02 am GMT

    this is too all the austrialian people here. im stick of seeing this, games getting banned for you guys. fight for them. its absolutley dicsusting that your government are banning games. protest.

  • Shwa86

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 8:25 pm GMT

    It's illegal to import RC games, videos, DVDs, magazines and books into Australia.

    Lots of people do it, but if customs do catch it the penalties far outweigh the experience of playing the banned games.

  • maf17

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 2:32 am GMT

    Can you buy banned games from overseas? And will they work in our machines? I was assuming they would be regionalised like DVDs

  • madassgorilla

    Posted Jan 10, 2009 6:59 pm GMT

    cant the australians think tht the whole world r playing these games..just let thr kids play the video games what the hell its not a crime against nature or anythin so whats the prob???...coming fom a russian who feels ur pain

  • kramgref

    Posted Dec 18, 2008 4:17 pm GMT

    Im an aussie I just buy my banned games from overseas sellers , that stuffs them...

  • Hellboard

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 11:09 am GMT

    whatever am not in the Australia, ill get it!

  • spazmo_69

    Posted Nov 27, 2008 2:11 am GMT

    ahh no jonathon187 its the goverment, us aussies have no say, and yes it sucks so very much >

  • jonathon187

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 2:30 am GMT

    Lol, man I'm so glad I'm not an Aussie gamer that would be so pathetic, I would get the feck Out of the country as soon as possible, it seems Australia is the next china, pretty sad how u let this happen, it's not the government it's the people that don't make them change.

  • ParaBellum71

    Posted Oct 17, 2008 9:25 am GMT

    Whoever said guns are illegal in aurstralia needs to wiki stuff at least, before he types. Ya it's sad they are banning games but with a story line like this.... are you guys really going to miss it? Or maybe it's a cover-up by the Australian goverment to hide the real reason the U.S pulled out of vietnam... /sarcasm just incase some thinks im serious.

    Notice most of the games have to do with violence in public.... sounds like someone's afraid of the next columbine in thier country.

  • colts99

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 4:07 am GMT

    this is some fed up repugnant sh--

  • crudmanIV

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 1:36 am GMT

    @jackwillkillu: Um I dont think Australia has banned guns. There's a gun store down my street.(in Bankstown )

  • travis_y

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 11:59 pm GMT

    seruisly im getting pissed that there banning heaps of these games

  • jackwillkillu

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 12:26 am GMT

    Aussies ban guns, now games. It just shows how fast the world is slipping away from freedom and toward control. Are we going to stand by and watch it happen? As control slips from our grasps and into the filthy hands of politicians? Aussies stand up for yourselves, to embrace Governmental Control is to deny freedom and its a slippery slope.

  • 3-dee

    Posted Jul 13, 2008 3:42 pm GMT

    Found a link to some sceens...
    Its on a czech site...
    Looks pretty good and gory!
    http://www.cenega.cz/hra.php?id_game=387&id_platform=5

  • morbid_man_guy

    Posted Jul 9, 2008 5:40 pm GMT

    Hey Rusty,
    They did get banned, but came back on the shelves with modifications, eg prostitutes in the aussie gta3 don't work. hehehe, they don't 'work'.

  • Mr_Tweedy

    Posted Jul 9, 2008 1:01 pm GMT

    That doesn't make any sense. How can they ban a game that isn't finished yet?

  • K-Grogg

    Posted Jul 9, 2008 5:23 am GMT

    All this is doing is causing an increase in game piracy, depriving Australia of taxes they could get from the dealing of these games, and making more unhappy gamers.

  • Rusty_Bullet101

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 12:51 am GMT

    GTA3 and GTA:SA were banned?! Did the ban get overruled or something, because pretty much everyone has those games....

  • DaDude253

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 5:18 pm GMT

    lol they banned a previous shell shock game in 2004

  • FloSSiE_RuLz

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 11:58 pm GMT

    Thats y u should buy those banned games from ebay or something. But banning this and other games is really is bull $#!T

  • chaoscougar1

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 11:20 pm GMT

    bashmentkid, your ignorance is amazing id really love to know where u got these genius facts from. and considering ure belief that because we were founded by criminals that DNA means we must all be criminals. well by that logic we are should all be black, african, many religions shouldnt exist and well sacifices to our gods sounds good right about now

  • freek33

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 9:48 pm GMT

    bashmentkid, In an attempt to sound intelligent you have made an ignorant fool of yourself. The internet is a great place for the people who should not be heard to be heard. Silly boy

  • Sammojo

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 8:57 pm GMT

    bashmentkid, such a thorough knowledge of Australia's history. The number of criminals who came over in the first fleet has been so over exaggerated it's not funny. Not to mention the fact that half of them were only in Gaol for stealing a loaf of bread of some pompous, rich English nobleman, or because they nicked a piece of wool (the punishment for which was 7 years). The overwhelming majority of them were in there for petty theft, or for bizarre stuff like burning clothes, yeah I don't get it either. And our borders are so much like that of Mexico? The last time I crossed into New South Wales, a bunch of Red Necks burst out of the bushes and held a legal bunch of shotguns to my head because I was trying to smuggle in some vegetables. Yeah right.

    If you are American, then I forgive you. It isn't your fault that you are not taught anything about the rest of the world in your schools. Otherwise, get out and learn something.

  • High_and_Mighty

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 7:26 pm GMT

    You're absolutely right freek33, it just seemed like the unintelligent, seepingly bias bashing from bashmentkid stemmed from pure jeaulousy, probably from living in a less fortunate country, as opposed to actually caring that we in Australia (very infrequently) miss out on games which should be given an 18+ rating.

  • freek33

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 7:01 pm GMT

    High_and_Mighty

    I get what you are saying, I'm from the UK but live in Oz. Great place to live but that doesn't stop the idea of having an R18+ rating making lots of sense.

  • High_and_Mighty

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 6:50 pm GMT

    My favorite part about some of these negative responses is that I guarantee that you wish you lived in Australia (obviously would never admit it) we have excellent health care, tax system, phenomenally diverse landscapes, job opportunities and culture. Never mind the amazing night-life, gorgeous women and more amazing surf beaches then I know what to do with. Bummer, missed out on what was probably a mediocre game.

    Small price to pay to live in paradise.

  • Skull-Fire

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 11:48 am GMT

    This makes it sound like we never got GTA 3 and SA, well we did, they were just taken off the market for a very short amount of time.

  • rharrigal

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 6:59 am GMT

    Condemned bloodshot is okay and this is not?

  • IrishThisUp

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 6:09 am GMT

    You seriously fail at life if you must attack Australia every time a single mediocre game is banned.

  • denaz

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 6:57 pm GMT

    Sigh

  • jakob_187

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 3:31 pm GMT

    @bashmentkid: nice job ripping off Yahtzee...next time, be a little more original.

    Honestly, it's not like Shellshock 2 is even going to be that good of a game, as the first one was horrible anyways. Actually, most of the games on the list above are absolutely horrific games. Therefore, maybe it doesn't have to do with the mature content. Maybe they are just trying to be nice about it and not tell the publishers and developers, "Hey, your games suck, and we don't want suck corrupting the minds of our country...thankyouverymuch".

  • Hicks_1

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 8:28 am GMT

    Over what? what gameplay video or tralier had them ban this game? Theres has not been a screenshot on this game for it to be banned outright like this

  • 3-dee

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 2:10 am GMT

    I wonder what the Atari had to do with this?
    By the way the developer isnt Guerrilla, it is Rebellion.

  • Zloth2

    Posted Jul 1, 2008 9:42 pm GMT

    I wonder if we'll start seeing "Banned in Australia!" as part of advertising campaigns?

  • X-RS

    Posted Jul 1, 2008 8:13 pm GMT

    wow, im amazed this is the case. i mean how is it the people citizens agree to this?

  • giort08

    Posted Jul 1, 2008 6:29 am GMT

    F*&K! I hate this countries backwards-arse rating system.

    Kiss my Arse Australia, Overseas Importers are getting my money from now on....

  • CrackerMcGee

    Posted Jul 1, 2008 12:15 am GMT

    in Australia they have MA15 nude magazines

  • Briantb_2008

    Posted Jun 30, 2008 4:26 pm GMT

    Worst then the brits, this is why i like being american

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