Australia Bans Reservoir Dogs Months Before Release

Australian gamers can now add another title to the list of games they won't be playing.

As reported by APC, Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) has refused to rate Atari's upcoming Reservoir Dogs, effectively banning it Down Under.

The game, which was scheduled for release later this year, mirrors the plot of the 1992 film, which itself received an R18 rating from the OFLC.

Although games and films use the same rating system in Australia, no R18 rating exists for games; anything stronger than MA15 is simply banned. Though the OFLC cites "medium level violence" and "medium level course language" in their rating of the film, no justification has yet been given for the games failure to achieve a rating. Blitz Games, developer of Reservoir Dogs, have said in the past that it's possible to complete the game without killing anyone.

Atari's PR and Promotions Manager, David Wildgoose, suggests to APC that the publisher will not seek to resubmit an edited version of the game, commenting, "That's the end of the matter."

It certainly seems that way for Australian Reservoir Dogs fans.

- Reporting from increasingly-less-sunny Hobart, GP Australian Correspondent Alex "Mr Ferret" Morris

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