Dark Sector Too Much For Australia

It seems that ratings organizations are stepping up and taking a stronger stance on video game violence recently. Whether it’s that the graphics these days are so realistic or that the UK drew a line in the sand with banning Manhunt 2, something has really changed. Most recently, the OFLC, Australia’s ratings board, has refused to give Dark Sector a classification, which will block the game from being released there for the time being. The report describes the game as a “violent and sometimes gruesome game with a sinister storyline and ominous outcome. The violence and aggression inflicted upon the protagonist is of a high level, naturalistic and not stylised at all.” It’s very likely that the game will be reworked a little to take some of the objectionable material out and then resubmitted in the same fashion as Manhunt 2. Unfortunately this highlights the fact that Australia has no equivalent of an “R” rating in its system. The highest rating they have currently is an MA15+ rating.