Left 4 Dead 2 – Uncensored in Australia

Small victories are being obtained against the Australian Classification Board, that many Australians have come to dread, one of them being the classification of the complete uncensored version of Left 4 Dead 2. Even though it came five years after the initial release of the game, Left 4 Dead 2 has finally made it, obtaining an R18+ rating. The Date of Classification is 29 August 2014 and the Consumer Advice reads “High impact violence, blood and gore”.

Left 4 Dead 2 was sent in by Valve back in 2009, when the game launched, but the Australian Classification Board declined the classification of the original version. Back then, there was no R18+ classification in Australia. Thus, the game was banned. Valve sent it yet another copy of the game, this time heavily censored. The board awarded the edited version of Left 4 Dead 2 with an MA 15+ rating. The censored version was lacking all the important elements that made the game entertaining, which made the game really dull.

According to Kotaku, Doug Lombardi of Valve confirmed the news to Kotaku Australia, stating that “We are delighted that the full version of Left 4 Dead 2 will be available to fans age 18+ in Australia,” he said. “We are making plans to deliver that version to those who have already purchased the game. We will announce more details on that soon.”

The Australian Federal Parliament made a right move when they passed legislation for the R18+ category for video game classification back in February 2012, that came into effect one year later, in January 2013. So there you have it, you are now allowed to bash out brains, set fire to rotten flesh and satisfy your unending desire for blood and gore without having to worry about the Australian government. That is, if you live in Australia, of course.