SYDNEY: Australia's media regulator Office of Film and Literature Classification has refused to grant a rating to computer game Reservoir Dogs. This in effect bans the game from being sold in the country.
The content of Reservoir Dogs, which will be released in the U.K. by gaming company Eidos Interactive in PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, has been found to have "frequent depictions of violence that have a high impact" and hence does not fit into any of the G, PG, M, MA15+ ratings.
It is based around the cult Quentin Tarantino movie of the same name. It takes off from a central heist and allows gamers to use their imagination in filling some of the gaps left in the movie. According to the regulator, players can "blow the heads off hostages and police as well as execute hostages at point-blank range with a gunshot to the head."
The game's distributors in Australia, Atari, said it will not make any resubmissions with an edited version for a reclassification.
Australia has tough laws for games, especially those containing violent or sexual content. In the past, games Leisure Suit Larry, NARC, Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto III were banned. In a recent instance, the regulator had refused permission to Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, contending it could promote graffiti.
Reservoir Dogs was due for release in July. It is now undergoing classification proceedings in New Zealand.
