AU House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Edition RC decision overturned

Following an appeal by publisher Sega Australia, the Australian Classification Board has awarded House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Edition an MA15+ rating in place of its earlier decision to refuse classification.

Refused Classification first noted the overturned decision, posting the following statement from the board's meeting yesterday afternoon:

"A three member panel of the Classification Review Board (the Review Board) has by unanimous decision determined that the computer game House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut is classified MA 15+ (Mature Accompanied) with the consumer advice ‘strong horror violence, strong coarse language’.

"This computer game contains strong horror violence and frequent coarse language. In the Review Board’s opinion the overall impact of these elements is no higher than strong."

Content which is ruled greater than "strong" in impact results in a refused classification rating; products which are refused classification cannot be sold within Australia.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are proud to confirm that the game will be released in Australia in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed in any way," Sega Australia managing director Darren Macbeth said in a press release this morning.

"We were confident of successfully appealing the Board’s original decision to refuse classification and appreciate that the Classification Review Board has made a decision that complies with the current guidelines and framework."

Upon initial assessment in late August, the board ruled that the Extended Edition's Hardcore Mode "exceeds strong in impact", making it unsuitable for the same classification as the original Wii release, which sported an MA15+ rating.

House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Edition releases in Australia on PlayStation 3 on October 27.