Left 4 Dead 2 Heading to Australia... Kind Of, Realism Mode Confirmed

66
Dan Webb

Good news Australia... kind of. You'll be getting Left 4 Dead 2 this coming November... kind of.

Following the news that Left 4 Dead 2 wouldn't be making its way to Australia, Valve submitted an edited version to the Australian classification board, which recently passed and will now be released as a MA 15+ in November.

Why aren't we over excited for our friends down under? Simple, there's been some cut backs. In the new edited version, the "depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment"  have all been cut. Just like that. Good news though, if you can call it that, is that the melee weapons that were also a problem are still included.

There's still hope for the unedited version to hit Australian stores, but all that relies on the October 22nd review of the unedited version by the same board. We'll keep you informed. In the meantime, if we can get everyone to cross their fingers, that would be super. Do it for our Aussie friends *crosses fingers*

In other Left 4 Dead 2 news, at the same preview event the Scavenge mode was revealed the other day, 1UP noticed a "realism mode," a special modifier that Valve's Chet Faliszek said "forget to hide." We see everything Chet... EVERYTHING!

Lombardi weighed in on the new realism mode which is included for the super hardcore players, "take Portal for example; we had our best internal players who could blow through that game in about 30 minutes, but within weeks of launching it, we had people on YouTube beating [the testers'] times by 10 minutes or more. Realism is for those players."

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but expert was hard enough, right? I wonder how this new mode will differ. If its things like shitting a brick when a horde of angry zombies run at you with a lust for blood in their eyes... I'll pass. More serious details though will come your way as soon as we hear them.

Comments
66
  • Australia isn't that strict with games. I mean they get the German version of the game and it's rated 15+, while it's rated 18 in Germany. So they are pretty easy going.
  • Great... my brother can get a hacked version while I get all the detail:)
  • good thing im in the US - id hate to be in Australia and have to deal with BS like this.
  • I hope that Realism mode is like in Zombie Movies - headshot kills only,more zombies,slower zombies lol
  • Just as long as there aren't a bunch of "Beat _____ on Realism" Achievements.
  • ya i don't want more of those "beat_____ on Realism" achievements either
  • 6# and 7#, why do i have a feelin you guys jinxd it. lol, only kindin i argee with you's, i just want a simple list for single player and a fun list for muilty.
  • Well that sucks... also I guess Realism mode for me will be like Survival.. too hard and annoying to bother playing :D
  • wasnt Australia founded by convicts? and isnt the drinking age there 18? why the fuck does it matter if VIDEO GAMES have gore? its essentially just an interactive cartoon
  • Its only a game, its not going to make people go round trying to shoot people who look like zombies.
  • @11 But what if they ARE zombies?!?!?
  • @10 cause video games are easy scapegoats unfortunately. its not like the game bares any resemblance to anywhere in australia, and what's wrong with a bit of decapitation, especially with a zombie onslaught, should be encouraged. the realism mode will need to add more accuracy to the weapons as well to make it worthwhile. maybe it'll also involve zombification in some kind of multiplayer mode, where you start out as human, then a scratch or a bite, you teammates can either kill you or leave you behind, either way, you turn into a special infected in a couple of minutes. probably not.
  • they better not of cut that shit in the american version. thats what makes it fun
  • Realism sounds quite challenging. Honestly, how much harder can the game get? If you're playing on Expert chances are you will die...die...and die. I suppose this is a great addition for those of us that actually want even more of a challenge though.
  • Australians would be better off just importing a PAL copy. No offence, but when a game has been edited that heavily, there's no point in playing it, as it just is not what the developers intended.
  • awwan i thought australia was kool =P
  • couldn't the aussies just discover the power of ebay and buy themselves a U.S. version of L4D2?
  • No need for expletives.
  • "depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment" have all been cut. Yeah no I don't think I'll be getting this game in Australia I'll be getting my copy from overseas, while they're at it why not just make it when you kill the zombies they spurt out rainbows instead of blood and slap on a PG rating. God damn I hate Australia's stupid classification for games.
  • Problem is with all these difficulties and this just isn't left 4 dead its games in general, they just up the damage dealt to you and downsize what you dole out. Games devs need to look at other ways to address difficulty.
  • @16 The game wasn't edited heavy at all. They just took out the gore. The gameplay will be exactly the same. At least it isn't banned in Australia and they can at least get this version. Better no gore than no game at all I say. If they don't like it, just order it overseas.
  • I HATE THIS EDIITED CRAP, I WANT FULL GORE,also @2 in oz (Australia) we dont have a 18+ for video Games, they either get cut back, or Banned
  • @18 You can't play PAL games in NTSC consoles and vise-versa, so no.
  • Hopefully New Zealand doesn't get the Australian version of L4D2
  • @24 unless its a region free game. I cant wait for this and this "Realism" mode sounds awesome!
  • @20 LOL yeah and they should make the zombies ride laughing happy unicorns too. They need to add an 18+ rating for games already, adults need to be able to choose what they do or do not want to play. This country is getting more and more pathetic as the years go by. I won't be buying the censored version but if it's region free then importing sounds like a decent idea.
  • @2, do your rersearch buddy, Australia has banned more video games than any other country in the world. WE NEED AN 18+ RATING SYSTEM FOR VIDEOGAMES. Aussie beaurocrats think that gamers are all 16yo kids. When you consider Bioshock and Fallout 3 were almost banned down here as well, it boggles the mind what we have the potential to miss out on.
  • good thing im in the uk, ill send my aussie buddies some xxxx beer to enjoy
  • Im from Germany and here most of the gory games where also banned or cut. Think this australian version is the same as the german. Here its like: You have your german amazon account. Sign in with the same account in the english amazon and just order. I think every second german gamer buys his games in Austria,UK,NL or Switzerland.
  • >___< glad i dont live in Australia. don't see why they cut the gore out of a M-rated game....its not like little kids should have the game in the first place. I'm not callin anyone out or anything im just sayin....18+ means 18+...I'm tired of running into annoying kids on M-rated games..and i think alot of you are to. If i hear Chocolate Rain one more time.....
  • im fron down under and im not shore how much they have took out but i hope we get at least some gore l4d 1 hadsame amount of gore
  • their being no gore will realy make just look like left 4 dead 1, just better graphices and differnt levels. Hope the unedited verson makes it.
  • Guts for the Ozzies lol. hope us Kiwis (New Zealanders) get the unedited version.
  • ahh, it great that i can just import a uk version,
  • Screw that. I'll be ordering mine from New Zealand - they have an R18+ rating and their games work on Australian consoles.
  • give us a cricket bat instead of a baseball bat then, if we are gonna have our own version
  • Realism surely that means no more stopping dead when your slapped from behind as that ISN'T realistic in the slightest? Hopefully no achievements will acompany this mode either.
  • How can you have a zombie game with no decapitations or dismemberment? Are they smoking crack? Usually they take a headshot to kill in movies, and they cut it out? IMPORT, fo sure guys. It wont even be the same game.
  • Realism = no melee. Called it first.
  • Realism = one hit kills, no melee (as 40 said) and limited ammo and health packs (that includes the pistols). I'll pass, I play video games for fun, not to gain some un-usable skills and frustrate myself. God please don't let there be realistic achievements, I'll shit bricks if there is.
  • @#1 Australia doesn't have an 18+ Game rating, which is why it was edited down to be fitted in the 15+ bracket
  • bullshit fuck this no decap pointless fuck this shit off
  • Getting it on pc anyway so if the unedited version doesn't get passed I bet there'll be a popular mod which includes all the gore and whatnot.
  • "Australia isn't that strict with games." WRONG - what is this article about? /argument
  • are u fuckin serious?! harden the fuck up and bring it to australia!!! they had no problems with games like deadspace....?
  • All you guys in the states that are eligible to vote and dont need to think long and hard about this. There are politicians here that would love to do the same thing to our gaming industry. I sincerely sympathize for you Aussies, and hope this gets sorted out soon. IMO, any game, any where should be allowed with proper ratings. Censorship is unfair, regardless of the content in question. It needs to be intrusted to the retailers and parents to control what kids play, not governing bodies.
  • I'm in Australia, if they don't give us the proper version they can get fucked, I'll just get a PAL version of it off of eBay or something, it won't be as fun without the gore.
  • Just buy the game from New Zealand over Ebay if your from Australia they have R18+ Fucking Australian rating system blows.
  • I posted about this in the forums a couple of days ago. The reason australia is so strict is because we have no 18+ rating in our games area. Basically no store that sells games would sell an 18+ game, other than EB under the counter or something. As i keep saying, i'll buy mine from the UK, much cheaper too.
  • fuck em i would rather the original version so ill import itz sux on that Aus
  • realism mode will probably have alot more human restrictions kinda like the melee kool down timer from the last games online modes. your probbalby going to see run and jump stamina decrease in accuracy the greater damage youve taken or other real word limitations that are teh suk. but regardless im exited for it
  • Im so glad i cant get the unedited version here in Aus, i dont think i can handle it. I would probably go out and kill people in reality. Cuz video games make us do that. /sarcasm Im 20 years old and have to kill zombies with kindness cuz we cant have gore
  • If I remember rightly, Gears of War 2 was released in Austrailia without any problems, and that's a way gorier game than L4D. Heads popping from headshots, people being chainsawed in half, explosives reducing you to giblets... I don't see why the board is in such a huff over L4D2. I guess our friends down under could always just import an unedited copy from the UK, since we're both PAL regions, last I checked.
  • I'm not in autralia but damn this sucks. They use games as a scapegoat for everything there not the fact guns are widely available lol seriously australian goverment GTFO. Is the country run by fucking jack thompson?
  • sorry austrailia thats some BS right there, damn.
  • oh god ive been waiting for this game for like 3 months or more maybe less i dunno but realism mode. i barely survived expert. sorry austrailia that blows.
  • I hope NZ get the unedited. Then us Aussies can just order from there :P Seriously though, this is just a load of bull. GIVE US AN 18+ YOU ESRB ***HOLES
  • The stupid thing is that its just 1 guy who is stopping us from getting an R18+ rating. all the other guys want it but because everyone needs to say Yes the 18+ hasnt been allowed. this has been going on for like 10 years or somthing insane like that. im just glad that its not banned here anymore
  • i wonder if the 2 different version will have different achieve's or you can double um up like rainbow, can't believe on an achieve site im first to mention it i must be a proper whore hehe
  • come on unedited version *crosses everything that can be*, my visions of the first meeting: "Australian classification board ~ lets make the guns shoot tellitubies and rainbows and turn the melee weaps. into inflatable squeaky hammers.... thats another game screwed over."
  • Why!!! Shipped to America
  • im hoping the oz l4d fans get their unedited copy. but at the same time. when you have people screaming "I WANT FULL GORE!!!!!!!111ONE" i think its time to cut back on the shooters for a while bro. lol
  • FUCK! Why don't they just make drinking alcohol illigal (LOL can't spell :p)
  • good luck aussie
  • Aussie here..... Fuck. ME. We never manage to get the more brutal games over here lol I had to import Manhunt 2. I would rather import it from somewhere else than be stuck with an edited model of the full product.
  • @6 I agree, that would really suck.
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