As you may have heard, Australia’s classification system is a bitch. With no R18+ rating, a notable number of high profile mature titles have been forced to nip and tuck the good bits in order to find their way to store shelves. Following the furore around Fallout 3, spook-fest Silent Hill: Homecoming also found itself at the wrong end of the Ban Stick last year, copping a big ‘sod off’ from the OFLC.
Konami have bounced back though and the game has been resubmitted and rated MA15+ and is expected to find a release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 20. So what did developer Konami need to exorcise from the horror show? We just received an email from local distributor Atari who had this to say:
“The major changes to the Australian release of Silent Hill Homecoming will be made to its cut scenes, where new camera angles and techniques will be used to reduce the impact of the unclassifiable material. These changes have only been made to some scenes, while the original storyline remains unchanged. Because of the availability of an R18+ rating in New Zealand, the version of Silent Hill Homecoming that will be available in that territory will remain unedited.”
So disappointing to say the least… on the part of our crappy classification system that is… but certainly a lot better than not getting the game at all. Be sure to stay tuned for a review shortly and to throw looks of jealousy at any Kiwi you see in the street.
For further reading:
The 60 Hottest Games of 2009.
The Best Games to Play Stoned.
