As we all know by now, Valve has had to edit Left 4 Dead 2 because Australia’s rating system is demented and won’t allow any game deemed unfit for fifteen-year-olds. Unfortunately, this means that the zombie splattering game will have plenty of zombies, but no splattering. Want to see how bad the edits are? Watch this video.
The footage was uploaded to YouTube and is based on the Australian version of the L4D2 demo. As you can see, the blood has been more or less completely removed, save for a few stains on the shirts of the infected. Bodies no longer stay on the ground, no limbs will ever leave a zombie’s body, and none of the infected catch fire. Ultimately, it looks clean, empty … and kind of dull.
While I’m not implying that gore is what makes Left 4 Dead fun, there’s no denying that the lack of blood n’ guts makes the game look so much more bland and unamusing. Shooting a zombie feels hollow when it’s not rewarded with a gush of claret or an exploding head.
So yeah, well done, Australia. You’ve ruined another videogame.
[Update: Attention Australians! Here’s a way to bypass the censorship completely. Enjoy!]
