The Reservoir Dogs game, (which is in no way in the same category as a Nintendogs game), has been refused a game rating by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) board in Australia, according to APC magazine. There are only four classifications available for games in Australia; G, PG, M and MA15+. The failure of the game to receive a category labeling effectively makes it illegal for the game to be sold or rented in the “land down under.” Violation of the law would bring jail time and high fines.
The Reservoir Dogs game, which is based upon the movie of the same title, is about a group of thieves whose attempt to rob a jewelry store goes terribly wrong. The movie is filled with graphic depictions of violence and blood. The game was to mirror the plot of the film with several additional plotlines to explain various omissions from the movie.
The board, in its decision not to classify the game, makes Reservoir Dogs the second title from Atari to be banned from Australia this year. The other game, Marc Ecko,s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, was reclassified from its MA15+ rating to a no rating status in February 2006. The board refused the Ecko game a rating because it violated national classification guidelines and codes. The OFLC stated, “…a computer game will be refused classification if it includes or contains detailed instruction or promotion of matters of crime. It is the Classification Review Board,s determination that this game promotes the crime of graffiti."
Oddly enough, the developers of the Reservoir Dogs video game, Blitz Games, is known for their children oriented titles such as Bratz, Fairly OddParents, and Barbie. When the promotions manager of Atari was asked about their intensions of possibly re-editing the game for Australia, he replied, “That,s the end of the matter.”
