It's happened once again; the Australian Classification Board have decided to censor yet another title. This time they have taken it upon themselves to protect the people of Australia from Starbreeze's Syndicate.
I'm sure Australian gamers are thanking them already.
This report, found by Kotaku Australia, details the reasons why Syndicate has been refused classification. The highlights are: "Combatants take locational damage and can be explicitly dismembered, decapitated or bisected by the force of the gunfire."
"Flesh and bone are often exposed while arterial sprays of blood continue to spurt from wounds at regular intervals.... It is possible for a player to decapitate a corpse with a headshot before individually blowing off each of its limbs."
"In the opinion of the Board, the game contains intense sequences of violence which include detailed depictions of decaptitation and dismemberment that are high in playing impact...... It is therefore unsuitable for a minor to see or play and should be Refused Classification."
This is by no means the first time that the Australian Classification Board has deemed a game too violent for its citizens to play. Mortal Kombat is perhaps the most notable title, but games like The Witcher 2, Risen and The Getaway have all had troubles (although they were all released once the offending content was revised).