Source: ClubSkill.com yesterday, everyone and their mother today.

　　The official story: Capcom--no. Microsoft--no comment. German ratings board--nein available for comment.

　　What we heard: Those censors are at it again. The game in question this time is Dead Rising, which sees players hacking up ex-humans (zombies) in all sorts of ways. The game has raised the red flag in Germany, where its ratings board, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), has denied Dead Rising a rating because of its violent content.

　　And that's where the confusion begins. Several Web sites are reporting that game has been outright banned in Germany, which isn't entirely correct, according to Capcom.

　　"According to Capcom Germany, the game has not been banned in Germany. The game ships on September 8," a Capcom rep told GameSpot.

　　A quick sifting through German law reveals that Capcom is technically right--but don't expect to see Dead Rising in the top 10 best-seller lists in the country. In order for a game to be on store shelves and sold to a wide audience, the German government requires that a USK rating must be provided. However, games without a USK mark may still be bought and sold by request of adults, though the titles in question may not be advertised. The actual transaction between supplier and buyer must also be performed in person to ensure the questionable material does not fall into the hands of a minor; games and other media lacking a USK mark may not be delivered through the mail. (By contrast, no law requires US games to have an ESRB rating, but most stores will not carry unrated games voluntarily.)

　　When asked about the game's status with the USK, both Capcom and Microsoft had similar answers--neither were able to provide comment.

　　Dead Rising could still be toned down to appease regional officials and get the German equivalent of an M-for-Mature rating. This has occurred in the past, most notably with the PC game Carmageddon. Ironically, the German release of the vehicular combat game turned the human pedestrians/targets into zombies, a move deemed more acceptable.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: An outright ban is bogus. However, like the zombies in Dead Rising, this issue doesn't appear to be completely dead.