Australia's strict classification system for video games--a system that sees any game deemed unsuitable for play by anyone under the age of 15 banned down under--has struck again. This time, upcoming survival horror first-person shooter Shellshock 2: Blood Trails has been refused classification due to its graphic violent content, according to a decision handed down late last week by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification.

　　Shellshock 2 is an Eidos game slated for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms, and it was due for release in 2009. The game places players in Vietnam War-era Cambodia, where a mysterious chemical dropped into the jungle has had some strange effects on people. An Atari spokesperson said there were currently no plans to appeal the banning decision.

　　Unlike for films and DVDs, the highest rating available for a video game in Australia is MA15+. This means that any game with content deemed by the OFLC as unsuitable for a 15-year-old is refused classification and becomes illegal to sell. The last game to be slapped with an RC was Dark Sector in February this year. Other games to have been banned down under include Blitz: The League, Eidos' Reservoir Dogs, Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, BMX XXX, Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Postal, Postal 2, Narc, and more.

　　For more information about Australia's game classification system, check out GameSpot AU's extensive feature on the subject, Censory Overload.