R18+ Classification now in effect in (most of) Australia!

Yes folks, it is a new year - 2013 - and as we learned when parliament first agreed to push through R18+ legislation, that means the federal acceptance of R18+ as a classification is now in effect. The ACT were the first to implement their legislation governing how R18+ titles are handled, and the rest of the states soon followed - except for, sigh, Queensland.

Queensland is expected to look into the matter in February, with a Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee report expected to be released on February 7th. No doubt my beautiful home state is only holding back so they can retain their status of 'the Australian Deep South' in 2013. Until then, R18+ classified titles will still be illegal in Queensland, instead of legal like they are in the rest of the country as of yesterday.

Of course, none of this really matters as there don't appear to be any titles potentially capable of a rating of R18+ in the near future, giving the Queensland government plenty of time to get their act together. As we have mentioned before, current titles which have been refused classification are unlikely to go through the costly and time consuming process of resubmission, so don't expect to see Mortal Kombat or Risen on shelves in the near future. Nevertheless, if you are lucky enough not to live in Queensland, it's time to celebrate being treated like responsible human adults! What do you think the first R18+ game in Australia will be? Dead Space 3? DmC? Aliens: Colonial Marines? Let us know in the comments below!