First R18+ title announced - Ninja Gaiden 3: Razer's Edge

Well that happened sooner than anyone could have expected. The first title to be rated R18+ in Australia has been announced, and it is Ninja Gaiden 3: Razer's Edge - the Wii U version of the third title in the popular Extreme Action series. Razer's Edge has been rated R18+ due to "High impact bloody violence".


What high impact bloody violence?

No straight port of the original version of Ninja Gaiden 3, Razor's Edge will use the Wii U's GamePad to change inventory, show additional information and can alternatively be used to offer touchscreen controls to the player, similar to the Ninja Gaiden DS game Dragon Sword. The game will also include new weapons, enemies and areas and will introduce an upgrade system and online co-op featuring Dead or Alive's Ayane. Most importantly to the classification board, the game will also reintroduce dismemberment of enemies and advanced violent and bloody effects. Ms Lesley O'Brien - the Director of the Classification Board - explained in a press release:

Under the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games, R 18+ computer games will have a high impact and it is for this reason that these games are not suitable for under 18s. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge contains violence that is high in impact because of its frequency, high definition graphics, and emphasis on blood effects.

So there you have it, Australia is now in line with the rest of the world - the ESRB in the United States classified Razor's Edge M(17+) and Europe's PEGI classified it 18+. Under the new laws it will be illegal to sell R18+ titles to minors, although it's not yet known how that will be enforced. A release date for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge has yet to be announced - hopefully it won't be before Queensland manages to figure out their own legislation after the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee report comes out on February 7th.