New Zealand gamers awaiting Valve's splatter-fest Left 4 Dead 2 may still get the opportunity to buy the game, despite Australia's decision to ban it from sale.

The Australian Government Classification Board (AGCB) decided on Tuesday that the game, which lets people play as a human survivor of a rabies-like virus fighting to reach a safe house, or an infected human hunting survivers, was too gory for the Australian public.

In the AGCB decision, published online by news.com.au, the Board said the damage inflicted the game's melee weapons, like crowbars, axes and chainsaws, encouraged their use. Those weapons led to "copious amounts of blood, spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment, as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore".

Games classified as "unsuitable for a minor to see or play" are given a Refused Classification in Australia, the decision said. That prevents them from being sold.

But New Zealand deputy chief censor Nic McCully told PC World the Australian decision would not influence any decision the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification might make.

"It's different legislation in Australia... they do not have an R18 rating available to them [for games]."

The first Left 4 Dead was given an R18 rating in New Zealand and McCully said that she would be "surprised" if Left 4 Dead 2 had vastly different content. However, she said she had not yet received any request from a distributor wanting to sell the game in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature would have to review the game and classify it before it could go on sale in New Zealand.

Left 4 Dead 2 is due to be released in North America on November 17.
James Heffield