"I told you we were overheating, but nooooooo, you wouldn't listen."

Activision has revealed that stylish action racer Blur has been delayed. Originally confirmed for November 2009, it will now remain under wraps until an unspecified date in 2010.

Blur joins a long list of games to miss previously announced 2009 release dates. Original titles such as Dark Void, I Am Alive and Singularity are also among the casualties. In other news, Christmas Day has been shifted to Q1 2010 to ensure the day can deliver the best possible experience for consumers.

Blur is the first title from developer Bizarre Creations since Activision acquired the studio in September 2007. The studio’s remarkable Project Gotham Racing (PGR) series was exclusive to the Xbox 360, however Blur will be a multi-platform release (360, PS3, PC).

While PGR encouraged precision driving, Blur is set to provide a chaotic arcade experience. As players cannonball through the streets of real world locations such as San Francisco and Barcelona, they will be able to employ power-ups to boost past opponents or blast them aside.

Despite the delay, Blur remains one to watch.

Join us for a chat about the recently banned Left 4 Dead 2. Also up for discussion are Enslaved, Comic Jumper, Lucidity, The Secret World, Heroes Over Europe and more. Plus, free hugs!

Welcome to the Black List, our regular Friday afternoon retrospective on the week that was.

Monday

On Monday, we checked in on Lucidity and declared LucasArts to be the new Crytek.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, a little birdie told us about The Secret World, the eerie new MMO from Funcom.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, we took a look at The Last Ranker, Capcom’s forthcoming action RPG for the PSP.

Thursday

On Thursday, we covered the announcement of Valkyria Chronicles II, a PSP sequel to the much loved PS3 tactical war game.

Friday

On Friday, we discovered that Left 4 Dead 2 had been refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon

Editor

Previous editions of The Black List

11.09.09

"But the forecast said mostly sunny..."

Unless you’re among the 40,000 members of the Steam community planning to boycott Left 4 Dead 2, you should probably prepare yourself for a shock. As reported this morning by Kotaku Australia, Left 4 Dead 2 has been refused classification by the Australian Government’s Office of Film and Literature Classification.

The Board’s findings, obtained by news.com.au, refer to frequent and graphic depictions of violence and gore. Particular note is made of the capacity to use melee weapons to bludgeon several enemies at a time. The original Left 4 Dead secured an MA15+ rating, the highest rating available for games in Australia, ahead of its November 2008 release. However, the Board considers the content of its sequel to be unsuitable to anyone under the age of 18.

Though it now effectively banned in this country, it may not be the end of the road for Left 4 Dead 2. Titles such as Dark Sektor and Fallout 3 were granted MA15+ ratings after initially being refused classification. In both cases, the games were edited by the developers to ensure that the offending content was toned down or removed. It is unknown at this stage whether developer Valve or publisher EA would consider such a move.

The local industry has long lobbied for the introduction of an R18+ rating. Research has indicated that the average age of Australian gamers has risen to 30. Many reason that developers should be able to provide mature content to mature audiences but such a move would require the unanimous assent of all Australian Attorney-Generals.

South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson has been steadfast in his opposition not only to the introduction of such a rating, but also to the prospect of public consultation on the issue.