In this episode: Guitar Hero, Bizarre Creations, True Crime, Mortal Kombat, Homefront, Stacking, Spare Parts and much more!

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The Panellists: Erin Marcon (@ErinMarcon), Karen Jacobson (@KarenMJacobson), Peter Nickless and Joel Guttenberg

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Related links: Nintendo Australia reveals its 3DS launch plans; Puppet masters; MK is MIA; Max Anarchy is Anarchy Reigns; Time flies; This place is dead; nanoBITES 28; Yesterday’s Hero; Bizarre End; Stacking Review; Spare Parts Review

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT XBOX 360 Fight Night Champion * Gray Matter * Rango

NINTENDO Wii Rango * Wild West Shootout DS Rango

SONY PLAYSTATION 3 Fight Night Champion * Rango PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Dreamcast Collection * Dungeons * Gray Matter * Rift * Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the new downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Bejeweled Blitz Live

NINTENDO WiiWARE Bit.Trip Flux DSiWARE Bejeweled Twist * Panda Craze

SONY PSN Alien Breed: Descent * TNT Racers * The Undergarden PSP MINIS Nothing

VALVE STEAM Bulletstorm * Cities In Motion * CreaVures * Men of War: Assault Squad * Painkiller: Redemption

Recent instalments of New Media: 20.02.11 l 13.02.11 l 06.02.11 l 30.01.11 l 23.01.11

Welcome to The Black List, your one stop shop for all of the stories published on the site this week.

MONDAY l NEWS l Bizarre Creations > The team responsible for some of the more compelling driving games of the past decade is no more. As reported by Edge, parent company Activision has made good on its November 2010 promise to close the UK studio unless it could secure a buyer. READ MORE

TUESDAY l NEWS l Risen 2: Dark Waters German developer Piranha Bytes has commenced work on Risen 2: Dark Waters. An island based action RPG like its 2009 predecessor, the latest instalment will see you investigating a series of cataclysmic monster attacks. As you strive to halt the seemingly inevitable fall of humanity, you’ll delve deep into the murky depths of pirate society. READ MORE

WEDNESDAY l NEWS l Dead Island > Whenever the zombie phenomenon appears to be slowing down, it seems to find new legs (arms, torsos, etc) to feed its insatiable appetite. Dead Island is the latest offering to shamble up to the plate. If its pre-rendered announcement trailer is any guide, Polish developer Techland will be aiming for a level of pathos largely absent from existing titles in the subgenre. READ MORE

THURSDAY l NEWS l nanoBITES 30 > Ultra violent sci-fi sequel Gears of War 3 will arrive in the third week of September, Microsoft has announced. The concluding chapter (we’ve heard that before) in the trilogy was originally expected in April.  This is just one of the stories in this week’s edition of nanoBITES, our ongoing feature devoted to small but important news items. READ MORE

FRIDAY l NEWS l Mortal Kombat > Publisher Warner Bros Interactive today confirmed that the new Mortal Kombat game has been refused classification. Though previous titles in the franchise have been released with little fuss, the Australian Classification Board has ruled that the forthcoming series revival cannot be accommodated under an MA15+ rating. As the Australian classification system has no provision for R18+ rated games, Mortal Kombat has effectively been banned from sale. READ MORE

Recent instalments of The Black List: 19.02.11 l 12.02.11 l 05.02.11 l 29.01.11 l 22.01.11

UPDATE 2: We have just received a statement from Warner Bros Interactive indicating that its appeal has been unsuccessful. In confirming the original decision, the Classification Review Board has ensured that Mortal Kombat cannot be published in Australia in its current form. – Black Panel Staff (14.03.11)

UPDATE 1: Mortal Kombat publisher Warner Bros has announced plans to appeal the Australian Classification Board’s decision. According to the publisher, “the violence in the game is on par with numerous other titles readily available for sale in the Australian market.” – Black Panel Staff (03.03.11)

ORIGINAL POST: Publisher Warner Bros Interactive today confirmed that the new Mortal Kombat game has been refused classification. Though previous titles in the franchise have been released with little fuss, the Australian Classification Board has ruled that the forthcoming series revival cannot be accommodated under an MA15+ rating. As the Australian classification system has no provision for R18+ rated games, Mortal Kombat has effectively been banned from sale.

For its part, Warner Bros. acknowledges that the latest instalment in its blood drenched fighting franchise is intended for an adult audience. The publisher has therefore issued a renewed call for the introduction of an R18+ rating, which would require the unanimous support of all Australian Attorneys General. Warner Bros must now decide whether it will appeal the decision, submit an edited version of the game, or abandon plans for a local release.

In December 2009, the Attorney General’s Department called for public submissions on the potential for ratings reform. Following well publicised campaigns by retailers and lobby groups, the Department published a report indicating that 98% of respondents supported the introduction of an R18+ rating. The Attorneys General discussed the issue at their December 2010 meeting, but as reported by the Australian Financial Review, elected to postpone a decision pending further consideration.