50 Cent locked out of Oz

Last week, 50 Cent went public and said that his game, the M-for-Mature-rated 50 Cent: Bulletproof, was not only okay for minors to play, but it could be used as a teaching tool. Though it is often dangerous to disagree with the former street thug, Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification is telling the rapper, "No way, mate."

The OFLC has refused classification on 50 Cent: Bulletproof, effectively banning the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game in the country. The game was deemed to be excessively violent, and the OFLC singled out killing victims who moaned or begged for their lives, shooting injured characters as they attempted to crawl away, and blood spattering onto the screen.

VU Games can resubmit a toned-down version of the game and hope it passes with a MA15+ rating, which deems content not suitable for those under the age of 15. Unlike its film ratings, Australia does not have a MA18+ rating for games, meaning that any game containing material not suitable for those under the age of 18 is automatically banned.

Australia has always been pretty tight with its government regulations, limiting the amount of questionable content that is permitted to reach the public. Games such as Duke Nukem 3D, NARC, Grand Theft Auto III, and Manhunt have all been refused classification by the OFLC in the past.

50 Cent: Bulletproof is rated M for Mature in North America, and currently sells for $49.99. A PSP version is also expected to be released soon, but has not yet been rated.