As opposed to “elsewhere in Europe” (where the version is rated 18+ by PEGI and will remain unchanged), Germany decided that full gore should be ok for a 18+ game. However, the USK (the body responsible for game ratings) also stated that “decapitation, dismemberment, and over-the-top type fatalities” should not be made available:

“Please note this isn’t a design decision or something we can reverse. It’s a legal (or as good as legal) requirement to sell the game in that particular territory,” the announcement reads.

In the mean time, things got a bit mixed up in the US:

“It has come to our attention that the North American edition of the game was submitted (by Eidos) to the ESRB without any server-side censorship: full blood, full fatalities, breasts with nipples, not full nudity.

The ESRB reviewed our application and gave us a rating of Mature 17+. The full rating with descriptors has not yet been publicly announced but will be posted on the ESRB web site on 13 February 2008.”