Germany's Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) ratings board has granted an "18" rating to Epic's
Gears of War 3, making it the first title in the series to receive a rating from the famously strict board.
The rating means Germans 18 or older will be able to purchase an uncut version of the title freely, and that the game can be displayed and advertised in the country without restriction, as
Eurogamer reports.
The first two
Gears of War titles were
"indexed" by Germany's Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM), a move which prohibited advertising, display and press coverage of the games. German consumers could still purchase the previous
Gears titles by asking shops for them directly, though.
While the USK did recommend
Gears of War 3 as a "case of doubt" to the BPjM, a USK spokesperson
told Joystiq the game "has a different feel to it than its predecessors," and therefore merited different consideration than the earlier titles.
The USK has taken a hard line on many violent games in recent years, denying ratings for titles including
Capcom's Dead Rising,
EA's Dead Space, and
Codemasters' Jericho.
A
2005 Gamasutra analysis of international ratings found that less than one percent of all submitted titles were denied a rating by the board.
