German ratings board bans Dead Rising

Forthcoming Xbox 360 title Dead Rising has been banned from sale in Germany by the country's videogames ratings board, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle.

According to reports, the USK made the decision after the game's content was deemed to be too violent. Dead Rising sees players taking on the role of photographer Frank West, who finds himself caught up in a battle against an army of zombies. It's thought that the USK has objected to the way in which players must hack and slash enemies to destroy them.

Historically, Germany has taken a tough line on violence in videogames, and publishers are often required to release different versions of their titles there - for example, many titles must feature green blood instead of red so that they appear less gory.

Similarly, controversial game Carmageddon - in which players must run over enemies to earn points - was approved for sale after human pedestrians were changed to zombies for the German version.

But Dead Rising will not launch in Germany when it goes on sale in other European countries this September, despite the fact that all versions will feature zombies as enemies.

Capcom has yet to issue a statement regarding the ban.