No German restriction for Gears of War 3

Microsoft can publish Gears of War 3 in Germany with no restrictions - a first for Epic Games' brutal shooter series.

What's more, the third instalment will be sold in uncut form, reported Eurogamer Germany.

That means Gears of War 3 in Germany will be identical to Gears of War 3 in the US. Which means, yes, red blood rather than green blood.

Germans will need to be 18 or over to buy Gears of War 3.

Microsoft decided not to publisher Gears of War 1 and Gears of War 2 in Germany because of a strict regional anti-violent-and-bloody-game stance. PEGI-rated versions of Gears 1 or Gears 2 that made their way to Germany were "indexed" - categorised as List A by the ruling body BPJM.

That means shops could theoretically sell the games to adults who asked, but all press coverage and marketing was forbidden. In practice, List A games are virtually non-existent, as they're absent from major shops and the press.

In a peculiar about-turn, the BPJM ruled that there was no "relevance for a ban" with Gears of War 3. The series' gory chainsaw kills and brutal curb stomps had previously proven particularly controversial.

[Special thanks, UncleLou -Ed.]