In space, no one can hear you scream. And apparently in Germany, Japan, and China, things worth screaming over simply aren’t allowed.

In a posting on the official Dead Space Web site, EA community manager Ben Swanson announced that the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC game "will be banned in Germany, China, and Japan." Swanson did not say what indications the team has received to suggest the imminent banning of the sci-fi survival horror game.

While China’s government has a lengthy history of monitoring the media its citizens consume, the prospect of German and Japanese bans are somewhat more surprising. Capcom ran afoul of Germany’s ratings board with Dead Rising, but even when denied a classification, the game wasn’t outright banned. Instead, Capcom had to deal with severe limitations on the ways it could be sold and advertised.

Microsoft had a pair of its own Xbox 360 titles--Gears of War and Crackdown--denied classification in Germany. However, it opted not to release the games in the country after the denial, citing a company policy against releasing unrated products.

As for Japan, the country’s Computer Entertainment Suppliers’ Association (CESA) tops out with a Z-rating, which the board has found suitable for titles like Assassin’s Creed and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Dead Space is set for an October 14 console release in North America (October 20 for the PC version), with a European launch set for October 24. As of press time, EA representatives had not returned requests for clarification on the nature of the bans or why they are expected to come.

By Brendan Sinclair