GTA IV edited for Australia
If past issues with the Aussies are any indication, Rockstar may have had to remove some mclovin. GTA III needed to remove the prostitutes for classification in 2001 and GTA:Vice City also required editing. GTA: San Andreas received an MA15+ until, well ... you know. We're following up with Rockstar to find out what's missing from the Australian version, just because it seems silly for the company not to say it's something simple like picking up hookers. Even Germany's USK gave the game an 18+ rating, so it obviously didn't set off their violence alarms and trigger the group's non-rating limbo maneuver. What are the Aussies going to miss out on when GTA IV launches April 29?
[Thanks Simon]
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(Page 1) Reader Comments
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I don't why I'm not hyped... I'm gonna buy it just for collectible reason... but I'm 100% that I will never finish this game.
=(
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I had the collectors edition preordered, but then realized I didn't need any of that stuff and sure would look silly walking around with a GTAIV dufflebag.
Either way... GTA games story modes aren't that long, so it's sad if you don't finish it. It's trying to get 100% in the entire game thats impossible.
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This is how most Australians got the uncensored Vice City and GTA3 (post-recall), they imported from New Zealand and I'm sure Rockstar know this.
Why Trick Why
Now I have no idea what parts of the game will be taken out and I've already paid for the damn thing. Not really good business practice from T2.
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no need for sarcasm buddy. You know as well as I do T2 could have informed Australian distributors that the game will be edited for release here. Simple.
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I just know that this is going to start more pretentious debating (not here necessarily) about censorship in videogames.
To think I was in the clear after Manhunt 2 was out of the news.
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I'll order a UK pal copy from play.com and have it delivered to Australia so that I can play it on my Aussie pal 360.
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Kinda sucks that we don't get it though.
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2 reasons:
1) It won't be overly censored
2) It's cheaper than buying it here (Xbox360 games are AU$110, which is approximately US$100).
There's no reason NOT to import!
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Taking a look at www.play-asia.com tells me that some games are region free.
For example:
Universe at War: Earth Assault
Viking: Battle for Asgard
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Sega Superstars Tennis
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Soldier of Fortune: Payback
plus many more, and that's just the first 2 pages.
Which is WHY I started my comment with "If it's possible".
No need to be a jerk.
Sex in Mass Effect and Fahrenheit? Fine.
Violence in Resident Evil 4 and Condemned? Fine.
It's the combination of the two (i.e. having sex with, and then killing someone) that's not allowed, and even an R18 rating probably wouldn't allow for it.
I imagine they've just removed the ability to pick up prostitutes and then kill them. There are supposedly strip club scenes (lap dances, etc) in GTA4, and so long as you can't get a lap dance and then put a bullet in the girl's temple, they've probably been left alone.
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And they won't take much out, you probably won't even notice it.
It just gives them a reason to rate all violent games R 18+ now.
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And really, what's the reason they don't? Artistic license? I mean, tell me honestly...is a character saying the phrase "don't $%!* with me or I'll kill you" really any different than if it just skipped the curse word and muted it out like on TV? I mean, maybe that would sound weird, but wouldn't it only promote sales to show that if players or parents didn't want to hear/see that, that they could turn it off?
I recognize that in a game like this you obviously can't turn off the violence (which, coincidentally, I don't think *most* parents have a problem with) and I really don't think most people would want to...I'm just saying that if they allowed this option, it would boost sales and R*'s rep, which can't hurt.
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I do believe Australia and Germany take the prize for most censored video games and movies. How about a little respect for the United States and our success in fending off the puritans and politicians so we can at least have the option of buying media aimed at an adult audience?
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ironic.
Then the wowsers found out you could hire a hooker then kill her afterwards to regain your cash. And so the rating was revoked.
The cut version of the game still allowed you to hire a hooker, you just didn't get a chance to kill her afterwards. That's it.
Rockstar are gutless for submitting an already neutered version. Show a little integrity and stand by your game's vision, guys.
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We have been informed today that New Zealand will be receiving the same version of Grand Theft Auto IV as Australia.
As you have placed your order after Rockstar announced that the Australian version was edited, we are assuming that you will no longer require the game to be shipped from us, as we can't supply you with an uncut version.
The last thing we want to do is supply you with a product that does not meet your needs and we've therefore taken the liberty of removing your GTA4 order from our web site.
We certainly hope we can be more helpful to you in the future! :)
Kind Regards,
Katey
Customer Service
Gameplanet Store
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Got my US version of GTA preordered from America seeing as how the bunch of Fascists in charge of us downunder keep either banning or censoring stuff.
I know it hasn't exactly gotten rave reviews but after playing the first one I would've liked to at least had a try of Manhunt 2 but unless it gets released on the PS3 which given it's sales on the PS2 seems unlikely guess all I can do with that one is look at the screenshots and use my imagination thanks to our backward government.
I just hope with that with ordering GTA IV from overseas the government doesn't click onto it too fast so we don't get stupid situations like where buying Aus versions of Manhunt on Ebay australia is like buying something off the black market.
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You should be able to change the country settings, the one's that you set when you first set up your ps3. under "locale" just choose australia and it should work.
NO WE FUCKEN HAVENT! SO STFU OFLC! AND GIVE IT A R-18 RATING SO SOME OF US CAN AT LEAST ENJOY IT FFS!
i feel pretty bad tho for nz, they're just fucken paranoid about someone going into a grocery store and pulling out a sawn off when its them not the fucking game!
i could go on....
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