New Zealand receiving Australian censored version of GTA IV despite R18 classification

28 Comments by Griffin McElroy Apr 27th 2008 9:15PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Australia has a long, tumultuous history when it comes to video game censorship -- largely due to the fact that their system of video game classification currently lacks a rating above MA15+, meaning any game deemed too intense for 15-year-olds is often censored (or even banned, in some extreme cases). However, just a stone's skip across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand provides a more favorable environment for mature titles, whipping out the Banhammer and the Censorstick much less often than its Southwestern Pacific counterpart.

You can imagine our surprise when we read that the version of Grand Theft Auto IV that will be tailored to Australia's OFLC guidelines will also be the only version available in New Zealand. It seems that the debaucherous adventures of Niko Bellic were deemed inappropriate by the somewhat hipper Kiwi chapter of the OFLC, much to the chagrin of the thousands of Australians who pre-ordered the naughty version of the game from New Zealand's online gaming retailers.

Oddly enough, the version of GTA IV that will be sold in fellow Oceania nation Papua New Guinea will not only be uncensored, but will be accompanied by an actual foul-mouthed, gun-toting hooker. In the words of New Zealand pop sensation OMC, "How Bizarre, How Bizarre!"

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Tags: grand-theft-auto-iv, grandtheftautoIV, gta, gta-iv, newzealand, rockstar, rockstar-games, rockstar-north

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

OTAM: Apr 27th 2008; 9:25PM

Yahoo Serious = Win.

John McPoop: Apr 27th 2008; 9:58PM

That was an awesome movie ... That dude was trying to bake a kitten pie ... WTF was that about

Stevo: Apr 27th 2008; 9:36PM

Well this kinda sucks...I'm a kiwi and had been looking forward to GTA IV like everyone else for quite some time - anyone have any idea what "censored" will entail?

Steve Wallen: Apr 27th 2008; 9:40PM

Importing it from the Land of the Free?

Sam L: Apr 27th 2008; 10:09PM

Take 2 won't say what is censored, if we want to get the uncensored version we will have to import it from the UK, since they are also pal it will play on the console no problem. The problem is just finding a retailer that will ship it.

Schmobu: Apr 27th 2008; 11:13PM

You ain't the only Kiwi on Joystiq, and I distinctly remember talking about how the NZ version would indeed be the exact same as the Aus version to some Australian guy, who proved me wrong, but this proves me right, yay not for me I'm gonna be crying on launch day, mainly cause I have to wait til like 6 PM just to play, and not because I can't decapitate and maim people like every other fucking bastard version in every other fucking bastard country.

Lorben: Apr 27th 2008; 11:19PM

Sam - I think Amazon.co.uk ships international.

John McPoop: Apr 27th 2008; 9:57PM

Well if any Aussies who have a PS3 and want the regular version they can just import it from America ... The PS3 is region free unlike the 360

ScottyGEE32: Apr 27th 2008; 10:04PM

360 generally is........Unfortunately this is one of them region locked games. Or at least that's what they're telling us so we spend the ridiculous $120 on the game instead of America's $60

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force): Apr 27th 2008; 10:35PM

Nope, 360 generally isn't. Majority of the region free games are asian market releases of US deved games.

ScottyGEE32: Apr 27th 2008; 11:35PM

The games I've been interested in and imported have ^_^
That's all I care about. So apologies for being wrong on that part.

ScottyGEE32: Apr 27th 2008; 10:05PM

I take solace in the fact that despite myself being screwed over with a more expensive AND censored GTA IV...New Zealand gets screwed too =3

Kendall B: Apr 27th 2008; 10:07PM

I wonder which fast-food establishment OMC is with now.

Jomolungma: Apr 27th 2008; 10:08PM

Yeah, but New Zealanders hit midnight on the 29th before the rest of the world, so at least they can play their censored version early.

Halwende: Apr 27th 2008; 10:11PM

What gets my wick is not what has been cut, but the fact that NZ has to suffer because the Australian cert board don't have R18 ratings for games... *sigh*

At least it's nothing huge that's gone, it's still GTA, it's still awesome and yes - we'll be playing it while most Americans will be sound asleep... hehe...

Halwende: Apr 27th 2008; 10:15PM

Debate on what's been cut is raging like wildfire on GTAforums.com, word so far is it's stuff like "no seeing hookers bouncing on your lap" - instead we get a view of the rear of the car bouncing, San Andreas-style

So yeah, nothing game-breaking or worth losing sleep over. I guess we'll find out soon enough...

RastamanD: Apr 27th 2008; 10:27PM

WTF australia WTF....weren't you guys outlaws? :)

rv: Apr 27th 2008; 10:52PM

bunch of bloody criminals

COVERT: Apr 27th 2008; 11:10PM

Boo hoo now you won't be able to have digital sex. Honestly whoever pays extra to import this for that reason is sad, unless they took out a mission then what is the big deal.

Mythor: Apr 27th 2008; 11:15PM

"the debaucherous adventures of Niko Bellic were deemed inappropriate by the somewhat hipper Kiwi chapter of the OFLC"

No they weren't. Rockstar voluntarily censored the game before the OFLC and the Kiwis got their hands on it for rating purposes. Australian and New Zealand authorities were never even given a chance to decide whether the original content of the game was okay.
Why Rockstar's pre-emptive self-censorship isn't making more news is beyond me.

No, wait, it's not beyond me. It's because it's not happening in America and thus it's not happening at all, for all intents and purposes...

V1L3: Apr 28th 2008; 1:35AM

Right on the money here.

The other thing that's never mentioned is that, as we don't know what content was cut, we don't even know if the material would have been allowed under the hypothetical R18 rating. Had Rockstar presented the full game to the OFLC for review, we would KNOW what had been cut and WHY. This, I imagine, is partly why Rockstar decided to not even take the risk, because they didn't want this information freely available.

On a side note, it's also interesting that no one ever brings up the point that 15 year-olds in Australia can buy Grand Theft Auto 4. 15 year-olds in the US (supposedly) and New Zealand (definitely) cannot.

Xiel: Apr 28th 2008; 12:12AM

Aw man, I was looking forward to getting an Xbox360 & GTA4. Damned Australian wankers always ruin stuff like this for us kiwis. By chance does anyone know if the US or Europe versions of the game work on NZ/Aus 360's?

MarkHawk: Apr 28th 2008; 12:14AM

I hate Censorship!

Brianemone: Apr 28th 2008; 12:46AM

Kind of old Sir Joystiq.

http://www.geekpulp.co.nz/2008/04/15/nz-gets-australian-gta-iv/

If people are importing from the UK it will work fine, still unknown if the US version will work on a Pal console

CBXweb: Apr 28th 2008; 1:11AM

Something about that DVD cover makes me so angry.

inkaz_7: Apr 28th 2008; 3:41AM

I don't care about the nudity. I've got porn for that. However if they have removed cursing and violence (ie. blood) I will be extremely pissed off.

LAWL: Apr 28th 2008; 1:45PM

its cool not living in AU

Purple Haze: Apr 28th 2008; 10:00PM

Any idea what changes they actually made? I played it just a few hours ago and it seemed just as vulgar as the other ones.

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