NY Politician Happy Staten Island Left Out of GTA IV

May 13, 2007

Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series are eagerly awaiting GTA IV, due out for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

The latest installment in the controversial game franchise is set in Liberty City, a vitualized representation of the Big Apple.

But as today's New York Times reports, the borough of Staten Island has been left out of the game. And while some gamers are upset, at least one New York politician is pleased:
 

Not everyone, however, is bemoaning the exclusion of the city’s most bucolic borough. The Grand Theft Auto series has been widely pilloried by parents and elected officials. The State Senate recently formed a task force on video game violence and appointed Senator Andrew Lanza [left], Republican of Staten Island, to lead it.


 

“I’m glad Staten Island is left out, frankly,” Mr. Lanza said. Describing the game as “poisonous,” he reflected on the real reason his borough did not make the cut.


 

“Perhaps it’s because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city,” he said.

 


Comments

Re: NY Politician Happy Staten Island Left Out of GTA IV

 dongan hills is so pussy nuthin ever happens there it is a town full of nice big houses and no where close to violent go to the harbor or west briton or new briton, arlington port richmon dats where shit happens

“Perhaps it’s because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city,” he said

Or possibly it was down to memory limitation, or, of course, the fact that it isn't New York in GTA IV, just somewhere that is very 'New-Yorkesque'.

Maybe it's because game designers sometimes get lazy and forget to add places when they're milking a franchise.

Or, maybe, in the alternate universe, Staten Island simply doesn't exist.

It is a fictional story after all. Who ever said Virtual Reality had to be an exact duplicate of True Reality? It is, after all, called LIBERTY City. And fiction writers are well know for taking liberties when creating their fictional worlds, even if they are vaguely designed based on non-fiction settings.

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software

OR staten Island is really not that important and we be intoduced later in the conterversial mod where you meet your girlfriend and invites you for some hot starbucks.........

They probably just didn't want to add a big ol' island tucked away in the corner of the map.

In related news, TakeTwo just announced the first expansion pack for GTA4, called "Liberty Island Stories". When asked for comment, TT representatives said "nyah nyah" and speculated that Mr. Lanza's momma is so dumb she thought Taco Bell was a Mexican phone company.

Well I bet they completely forgot that the 360 has downloadable content, so there could very well be an expansion that does involve Staunten Island (GTA 3's imitation of it i believe).

"Perhaps it’s because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city,”

If GTA4 comes out for PC, I can see a Staten island mod coming out REAL quick after this little statement

a video game violence task force? does anyone else see this as fucking retarded?

Or maybe it's because it's NOT the safest place. From what i hear, Staten Island is a sh*thole.

@ point09micron

That statement wins you the internet

When i think of the New York area, I don't think of Safety.


If the entire area is a sucky city, and Stanton is the least sucky.... You still suck.

Ok, so let me get this straight. New York politicians are having a problem with Grand Theft Auto 4, using fake people in a fake city that is based on New York, committing crimes and all the like. However, no one had a problem with 50 Cent Bulletproof, which had real people committing crimes in an actual representation of New York, correct? I think I've found the secret double standard of the video game critics. Your game can be as violent, bloody, and coarse as you want it to be, and no one will complain, unless it's named Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, or Bully.

“I’m glad Staten Island is left out, frankly,” Mr. Lanza said. Describing the game as “poisonous,” he reflected on the real reason his borough did not make the cut.

“Perhaps it’s because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city,” he said.



or perhaps it's because GTAIV isn't in NY hu ha!

Videogames need to stop being scapegoats for cheap political points. Why the HELL aren't videogame companies tossing lawsuites left and right? Someone needs to make a stand against these people, fast.

I can't wait until someone creates a game known as 'Murder Simulator'.

The game should take place in Florida. It should involve a horde of angry parents running rampant on game studios, destroying lives over ridiculous speculations of Satan worship which one 'Tom Jackson' proposes are caused by a new game known as 'Tetris'.

-------------------------------------

"The latest installment in the controversial game franchise is set in Liberty City, a vitualized representation of the Big Apple."

I don't think 'vitualized' is a word. :(

He can gloat all he wants, because GTA 5 is going to be in Staten City on Liberty Island. Jokes on you political tool!

I don't think "Terroristic" is a word either but that doesn't stop people ffrom using it. Is it like "Terrific"?

@ bloodeagle

That was probably just a typo on a reporters part, it's too close to virtualized to be different.


//Your game can be as violent, bloody, and coarse as you want it to be, and no one will complain, unless it’s named Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, or Bully.//

Or if it just comes from Take Two, Rock Star, or the people that made DOOM and Counter Strike. I'm honestly amazed no one has pointed a finger at games like God of War yet, considering it's as bloody as horror genre movies or games, yet played with the mind-sight of causing the terror.

They should take the time now to put it in to shove it in this dickhead's face, then put a Senator Lanza Andrew character in the game that you get to attack for the hell of it.

I think no one went after God of War because it has capital g God in the title, therefore it's all just wholesome catholic fun. And if it's not that... well then I have no idea, maybe they just don't want the trouble when ol' Kratos comes a knocking.

I wonder where this guy was when NYC got trashed in MGS2. The president also gets killed, but we want to focus on GTA.

@volcanman

Probably because God of War 2 is not made by rockstar and does not have guns in it. If you see someone killing innocents using a thunderbolt then God of war would get blamed for it, till that happens it's safe.

“Perhaps it’s because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city.”

What's Staten Island? :P

Don't you dare commit New York violence in a movie, or we may have to get totalitarian on your asses.

Wait, shit.

[...] NY Politician Happy Staten Island Left Out of GTA IV [Game Politics] [...]

i guess he felt the need for a little self back patting on a game thats set in a NY'esk place by saying that theres no staten island in it regardless of the fact that theres no NY in the game either concidering its set in Liberty not New York City

[...] Source: Game Politics [...]

Hmm... wasn't Staten Island the central location of Escape From New York?

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This is entirely the wrong place for that, Marco. Try in the actual forums.

Staten Island's not in the game because its too residential. There wouldn't be much fun gameplay here, and it would take to much space/work/time to create. As for Lanza, he's doing his job by commenting as quoted. You don't get elected supporting anything with negitive connatations. As for me, i live in SI, its a great place to live, and i will be purchasing GTA4.

I got pretty aggrevated when I heard there wasn't gonna be a SI in this game. I live in SI, hang out in Dongan Hills, smoke weed in SI. Plenty of bad things happen in SI. Obviously not as much in the other bouroghs, but stuff definitley happen in SI. Take the ninja burgler for example.
 
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