Australia Getting Watered-Down Version of GTA IV

April 4, 2008 -
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Grand Theft Auto IV, due for April 29th release, has been edited to satisfy Australian censors. Jason Hill of the SMH writes:
A Rockstar spokesperson confirmed to Screen Play yesterday that the company had produced a special version of GTA IV to comply with the Australian classification system, which does not currently contain an R18+ rating, but declined to reveal what material had been cut...

The Grand Theft Auto series has a chequered past with the OFLC in Australia. In 2001, thousands of copies of GTA III were sold before the game was rated and refused classification because players could pick-up prostitutes. An edited version was later released. 2002's Gran Theft Auto: Vice City was also edited for Australian audiences.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Comments

Submitted by Salen (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:51.
I wonder what Yahtzee will think of this little fact when he reviews the game. Oh well. I just wish I knew what they'd tossed out from the game to make it rating friendly.

Submitted by Jonathan, aka Soul (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 08:37.
Those poor Aussie gamers :(.

Submitted by WFern (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 20:59.
Untouchable Says: "Gay… So very gay."


Care to explain why the use of "gay" is somehow an insult? I'm curious

Submitted by edward (not verified) on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 18:11.
Well, first things first this does lick the testicals of the symian. Being an Aussie gamer i have been importing since the days of the Megadrive. GTA has always been a game that attracts a lot of attention. And here in Australia has obviously been no different. But this all comes down to the lack of the R18+ certificate for video games. There is debate at the moment to correct this, but like all things involving government it takes time, games aren't children or terrorism.
I would prefer it come out slightly censored than not at all. I personally am importing the sucker from Asia... play-asia.com FTW.
Australia is currently coming out of 12 years of conservative fear, it will take a while to return to the free loving larricans we are known as.

Submitted by Jono345 (not verified) on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 20:59.
I like how some people bash the OFLC here, when they are not the bad guys. They simply have to check the game against a criteria set for them by the Government. The only thing holding us back now is that idiotic SA Attorney General, who doesn't even represent the views of people in his own state! (As a South Australian, I can say that!)

For now I'm planning to import from NZ, I'll still save $10-20 over buying it from EB. I also have a number of friends who are planning the same thing... Maybe reduced sales in Australia will clue people in!

Submitted by BlackIce, Dragunov Marksman (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:27.
I love the Ozzies, but this takes the piss.

Submitted by DarrelBT (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:29.
Fun fact:

This will be released UNCUT in Britain. BBFC approved even.

Submitted by master_disaster_17 (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:31.
No Prozzies for the Ozzies!

Submitted by BlackIce, Dragunov Marksman (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:39.
@DarrelBT

Inconvenient Truth: We know. Dennis told us about a week ago.

Submitted by Untouchable (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 06:58.
Gay... So very gay.

The R18+ rating isn't coming fast enough

Submitted by Ian Cooper (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 07:20.
They probably just removed all the jokes about Australia being a vast wasteland where birds fly upside down because it's not even worth pissing on.

Submitted by GregoriusH (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 07:34.
Guess I'm importing from New Zealand then. Might get dark sector too, just to be a rebel.

Submitted by Clever (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 07:48.
So it would appear I'm either going to have to get it from the kiwis or resort to piracy... I'm still so confused what we stand to lose by having an R18+ rating - it's not like we're allergic to money... *kisses a $20 - breaks out in hives* well I'll be.... Honestly, if the footy is over then I think Dangerous Minds is on and I can guarantee you it's uncensored. Heck there was every sort of foul mouthed thing going on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival which was on at 8:30 and that was for bloody charity! We are not a fragile society...

Submitted by Baggie (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 08:17.
...Wouldn't be the prostitutes, we had those in gta:sa. Hope it isn't something good.

Submitted by Are'el (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 08:31.
This runs opposite of my general perception of Australia. I would have never imagined that they were more uptight about sex and violence in media than Americans are. I figured it was a pretty much a laid back country. Hollywood has lied to me!

Submitted by Andy_UK (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 08:35.
Thats harsh.

Whens Manhunt 2 coming out in the UK????

Submitted by Cecil475 (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 09:05.
"Australia Getting Watered-Down Version of GTA IV"

That doesn't suprise me in the least.

Submitted by X201 (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 09:07.
@Baggie

It probably is the prostitutes. They now offer three "levels of service" in the game and it sounds like its not just the old bouncing suspension animation.

Submitted by Conejo (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 09:16.
what's super-odd is how lax Australia is with their language on public tv, yet they get all up in arms over this.

Submitted by Tonkarz (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 09:40.
It wasn't just the prostitutes, in was the fact that you could kill them afterwards.

Submitted by Cheater87 (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 09:53.
I wish Australia gets that 18 rating soon.

Submitted by axia777 (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 10:12.
Being a gamer in Australia must suck monkey choad. :( I pity all the GTA fans in the Down Under.

Submitted by Loudspeaker (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 10:55.
In a recent rumor started by Loudspeaker...

...Take-Two has replaced all prostitutes in GTA IV with kangaroos to meet the Australian censorship board's standards and get the game released. When a Take Two representative was asked, "Why not koalas?" she replied, "Koalas are much too violent and have claws. They'd never pass the censorship board's gaming standards."

A soon to be former attorney had this to say: "It's written down. It must be true!"

...More as the story develops ;)

Submitted by Judith Iscariot (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 12:06.
...So what's to prevent Australian gamers from importing the US or EU version?

Last time I checked the PS3 was region-free for all PS3 games...

Submitted by Ebonheart (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 12:37.
@ Loudspeaker

Are you holding a news conferance because I have questions?

Submitted by jakethe8lf (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 14:11.
Its the drunk driving minigame, for sure. We kinda have a problem with that down here.

Submitted by Rodrigo Ybáñez García (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 14:16.
Import the game. That´s the best solution at this point.

Submitted by Ebonheart (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 14:21.
@ Jake

Might be some of the online games to.

Submitted by Saladin (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 16:07.
Importing seems like the best option for diehard GTA fans in Australia.

Submitted by Loudspeaker (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 16:13.
@ Ebonheart

Fire away! Who needs a news conference? :)

Submitted by Trent (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 16:24.
Good move there Australia now people will just import the game and Australia will just miss out on any financial benefit it may have brought.

Glad you thought this whole "moral outrage" thing through....

Submitted by Ragnaar (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 16:28.
I'm only joking here, but...

The US continues to water down beers.

Australia will water down their games until that stops.

Submitted by Twixn (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 18:55.
As an Aussie, I import all my games anyway. Cheaper (even
paying US/Japan retail prices, plus postage), and usually WAY
before the game is even released here, if at all (I am one of the
few here to own smash bros, freeloader is handy, and last time
I get a non region free PAL console).

I'll import this just like everything else, skip all of the crap we have to put
up with.

-Twixn-

Submitted by minefield (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 19:01.
This is oh so painful. Not only is it censored, but the game costs at least $120. What. The. Hell.

I'm cancelling my pre-order and importing, and I'm not happy about it. Does anybody have good links to a cheap and fast import site?

Submitted by Clever (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 21:09.
@ minefield
I use play.com or play-asia.com. They're best for the PS3 as it's region free but for PAL sometimes they're a day or two behind (which baffles me because they mostly sell to PAL countries)...

Submitted by Internet Hate Machine (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 22:15.
Heh, for once I'm glad I'm on the other side of the ditch (Tasman Sea). Otherwise I'd be lunging at Loudspeaker's throat simply out of frustration.

Submitted by minefield (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 22:41.
Cheers Clever.

I'll be getting it the 360 and I'm unsure which region will be compatible. I know I can order it from New Zealand, but are there any other countries I can get it from, just in case?

Submitted by Ken (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 22:45.
This coming from a country that according to The Simpsons, was founded by British convicts. Maybe in the Aussie version, you jack kangaroos and shoot koalas instead of people.

Submitted by TBoneTony (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 22:56.
This is a sad part of being an Australian gamer.

Violence is ok but any sign of Prostitutes are considered more offensive.

May I add that there are many Prostitutes in many MA15+ rated movies...

Submitted by jarrod (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 23:17.
this is just getting ridiculous, we need this R rating more than ever right now. looks like i'll being importing from NZ, i'm not paying for a bullshit censored version.

Submitted by John (not verified) on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 23:40.
fuck the OFLC import for the win !!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted by minefield (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 02:35.
I called the OFLC for confirmation but all I got was "We don't censor games, we just rate them - call the distributor".

However, T2's website is terrible. Can't find a contact number anywhere and there online registration system is broken. Typical.

Submitted by Kharnivore. (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 03:07.
*sigh* It looks like again I'll be resorting piracy when really I wish to support the companies that make the products I love but I will NOT consume censored content. I'm an adult dammit and I will decide what content is appropriate for me.

The OPLC is out of control and clearly going against the will of the populace - not just in these matters but in film and literature as well. For a supposedly democratic country Australia has some of the harshest censorship of the western world.

Submitted by Aliasalpha (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 03:31.
@Kharnivore
Yup, you've pretty much said what I planned to. I'm asking for the 360 version of GTA4 for my birthday and then when the PC version comes out, utorrent might just consume a few gig of my bandwidth...

The OFLC will be getting a stern letter from me which will force them to expend the energy to crunch it up into a ball and toss it into a paper recycle bin. That'll show 'em!

Submitted by Michael (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 04:24.
@Are'el. Australians are not uptight about sex. It's the violence that the censers have an issue with. What the story failed to mention was GTA3 was banned because you could pickup prostitutes AND THEN kill them to get your money back.

When it comes to sex, we're quite liberal minded.

Submitted by Michael (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 04:28.
Oh and the R18+ classification for Australia is getting close; a lot of Attorney Generals are in favor of it. Unfortunately to change the law nationally, it has to be a unanimous decision by the six State Attorney General's .... and South Australia is the only state holding out.

Submitted by Michael (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 04:31.
@Judith Iscariot: "So what’s to prevent Australian gamers from importing the US or EU version?"

Absolutely nothing. The ban is on the sale of the game. Not on ownership. Siply import from NZ. It's faster.

Submitted by Ebonheart (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 09:20.
@ Loudspeaker

Tonight the hard hitting news conferance! With Your host GP, you interviewers: anyone who askes a stupid answer specificly for a stupid answer, Tonights Guest Loudspeaker!

Will the Kangaroos be available for pick up then subsiquent murder? Also, is the rumor you can beat the ever loving **** out of Aquaman true?!

Submitted by Anon (not verified) on Sat, 04/05/2008 - 15:09.
It was probably because of the Australian-American war :O

Submitted by Goatlemon (not verified) on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 03:08.
Well this certainly does suck, but I can't say I'm surprised. The worse thing is that I've already preordered the special edition.

I'll probably just import the standard version from NZ, trade the neutered copy and keep the bonus stuff.

It's going to cost fortune, and I guess for GTA it would be worth it, BUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!
 
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