Angered by GTA IV Cuts & Price, Aussie Gamers Turning to Imports

for a country that was established by British criminals, they sure are conservative.

@GP

So why did the Sydney Morning Herald say it was illegal? Average mistake?

@Nathan Cocks: Everything you say is true enough, but at least some media coverage in something like the SMH does tend to make some people think .... even if it is just between bites of their Tim Tam during the morning coffee break.

Importing isn't illegal, but selling/advertising the uncut version in-country is.

@Internet Hate Machine

You are an ill-informed, reactionary little fucktard.

It is NOT illegal to own an unrated game (or video, for that matter) in New Zealand!!! It is illegal to *sell* a game that has not been classified, or to own one that has been classified and found to be objectionable. Otherwise, you are quite entitled to import whatever you want. This information comes, by the way, direct from Bill Hastings. You know, the Chief Censor that you blasted for absolutely no cogent reason?

Oh, and $NZ150 for GTA IV? Where the FUCK are you buying yours from, then: "Discounts For Retards"?

[...] wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSucks to be an Australian Grand Theft Auto fan these days. Not only will GTA IV be watered down in order to bypass Down Under government censorship, but fans will pay more for the lessened experience. Naturally, game consumers are finding a way to get a better, fairer deal - and perhaps a bit of revenge - by importing non-Aussie versions of the game. As the Syndey Morning Herald reports, Rebellious players import GTA IV because our censors still think games are child’s play, writes Jason Hill. Many Australian gamers have cancelled their [GTA IV] orders. Already angered by the price of the blockbuster in Australia - $120 compared to $US60 ($64) in North America - gamers have reacted with outrage to news… that developer Rockstar has edited the game for Australia in order to obtain an MA15+ rating. Many gamers said they cancelled their orders with Australian shops and will import a cheaper, uncut version, flouting the law. [...]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Sorry, but this just makes me laugh.

I mean, doesn't the Australian government realize what it's doing? It's as if they actually want their citizens to undermine them in order to entertain themselves.

You Aussies really need to get yourself some Freedom of Speech.

GP: There is something deliciously ironic about gamers being forced by their government to turn to illegal means to acquire a crime game…

What part of importing is illegal in Australia? The importing itself or the uncencored Grand Theft Auto part?

@FAMAS
I believe it's the uncensored GTA part but I'm no australian lawyer.

Wait my Assuie brethern must pay 120 bucks for a water down? I would boycott but I already threw down 90 bucks for it.

Not Ebonheart's comment, but the import thing.

What about regional locks? will aussies be importing american consoles too? or is australia and US considered the same region?

The pricing is nothing new - we're a country ruled by media distribution monopolies. Example, we have ONE telecommunications company. That's it. All of the others rent their lines at exhorbitant rates so even when the competition does good they do even better. It's funny that even games that are quite shite cost upwards of $30 even though they've been out since the Playstation 2 was something to look forward too. For whatever reason it costs me less to import from ANY country than it would for me to scoot down to JB-HiFi and pick up a new copy of GTAIV that didn't cost Rockstar an extra couple grand to get their staff to change. This is why I don't vote.

I'm still confused as to what the government is afraid will happen if we get an uncensored version of this, what I suspect is fabulous, game. Rioting in the streets? Or missing out on several million dollars that could be brought into the local retailing industry instead of hemorrhaging out to other nations...

Hehe.That was a delicious blast of irony.

I support breaking the law to force change in fucked up, paranoid governments. Enjoy GTA you guys!

@MaskedPixelante:

I'm guessing he'll probably just have the Escapist ship him a copy at their cost. They'd probably do it for him too, just to see how he pops off about the 'reduced' version being sold for all that money. Oh I can't wait to see that review. :)

Triple price and censored? I would have had a fit.

@Jabrwock:

Oh yes, he'll be furious alright. If there's one thing that Yahtzee knows, its being furious. Heck, he's already mad enough at how Australia gets games 3 months later than everyone else, kidding a 'slimmed down' version of GTA4 is gunna be beautiful cannon fodder for him.

So yes, I'm sure the Escapist will personally fly a copy of GTA4 to him on that winged marshmellow from the sherbert kingdom, if nothing other to see Yahtzee explode while their hit counter learns whole new levels of math to calculate the number of hits they get.

It should be like, 15% or 20% off.

$AU120? Is that all? Over here it's $NZ150 ($US118.56)! And we're getting the censored version! If that weren't bad enough we can't even get the real version legally because it's 'unrated'. *spits*

Fuck you (NZ chief censor) Bill Hastings, and fuck you Aussie censorship board! Your lack of balls is killing my gaming.

Err i meant double, not triple :S

@Internet Hate Machine
So what is stopping New Zealand people from importing their games the same way the Aussies do?

I should get into the import/export business. Buy games in the US, sell them to people down under for a small profit.