153

New Zealand also gets GTA IV censored version; $50,000 worth of preorders cancelled!

StarJet | April 28, 2008 | News | Playstation 3 XBOX 360 Misc 
We all knew that GTA IV was going to be censored in Australia to get a 15+ rating, as there is no 18+ rating in the Australian game rating system. Rockstar has now decided that New Zealand will also be recieving the same censored version of the game.
$50,000 worth of preorders placed by Australians at GamePlanet NZ has been cancelled due to this censorship.
A video game in which players can buy cocaine, visit strip clubs, shoot police and set people on fire has been censored for New Zealand - but thousands are still expected to queue up when the game goes on sale at midnight tomorrow.
The censorship of Grand Theft Auto IV has forced the country's largest online retailer of games to cancel $50,000 worth of advance orders.
Gameplanet Store's website was inundated with orders from Australia this month for the violent gangster epic after it was revealed a censored version would be sold there to conform to the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification's M15+ game rating.
But game publisher Take 2 Interactive soon confirmed New Zealand would receive the same toned-down version of the game even though Grand Theft Auto IV will debut here with a R18 rating.

News Story attached to:
11 comments | go to source (www.nzherald.co.nz) | send to friend
Register as a member to subscribe comments.

Comments with -5 or lower "thumbs" are removed from display.

  • 0 thumbs!
    Gothic Girl | April 28, 2008
    $50,000 worth of preorders cancelled? Does that mean that all those people had ordered the game just to see the "naughty" parts?
    Even if it's edited, it'll still be a great game. It's not worth completely cancelling a pre-order just because some parts have been taken out.
    • 0 thumbs!
      MusiKon | April 28, 2008
      It's not so much that. I'm sure people wanted a full game as Rockstar intended it to be, and in most cases, censorship can turn into a watered down experience.
    • 0 thumbs!
      Final Blade | April 28, 2008
      One of the reasons for the game being highly acclaimed with its score is the story dialog, cursing and the like. Taking things out of the game while another person has the full GTA4 experience will be pissed off.

      GTA is the Drugs, sex, and violence of games. If GTA in that version didn't have the blood or some related thing than its just a watered down version, as MusiKon stated.
      Similar to manhunt2, i don't want a watered down version i want the full version they intended on releasing.
      • 0 thumbs!
        StarJet | April 28, 2008
        Good old Rockstar decided to leave the gore content hidden in Manhunt 2.
        Lucky for me, I had CFW on my PSP, so I got the whole experience.
  • 0 thumbs!
    TheBradman1andOnly | April 28, 2008
    Sucks for Australia, not getting the full experience. I'm sure it will still be a great game, though.
  • 0 thumbs!
    kik36 | April 28, 2008
    I would have backed out too. It costs too damn much to get a watered down censored version.
  • 2 thumbs!
    Tock | April 28, 2008
    arent ps3 games region free?
    • 0 thumbs!
      Final Blade | April 28, 2008
      Yes so is PSP games, which is why them cancelling their pre-orders so they can get the full version is a bonus for is Sony Fans

      Yeah Im probably going to import it Star.
  • 0 thumbs!
    joshuam | April 28, 2008
    most ps3 games are but idk why this aint
    but oh well im in the UK so i get the full content
  • 0 thumbs!
    Twisted | April 29, 2008
    That's just plain stupid, give them the full version. I'm sure the Rockstar is furious with those countries, something should be changed.
    • 0 thumbs!
      Ameer | April 29, 2008
      Why would they be furious? They'd have been expecting this from the start. It's the people who should be furious with the government organisation's censorship board, which they are, but in which little movement has been made to quell.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.

Submit Newshelp

Recent Forum Threads

Top Contributors

This Month
Gothic Girl 475 pts
chautemoc 272 pts
Deathsythe 242 pts
Silver Mir.. 173 pts
Tyranitar24 125 pts
Akira_EX 123 pts
Coltrain 74 pts
bbb7002004 69 pts
Agrias 51 pts
All-Time
Gothic Girl 14734 pts
Krunal 11813 pts
Linkin Par.. 9920 pts
Final Blade 8638 pts
xsynergyx 8079 pts
mistermostyn 7868 pts
Silver Mir.. 7359 pts
chautemoc 6724 pts
ITANI 6350 pts
Storm 5642 pts

Stats

Today
Published News: 9
Comments: 91
Points Given: 206
Users Registered: 1
This Month
Published News: 125
Comments: 877
Points Given: 1975
Users Registered: 6
All Time
Published News: 9804
Comments: 65251
Points Given: 156824
Users Registered: 481

Conventions / Trade Shows

(0.2799/d/aeon)