GTA San Andreas forced to change game rating

[NoCalMike 0]

My initial reaction is WTF, considering the amount of violence and cursing in this game, yet all these groups come out and bitch and moan over VIDEO GAME sex scenes, LOL......I mean LO F'N L.

 

[devo 0]

Is it ridiculous that people are getting upset over sex in a video game? Yes. Does Rockstar deserve having San Andreas slapped with this rating? Absolutely. They went out of their way to conceal explicit, if digital, sex in their game, and then lied about it.

 

It doesn't really matter at this point, since they've sold a billion copies of the game by now anyway. I actually wish they'd caught this and given it that rating earlier, but that's probably my hatred of Rockstar talking there.

[AndrewTS 0]

Uh--there are sex scenes in God of War, and there is actual nudity in them, unlike in SA.

 

After all, tons of R-rated movies have nudity in their sex scenes.

 

Hell, Desperado for instance, has it plus tons and tons of violence, blood everywhere, etc.

 

So, even if it was actually in the game, its a dumb rating.

 

Although I guess all the 6-12 year olds with the game might get the wrong idea seeing polygon character models in position that could be construed as sex, isn't actually erotic, and takes tons of work to actually see.

 

But murdering dozens of people, running them over with cars, blowing people and **** up--well, they're old enough at that age to know it's bad.

 

This is coming from somebody who feels Rockstar is filled with utter scum from the programmers to the top management.

[Exslade ZX 0]

Damn, somebody beat me to mentioning God of War has sex scenes.../and no one's freaking out over that. And it has just as much if not more violence, because the gore scenes look a lot more horrible/realistic in that, then the somewhat cartoonish style of GTA. In short, people suck.

 

And the only way to get the 'sex' anyways is by "cheating" so it's not like Rockstar didn't take it out of the final game..

[Golgo 13 0]

Rockstar isn't completely in the right, of course.

 

The point is they left it in the code and didn't report it, leaving open the chance that someone would find it, no matter what their honest intentions were. That's what they're being punished over, and it doesn't help that it was already an easy target and is more known than God of War in the public eye.

 

Though God of War shows more initially, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it still cut away? Meanwhile, though the bits are covered up in GTA, it leaves no question as to what they're doing.

 

And the violence. Though both are violent, if not one moreso than the other due to the gore, one is still rooted in fantasy and myth while the other takes place in something resembling reality and uses aspects which are somewhat part of life, as cartoonishly exaggerated as that violence is.

 

Don't take this wrong way. I think it's unfair, but the ESRB is doing what it has to in order to cover its ass and the gaming industry from a crackdown (or attempts at one, anyway).

[AndrewTS 0]

I haven't played God of War, I've just seen the looong list of things in the box on the back of the game that it got the M for, and heard second-hand descriptions.

 

No game has gotten the ESRB A-O (that I know of) for violence, just sexual content.

 

Why is the mod called "hot coffee," by the way?

[Ced 0]

The whole Hot Coffee argument aside, what's hurting my head is that the difference between a M and AO rating is 1 year. So 17 year old gamers just have to wait a year to get a copy of GTA:SA now, if they haven't already purchased it already. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that a few systems are failing badly somewhere along this equation.

[AndrewTS 0]

Also funny--kids are already having sex at 16 and younger. But 17 year olds seeing two humanoid masses of polygons engaging in what appears to be Catholic-Church-sanctioned missionary--NOT ALLOWED!

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

However, the AO means that most stores won't carry it, thus potenitally crippling further sales. I never liked the concept behind GTA, anyhow, but I'm old school, give me a princess to rescue and I'm a happy geek.

[Fökai 0]

I swear, if George Costanza existed in the real world, he'd would been placed into a public position so that he could simply bitch about the complete ridiculousness of such rulings.

 

I can only imagine Brent Bozell going into a tirade about the game - 'We need to protect these virginal seventeen year-olds from the evils of this world - no, not the graphic depictions of real-time war on primetime network television...no, not 'Desperate Housewives' either, our family enjoys that show...no, I'm talking about animated sexual intercouse between two polygons.'

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

The only way it couldn't get an AO rating is if the whole sex thing was done like the British porn on Family Guy.

 

CJ: Almost... almost.... almost.... there we are.

 

Denise: Well done.

 

Seriously though... this is just becoming a whole lot of ridiculous bullshit... everyone wants to find a scapegoat... and usually you can say it's the parents fault... but I don't think you can in this case. Rockstar screwed up by keeping that in there. Some whiz kid was bound to find it, and BAM. There you go.

 

But it can still be the parents' fault if we can find a way.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

In order to get the mod, a parent's got to be stupid enough to buy it in the first place.

 

It isn't Rockstar's fault some people are too stupid to read the damned box..

[dubq 0]

A] This game, and games of it's ilk, shouldn't be sold to children in the first place. It's not always a case of parents buying the game and not reading the warning. A lot of retailers will sell because they're money hungry assholes.

 

B] These ratings need to be law and need to be enforced. Both the retailers (for selling) and the parents (for not monitoring what games their kids are playing/buying) should be held responsible for this shit.

 

C] This rating ruling is just a case of too little, too late.

 

D] I'd also like to note that this doesn't effect me in the slightest way since I am over 21 years of age and do not have children.

[Paul Stanley 0]

On the news here it says Target, Wal Mart and Best Buy have pulled it off the shelves

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Good grief. I don't play the GTA games, but enough is enough already.

 

The GTA series has been around for a while, which is why it probably gets more attention than "God of War." Wait until this game gets a sequel or two, then the wackos will bitch about this, too...

[AndrewTS 0]

On the news here it says Target, Wal Mart and Best Buy have pulled it off the shelves

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

White trash will have to buy it from EB Games and Gamestop now.

 

EDIT: then again...

 

San Andreas becomes only the second game made by mainstream media to receive the A/O rating. Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored was the first. GTA SA has already been pulled from many store shelves after being hit with the new rating, including Walmarts, Targets, Best Buys and even Gamestops.

 

Source: Gamespot

 

Oh well.

 

*laughs at Rockstar for the moment*

[Matt Young 0]

Well shit... I haven't bought the game yet since I want to finish GTA III and vice City first (I got the double pack for the Xbox a few months ago) so I hope I am still able to get my hands on it.

[JHawk 0]

Circuit City has also pulled it off its shelves as we're not allowed to sell AO games at all no matter what.

 

And we're flat out told to check IDs if somebody who looks under 25 is trying to buy an M-rated game in the first place.

[Paul Stanley 0]

I'm still mad at S.A for the crappy ending

[jimmy no nose 0]

The guys at EB told me they are still planning to sell the game unless they are told otherwise by the company. I guess this might be good news for them since very few other stores are carrying it.

[dubq 0]

Well shit... I haven't bought the game yet since I want to finish GTA III and vice City first (I got the double pack for the Xbox a few months ago) so I hope I am still able to get my hands on it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Say it with me: "Mail Order"

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

I heard Blockbuster pulled all rentals and sales of the game today as well.

[Exslade ZX 0]

Well mostly anyone who wants to get it, probaly already has it by now I would guess...so it's not really like it's gonna be a huge dent in sales I'm sure?

 

Plus, maybe they didn't realize it, but the first time around it was mostly parents buying the game for their kids anyways...so if someone wants it, they'll just do that again. Or do like the South Park movie >_>. (it'll just be a little harder to find.)

[dubq 0]

News up here [toronto] is stating that most of the stores will restock the game once they receive the new versions with the new ratings on the packaging...

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

I was waiting for it to go down in price.

I went to CompUSA, Gamestop, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy and they didn't have it.

 

So I bought the GTA: Double Pack. Thank God there are no graphic depictions of sex. Just good old fashioned violence.

 

All those retailers sell rated R and uncut DVD's. What's the difference?

 

GTA: SA is ranked #1, #2, and #3 in Amazon computer/video game sales.

 

I think I might buy it.

[AndrewTS 0]

Apparently it goes a little farther than I thought.

 

EDIT: Check LSD for a link I found--don't wanna break any rules here.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Well mostly anyone who wants to get it, probaly already has it by now I would guess...so it's not really like it's gonna be a huge dent in sales I'm sure?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I thought the same too, however, there are a few X-Box owners without it (too new to go Pre-Played at most places) and also, in an article I read, Wal-Mart is taking all returns on it, opened or unopened, for full refund. It discussed how a love of violent video games bought it for PS2 on initial release, but was appauled by the added "pornography" and plans on returning it.

[Scroby 0]

Hollywood Video's pulled all their rentals and Gamecrazy pulled all their new and used titles at well. Honestly the rating to Adult is crap, there are games a bit far worse, but then again I can understand why the ESRB board did change the rating. They wanted the media off their back and wanted to look positive so the ESRB board changed the rating. I hate to say it but Rockstar royally fucked up here. I mean honestly why the hell are you going to put something like the Hot Coffee mini game in there when there is so much bad press on the GTA series as it is. Rockstar just had to slip up once and the shit would have hit the fan, Rockstar is seriously stupid for this one.

[AboveAverage484 0]

What rating did Playboy Mansion get?

[Ripper 0]

No seriously, how can anyone be on Rockstars side here and say this is bullshit. IF this was a movie and they spliced in hardcore porn in the middle of the film for its theatrical released but didn't have it there for the MPAA ratings board, it would be wrong and this is too.

 

Rockstar knew they couldn't display explicit sex in the game and get a MA rating which, despite it only being a years difference between buying age, makes a huge difference in who carrys it. So they hid it in the game trying to be funny. Then LIED and said it was a mod that users made up until it got found in the console games too. Fuck them. They screwed themselves.