Slashdot Mirror
Grand Theft Auto Still Banned Down Under
SicariusMan sent us a CNN story that talks about australia upholding the ban on GTA3. It's been
mentioned here before, but
its interesting that its gonna stick. GTA3 really is perhaps the best PS2 game out in recent memory.
I'm having a PS2 resurgance of late, beating Klonoa2, MGS2, Baldur's Gate: Dark
Alliance, and getting hooked on Jak and Daxter and Frequency. And
GTA3 is easily among the best of PS2 games. Sorry .au! At least
they probably won't ban FFX!
Am I to understand that stealing cars is illegal in Australia? How... weird.
-- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
I believe that I can clear this up. Any single video game can integrate itself into a countrys culture. Perhaps the Aussie authoritys are worried that this will cause people to drive on the "wrong" side of the road
I remember from the earlier article that Australia was concerned about being able to hire prostitutes. Do your thing and then beat them up for the money.
It's probably a good thing they didn't realise you can wander around, beat someone up for their money, kill the paramedic when he arrives, steal the ambulance and then mow down prostitutes by the dozen. All in the privacy of your own home!
pronoblem
I mean isn't Australia just a big island full of convicts? Funny how now they seem to be so strict. I wonder if someone gets arrested for having that game, are they going to ship them to the UK?
~ now you know
...but apparently smoking crack isn't.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
On a serious note, I lived in Australia (Newtown, NSW) in 1992 for about 7 months. When watching TV, I started to notice you really didn't see violence but man 'o man did you see breasts! While I was there, the movie "Ten" w/ Bo Derek was shown on their equivilent of NBC. In America, they cut out all the nudity scenes. In Australia, they actually had more than the original movie had! Special Director's Cut for Australia. What a great country! Great beer, beautiful women and those cool, lickable toads.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
I would return the empty case w/the return address as:
My Retailer
ATTN: OFLC -- Fucking Eat Me
Address Line 1
Australia
I found that GTA and GTA2, while not as graphically pleasing as GTA3 looks to be, were a wonderful addition to my skill set. Not only do I now know how to go on a "Kiiiiillll FRENZY!", but I also know how to hotwire most major makes of car, from the unimposing Ford Fiesta, to the ever-popular Tank!
These sorts of skills are very important to an aspiring criminal mastermind, such as me. And why work so hard for a Cisco or MSCE certification? They cost so much more! For only $49.95 (before tax), you too can learn the same skill sets I now have.
I'm just wondering if GTA3, with all it's new-fangled '3D' graphics is really worth the investment in my future. I mean, I already know how to highjack cars and kill random people. Do I really need to know how to interact with the mob? Please help me decide slashdot!
The article says that the maker of the game is trying to make a new version of the game for distribution in Australia in Jan 2002.
How are they gonna pull that off??? Remove the guns, prostituts, organized crime, etc.... what are you left with??? Crazy Taxi????
You should buy them a new PS2 too while you're at it. Region coding for PS2 games means that they won't be able to play your US GTA3 on their Australian PS2.
The US actually cared about an ATARI 2600 game?! How can you successfully depict "a cowboy raping a squaw" without out it looking like a ASCII drawing? (Quick answer: you can't.) How can you tell it's a Squaw indian, instead of another breed? How could you tell it's even a rape scene?
That couldn't be held up in court:
Lawyer: "So...did you willingly draw a rape scene between a cowboy and this Squaw indian?"
Artist: "Rape scene? What rape scene?"
Lawyer: "This one..."
[plays game scene]
Artist: "That's not a rape scene. That's...uhhh...a pigeon carrying a message to Custard. Any fool could see that!"
Lawyer: "Uhhh...well, I guess it does sorta look like that from this angle. No further questions."
Zodiac Survey
501 Not Implemented
"This game has been modified from its original version. It has been edited for content and formatted to fit your legal system."
Cheers, Toliaro
and we are a bunch of convicts. I love it. It's fun. That's why I'm sad to see Australia take this stance.
~ now you know
That doesn't mean I should start driving over the countryside looking for native animals.
.. maybe your should!
.. no problem. I saw this in a game and thought that it was the best idea ever. First go steal a car and then for money ....
Well
What? No money
-- Knowing too much can get you killed, but knowing who knows too much can make you rich.
On a related note, GTA3 was finally released in Afghanistan, after Rockstar Games agreed to make a few minor modifications. The only vehicle you can choose is a beat up Toyota pickup truck with fourteen armed men in the back...
Re: open-endedness. Why not ban the Sims too? I mean, I can wall people in in my bathroom and chuckle gleefully over their cries for help as they slowly starve to death.
Or pause the game when a Sim is swimming, remove the ladder from the pool and then watch as they tire and drown.
Seems to me that this sort of mayhem is much more within the reach of the average consumer (vs. obtaining rocket-propelled grenades and high-powered sniper rifles).
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.