Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
 

I think I'm right to assume that GTA:SA has been recalled for an AO rating. Does anyone know when that new GTA is being released?

I know that walmart, best-buy, and circuit city have all pulled it from the shelves. Local video rental stores are either removing it also, or not letting anyone under 18 rent it.

I got it for christmas so it's really a moot point.

Serves all those people right for waiting until the price dropped ...

It's stupid that it's even an issue.

From here: Penny Arcade commentary on the matter

Clodfobble, that's a good quote. I read pennyarcade kinda regular, the comics are mostly funny and the commentary is pretty good too. I think the editorial in the post before yours highlights the difference in the M vs AO rating that the person you quoted missed. The magic word? Nudity.

I saw the video of "the scene" or a scene maybe. It's the onscreen equivalent of ken and barbie gettin jiggy. The girl form is without clothes and the guy form has them. Tittilating. Ooooo. Giggle. Hehehe [/beavis]. I think the distinction between M and AO is the color of the texture map, and the motions of the characters.

In the real world, it's ok to lie around on the sand, dripping sweat and baby oil, as long as you have the barest hint of modesty covering your parts. But if the breeze blows everywhere, you're in violation. And the motions? Have you been to a high school dance lately? You'd blush. I did. But with the clothes present, it's M even though the motions and intentions are pure AO.

There's something about skin.

No, there's just something about combining stupidity with religion.

Dogma free for 20 years now and loving it.

OK, now it's time for me to ask a dumb question.

(What else is new?)

We have this GTA business.

We have Tomb Raider and its sequels.

We have Fear Effect: Retro Helix 2, which was advertised with the tagline "These ladies put the 'ass' in 'assassin'."

We have Dead or Alive, not to mention Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

We have, I'm sure, other examples that haven't flaunted themselves enough for me to notice.

We also have approximately 3,496,192,509 1/2 pornographic videos that, by all accounts, make up billions upon billions of dollars in sales.

Isn't there a disconnect there? Where are the out and out porno video games? Surely there's a market.

If you go to a Target, you'll see a little sign that says "Target is no longer carrying GTA:SA, as it has been rerated AO and Target does not carry AO games."

Right next to that on my last visit was God of War, with an "As Advertised!" banner underneath it. God of War contains female frontal nudity and a mini-game in which Our Hero climbs into bed with two women, at which point the camera shifts to a vase at bedside and you attempt to make the vase fall over and break via your vigorous activity. This mini-game is unlocked by default, not hidden away in the code. The game is rated M for Mature, with no hubbub whatsoever.

But that's because Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman have never heard of God of War, and God of War is not made by Rockstar Games.

so no one knows when the new gta:sa is coming out?

I can figure it out when I get home from work tonight for ya if you'd like. If not, IGN.com and Gamespy.com are the two biggest and most reputable gaming sites on the net.

All these game outlets are pandering to the "family" demographic, which, IMHO, either doesn't exist, or could really care less about what games their kids play.

I'm down with the stupidity of "violence is alright, but sex is bad". Pure and simple puritanical BS which would never fly in anything but a country teetering on the brink of theocracy. After all, you need people who are willing to kill to maintain a theocracy. Even kill themselves.

Now...for ten points and a new copy of the Quran, who can name another country which has similar attitudes regarding sex and violence?

In the case of chains like Electronics Boutique, GameStop, etc., where are the vast majority of their stores? In shopping malls, in strip malls, and in other public shopping centers that the chains themselves do not own. In many cases, there are zoning restrictions and/or lease conditions prohibiting the sale of adults-only content. Musicians faced the same hurdle back in the Tipper-PMRC era.

The demographic that moral crusaders aim for is the one that knows nothing about these games except what they hear on the news, which is usually at least partially inaccurate. Politicians like to grandstand about how They Are Doing Something To Protect Your Children when elections are approaching.

You reinforce my point, vsp. The "money shot" in Gods of War is of a vase. Not skin. That's the fig leaf they're able to hide behind. Intention--AO, presentation--it's only a vase, after all.

Yes. But this movie contains an astonishing amount of nudity, both male and female--it's practically soft-core porn--and it's rated R.

The problem is that the "M" rating is supposed to be loosely equal to the "R" rating in terms of content, but game companies like to pretend it's not and won't reinforce the meaning of the ratings system because it means far fewer M-rated titles would get accidentally bought by grandparents who don't know any better.