San Andreas Given AO Rating!

20
Jul
2005
By Chris | 20th Jul 2005 at 20:24 GMT in San Andreas | 34 Comments

What a busy day for GTA news it's been today, this is the 4th post I'm writing and the most shocking.

A press release by Take Two Interactive has informed us that GTA San Andreas will now be made with an AO rating.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) announced today that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on all platforms from "Mature 17+" (M) to "Adults Only 18+" (AO) because of the so-called "hot coffee mod," an unauthorized third party modification that alters the retail version of the game. Take-Two cooperated fully with the ESRB's investigation.

Rockstar have now stopped making the current version of the game and are working on making the game more secure (from game 'hackers').

Rockstar Games has ceased manufacturing of the current version of the title and will begin working on a version of the game with enhanced security to prevent the "hot coffee" modifications. This version will retain the original ESRB M-rating and is expected to be available during the Company's fourth fiscal quarter. Rockstar Games will be providing AO labels for retailers who wish to continue to sell the current version of the title.

Rockstar are going to be releasing a patch shortly to render the Hot Coffee useless.

I myself can't see the patch getting many downloads at all

"Only In America" - The only appropriate phrase I could think of. And just to clear something up this is only in America, every other country doesn't need to worry, it's rated 18 already in the UK anyway.

View the full press release here.

Sherman's photo
Sherman 20th July, 2005 @ 20:38 - Permalink

How gay. I just hope my mom and dad dont remember I have san andreas!

Or I could lie and say I dont if they say something about it.

THANKS PATRICK IFLU

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 20th July, 2005 @ 20:52 - Permalink

well I'm sure if he knew this was gonna happen he wouldn't have done this. Damn I still can't believe a Grand Theft Auto is rated "Adults Only" !!

chris82's photo
chris82 20th July, 2005 @ 20:53 - Permalink

Knowing R*'s history of patches, they'll put the hot coffee fix into a patch with other fixes and call it 1.1. 1.1 will fix many problems with San Andreas like crashes and texture corruption, yet the patch will also fix hot coffee. So if you want to fix the problems, you have to get the patch, but the downside is the patch removes hot coffee. I am just guessing this, but there's a 90% chance it's true.

Adriaan's photo
Adriaan 20th July, 2005 @ 20:59 - Permalink

well do any of us need those sex scenes? I mean realy... do you realy like go and play SA just to take your girlfriend for some "hot coffee".

-BELiEVER-'s photo
-BELiEVER- 20th July, 2005 @ 21:00 - Permalink

What he said, except my parents would probably never know about this.

UWEIUCFW's photo
UWEIUCFW 20th July, 2005 @ 21:31 - Permalink

I say we kill all responsible...

Anyway I dont think my dads gonna give a shit, but my mom might have a heart attack.

tommy vercetti guy's photo
tommy vercetti guy 20th July, 2005 @ 21:32 - Permalink

PATRICK, I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!

Chris's photo
Chris 20th July, 2005 @ 21:48 - Permalink
PATRICK, I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!

No that's unnecessary, and you don't even live in America do you? So there's no need.

tommy vercetti guy's photo
tommy vercetti guy 20th July, 2005 @ 21:50 - Permalink

I know, just frustrated as everone else is. -_-

Oh well, I bet Patrick is already having trouble sleeping at night thinking about the damage he has caused.

Spaz The Great's photo
Spaz The Great 20th July, 2005 @ 23:29 - Permalink

Wait wait wait... Back this up. This means now instead of being 17 you have to be 18? PLEASE will someone explain to me what good that did? All the fuss to change it.... By one year age limit. WTF!?

Dave1's photo
Dave1 20th July, 2005 @ 23:36 - Permalink
:wtf: Ok this is fucking bull shit... The day i get ,ym comp upgraded so it can play san andreas for pc they give it the ao rating ...this is crule and uneeded punishment ....as you all know how much trouble ive had trying to get it to work.... :'(
Chris's photo
Chris 20th July, 2005 @ 23:37 - Permalink

I don't live in America so I can't speak with experience but I'm told not all shops will sell AO rated games. And at that they will ONLY sell if you have real ID or something, like it's obvious your over 18. Like having grey hair and a beard. Old.

Chris's photo
Chris 20th July, 2005 @ 23:38 - Permalink
:wtf:  Ok this is fucking bull shit...    The day i get ,y comp upgraded so it can play san andreas for pc  they giv eit the ao rating ...this is crule and uneeded punishment ....as you all  know how much trouble ive had trying to get it to work.... :'(

Hey, fool, It's not happening overnight, although theyve stopped production it doesn't mean game retailers can't still sell the M rated copies they still have in stock. Go out and get it quick!

Andrew91's photo
Andrew91 21st July, 2005 @ 04:08 - Permalink

This sucks, I cant buy it anymore, I was saving up too. :(

AbsoLuteXerØ's photo
AbsoLuteXerØ 21st July, 2005 @ 07:05 - Permalink

yeah, i doubt everybody here is exactly 17 and was able to get the game and cant now

im fifteen, im still not allowed to get the game, im still gonna get it

who cares?

Sherman's photo
Sherman 21st July, 2005 @ 07:23 - Permalink
yeah, i doubt everybody here is exactly 17 and was able to get the game and cant now

im fifteen, im still not allowed to get the game, im still gonna get it

who cares?

I got it from ( place im not gonna say.. big retail store though )

They didnt ask for ID or my age..

btw, Im 13

Oscar's photo
Oscar 21st July, 2005 @ 08:00 - Permalink

Well, for you you have the collection edition congratulations, I "got" it the fast way, wanted to go and buy it in the USA but a lot of stuff happened and now theres no way I can get the original edition (not that I care about sex scenes but I wanted the original edition just like R* released it), I think is really shit, the hot coffee is just clothed people doing some scenes, nothing spectacular, besides you knew the game was not for kids and I was happy with the M rating since I am 20 years old and I can buy anything I want, but now that Walmart and gamestop are going to remove the original edition I wouldnot get it, I might still get the patched version but is not the same.

Well, this is take the big game that causes the most controversy, come on if you are the parent of a kid with SA you know what to expect so dont buy it for him, simple as that, but they are affecting the 18+ gamers too because they cant find a game intended for 17+ people anywhere now, they are actually affecting the market for what SA is intended, and just by a year of difference, if it was 21+ then I would understand but 1 year? come on, how much mature can you be a year later, does that makes some difference? and yet you kill a very popular game with less mature things than the said God of War.

Now I wish I would have made that trip to get it, but is just a game and I have it and I will get the new version of the game (to be release between august and october according to gamespot), but it wil mean a big loss for Take Two and I dont know what it will do to the next GTA game (in case theres is a next GTA game )

Muze07's photo
Muze07 21st July, 2005 @ 08:00 - Permalink

and that my friends is the reason i got it the day it came out because i knew the only way it could get better was if it got worse (ex the cussing and such)

Gerard's photo
Gerard 21st July, 2005 @ 13:22 - Permalink

I hope PatrickW is feeling good for himself. We can't blame him really, he had an opportunity to unlock something funny ingame which had been censored for a reason - you couldn't really expect us all to ignore it. 1.2 million downloads on GTA Garage proves that I think. But look at the damage its cased:

Take 2 shares fell 11% last night

Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have removed the game from their shelves, as they make a policy of not stocking AO games.

Parents will further despise the series, and not let their kids have it

A victory for worried mothers is NEVER a good thing, they have the upper hand and they will now try harder to take over our lives

However, i dont think this will massively affect us. Its already 18 rated here in the UK, and we all have it. Maybe its because the BBFC give out 18 ratings a lot more easily, that our parents are willing to let it slip a bit. Maybe in the US parents take the ESRBs ratings more seriously.

johnnythegamer's photo
johnnythegamer 21st July, 2005 @ 13:29 - Permalink
Wait wait wait... Back this up. This means now instead of being 17 you have to be 18? PLEASE will someone explain to me what good that did? All the fuss to change it.... By one year age limit. WTF!?

God bless this man, who understands that even if a god dam 11 year old plays it anyway, well his dad bought it for him, they make it 17+ which stores don't give a shit anyways, they make it how many years up? 18, so maybe the morons don't understand that guess what, Rockstar, got screwed over. There goes all the sales now out the window. They like attacking GTA. Look, I can list a number of games that deserve an AO rating right here: The Sims 2 with nude patches, Manhunt, God of War which INCLUDES sex, True Crime for a lame game, and the list goes on.

Ok lemme give you an example. The Sims 2, there are probably dozens of nude patches which takes the censor off. Now look at GTA, it was censored, you couldn't see it, but they make a mod, and for an unrelated-Rockstar making, the game get's an AO, one day Patrick might find himself sleeping with the fishies!

Dave1's photo
Dave1 21st July, 2005 @ 14:12 - Permalink

OK ill go get mine today..I hope its in stock.

This better not affect gta for ps3.

Chris's photo
Chris 21st July, 2005 @ 20:08 - Permalink
OK ill go get mine today..I hope its in stock.

This better not affect gta for ps3.

It will. It means there won't be any sex minigames in it.

What will actually be really funny is if they censor sex minigames again for Patrick to find and we'll be able to have this farce again :P

Dave1's photo
Dave1 21st July, 2005 @ 20:17 - Permalink

They had it on the news today...gta pulled form stores rant rant rant..

im going to email the news staion and give em a peice of my mind.

MaxPayne's photo
MaxPayne 21st July, 2005 @ 21:07 - Permalink

I don't care because im 18 B) anyway most shops sell the games to under 18 anyway

Chris's photo
Chris 21st July, 2005 @ 21:29 - Permalink

Yeah in England it's pretty easy to go into any shop and buy a game you aren't supposed to be allowed. I've done it before.

Hell, I bought Carmageddon 2, one of the goriest and controversial games of its time when I was about 11, 7 years underage. That was at EB by the way.

Sherman's photo
Sherman 22nd July, 2005 @ 06:53 - Permalink
Yeah in England it's pretty easy to go into any shop and buy a game you aren't supposed to be allowed. I've done it before.

Hell, I bought Carmageddon 2, one of the goriest and controversial games of its time when I was about 11, 7 years underage. That was at EB by the way.

No wonder you act the way you do.. :P j/k

@ Xenon: Only american soccer moms and baseball dads worry about this kind of shit. That's why I play Football. ( Rugby with pads )

Oscar's photo
Oscar 22nd July, 2005 @ 08:36 - Permalink
I don't care because im 18  B) anyway most shops sell the games to under 18 anyway

Is not your age what matters, is the fact that the game is going to be removed from mayor retail stores so it will be difficult for you to get it, most retailers dont sell AO games doesnt matter if you are 10 or 50, they just dont put them in stores (at least in America)

Sherman's photo
Sherman 22nd July, 2005 @ 15:54 - Permalink

They're making a patch for PC right?

I hope theres one for ps2 :mellow:

gta_sa_master's photo
gta_sa_master 26th July, 2005 @ 17:31 - Permalink
They're making a patch for PC right?

I hope theres one for ps2 :mellow:

i dont really care i already have gta san andreas so i could care less about the ESRB rating and the way i feel about the AO crap i think its BULLSH** :pissedred:

pici's photo
pici 26th July, 2005 @ 22:53 - Permalink
Here is the best description of this situation.
Chris's photo
Chris 27th July, 2005 @ 14:19 - Permalink

Yeah I love that pic it's great.

PeeWee's photo
PeeWee 27th July, 2005 @ 14:59 - Permalink

Lol yeah its great!

crazychicken17's photo
crazychicken17 28th July, 2005 @ 02:06 - Permalink

Hey, it's me.

I could talk for hours about how stupid age ratings are, but i won't. The simpl etruth of the matter is that age ratings make minimal dfference in how accessable games are to children. My parents wouldn't let me buy SA after my idiot little brother went on a rampage in VC with my mum in the room, so I just bought if off a friend for £20. I play it and my paretns assume its VC.

But anyway, read this article. It bascially sums up how stupid this whole affair is.

isukisuk's photo
isukisuk 28th July, 2005 @ 04:19 - Permalink

Its a good thing i got SA on the first day....damn its AO...