On the heels of Hillary, now the PTC is back in the fray: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050720/tc_nm/media_grandtheftauto_dc By Lisa Baertlein 1 hour, 51 minutes ago SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A media watchdog group said on Tuesday it has demanded Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. unit Rockstar Games recall "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," the blockbuster title at the center of a swarm over a hack that helps players unlock a sexually explicit mini-game. ADVERTISEMENT The move added the Parents Television Council's voice to a growing chorus of critics of the game -- one of the most popular ever sold and one of the most controversial for what critics see as its gratuitous violence. For the past few weeks, the video game industry has been buzzing over a software modification for the game that allows players to have their characters engage in sex acts at the house of a "girlfriend." The game modification, dubbed "hot coffee," can be downloaded from the Internet. Critics have called for a change in the game's rating, from "M" (Mature 17+) to "AO" (Adult Only). Such a move could crimp sales at large retail outlets. Just last week, U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joseph Lieberman stepped into the controversy. Lieberman demanded that the company allow for an independent analysis of its code, while Clinton has promised to introduce legislation that would curb the sale of violent video games to minors. The Entertainment Software Rating Board -- the group responsible for video games ratings -- has also launched a probe into the "hot coffee" modification. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" got its "M" rating for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content and drug use. Take-Two's (Nasdaq:TTWO - news) Rockstar Games has said "hot coffee" is an unauthorized modification created by individuals in the gaming community. It is cooperating with the ESRB investigation. Patrick Wildenborg, a Netherlands-based programer identified as the lead author of the hack, said on his Web site that content in the modification -- including the animation and dialogue -- was available on the original game disk. He noted, however, that the material is completely inaccessible in an unmodified version of the game. It "is most probably just leftover material from a gameplay idea that didn't make the final release. I would really like to stress that this material is only accessible after willfully applying the 'hot coffee' mod (or something similar) to the game," he said on his site. -------------- I really can't stand the PTC and other similar organizations. I don't even play this game, but I know it's already rated M for mature and has the 18+ rating, so what's the point? If violence is the problem, better demand every damn thing coming out of Hollywood be recalled. Stupid.
I saw a video of this "hack"...friggin' hilarious! First, the chick gives CJ a blowjob, then they go into about five different sexual positions. Every time the player moves the analog stick, CJ "thrusts"... ..that being said, I think that Rockstar probably should have removed the code completely from the game for the PC version. It's pretty much impossible to do a hack for the console version, but they should have known that somebody would figure out how to hack the PC version. Of course, (for all the conspiracy theorists out there), the hack COULD have been released by somebody at the company knowing that it would create a controversy and result in more copies being sold.
So that was only for the PC version? The first I heard about it was on Attack of the Show and they didn't seem to mention that. They made it sound like it was just something you needed a cheatcode for.
Great !! I love stuff like this...Take Two are genious...this will drive sales of their PC game through the roof. WELL DONE TAKE TWO !! DD
I love cartoon p*rn... Seriously, this is more of an adult game, however, it depends on how graphic it gets before we get legislators on the bandwagon to ban it... It'll increase sales, of course...
I believe that the console versions of the game aren't too difficult to "hack" if you want to see the scene. I think you just need a Gameshark/PAR. Although it would have been near impossible to find out about this until it hit the PC, IMO. I knew Rockstar should have kept the game exclusive to the PS2. That's a good possibility, although it may not have even had anything to do with sales. Maybe some programmer was just messing around and forgot about it, or he hated Rockstar and wanted to cause some problems. If this was done for sales, I'm not sure how much it will help. Last I checked, GTA:SA sold like 5+ million copies worldwide, and that was just a few months after its PS2 release. It may help sales a little bit, but I would think the risks would outweigh the rewards in this situation. It could be a big blow if retail stores like Wal-Mart stop carrying the game, or even any other Rockstar/Take Two game. The pub would be great for mainstream customers who haven't heard of the game and want to check it out, but I don't think it would work if these customers have to go to a Gamestop or order online just to get the game. BTW, the ESRB is changing the rating of the game to AO (adults only, or 18+ instead of 17+), but the game is going to be redistributed without the scene in order to get the M rating back: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050720/205870.html?.v=1 Personally, I think this is stupid. I haven't even spent any time to check out the mod or the articles just because I think it is stupid. 1st of all, I don't see why this scene automatically makes it a AO game, while all the cursing, violence, sexual content, etc. (which, BTW, is noted on the case clearly) in the game only warranted a M rating. FWIW. God of War, also rated M, has a good amount of female nudity and a sex mini-game (no mod needed, just play for an hour or so), although you can't actually see it going on (can hear it plainly though). Not quite the same degree as this mod, but pretty similar IMO. Also, I never really thought about it, but what is up with the two ratings of M and AO? Only a year separates them, yet apparently they have differing degrees of questionable content. I believe Europe just uses M as 18+ and that's it; I'm not sure about Japan, but I wouldn't doubt it if it was similar. I just get tired of reading about parents who are angry about a game clearly not directed at kids. I'm not sure how much more this companies can do to prevent kids from playing them. Parents just need to check the ESRB labels and see what their kid(s) are playing.
PRESS RELEASE Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Conclusion of ESRB Investigation Wednesday July 20, 4:02 pm ET NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2005--Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO - News): * ESRB assigns "Adults Only 18+" (AO) rating for current version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas due to unauthorized third party "Hot Coffee" modification * Rockstar Games to cease manufacture of current version of title and offer a downloadable patch to prevent modification of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC * Company lowers third quarter and fiscal year guidance to reflect the expected negative impact on the title's retail performance Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO - News) 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 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. As a result of the re-rating of the game, Take-Two is lowering guidance for the third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2005 to $160 to $170 million in net sales and a net loss per share of $(0.40) to $(0.45) to provide reserves for the value of the title's current North American retail inventory. Accordingly, guidance for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005 is also being lowered to $1.26 to $1.31 billion in net sales and $1.05 to $1.12 in diluted earnings per share. "Take-Two and Rockstar Games have always worked to keep mature-themed video game content out of the hands of children and we will continue to work closely with the ESRB and community leaders to improve and better promote a reliable rating system to help consumers make informed choices about which video games are appropriate for each individual," said Paul Eibeler, Take-Two's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The ESRB's decision to re-rate a game based on an unauthorized third party modification presents a new challenge for parents, the interactive entertainment industry and anyone who distributes or consumes digital content. Rockstar Games is pleased that the investigation is now settled and they look forward to returning their focus to making innovative and groundbreaking video games for a mature audience." The scenes depicted in the "hot coffee" modification are not playable in the retail version of the game unless the user downloads and/or installs unauthorized software that alters the content of the original retail version of the title, representing a violation of Take-Two and Rockstar's end user license agreement (EULA) and intellectual property rights. "We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product," said Mr. Eibeler. Take-Two is exploring its legal options as it relates to companies that profited from creating and distributing tools for altering the content of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Which one? The M rated one with the sex scene, the AO title, or the M rated one without the sex scene? If it is the first one, then it may not be much of a collector's edition since there's like 5+ million copies out there (unless you're talking about PC/Xbox, although not sure how much of a difference that would make). The AO ones might be the "rarest" of the three, although they may just be the regular ones with a sticker put on it. BTW, there are two stories I got off of Digg that seem to go well with this all. The first is a article about popular myths on video games that are debunked, while the other one is an article on how badly of a job CBS did tonight on a story involving the game. Here they are: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html http://kotaku.com/gaming/breaking/errorfilled-cbs-story-attacks-gta-113313.php The CBS one is pretty funny yet sad at the same time, IMO.
Heard on the radio this morning that Take-Two admitted that it was done by the company, not a hacker, and it's on all versions of the game - PC and console. They mentioned they'll raise the rating, but no mention of it being discontinued. Why would they, they'll sell millions now.
In a move equally stunning to neglegent parents everywhere, Captain Obvious has advised that people stop paying attention to the ESRB and take a more proactive stance in monitoring the content that they're buying for their kids. He also advised that parents pay more attention to other aspects of games, such as violence and racial overtones, and not use sex alone as a deciding factor for whether or not to buy a game, movie, music CD, etc. Experts predict that people will ignore this advice and continue to rely on other people to raise their kids for them.
Wow. Changed to 18+ (Adults Only) now. So if you're 17, it's ok to "play" murder, carjacking, drug selling, prostitution, etc. But no sex. If you're 18, it's all good. Insane.
Methinks this thread would be better served if it were moved to Hangout, where there are lot more horny dudes. Seriously.
