Prostitution options excluded from Aussie version of GTAIV

  • By RandolphRam, GameSpot AU
  • Posted May 5, 2008 5:31 pm AEST

When Rockstar confirmed that Australian versions of Grand Theft Auto IV had been modified to better fit with local classification laws, many gamers cried foul and demanded to know exactly what had been taken out. Rockstar has so far refused to reveal exactly what the difference is between Aussie...


When Rockstar confirmed that Australian versions of Grand Theft Auto IV had been modified to better fit with local classification laws, many gamers cried foul and demanded to know exactly what had been taken out. Rockstar has so far refused to reveal exactly what the difference is between Aussie versions of their hit game with other versions around the world, saying only that the changes were "not significant."

GameSpot AU can now explain in some detail at least one change that has been made. Having just received a region one version of the game, we tested out a few scenarios and only found one difference so far: how the game deals with prostitution. In Australian versions of GTAIV, Niko can indeed pick up prostitutes, but once he takes said sex worker to a secluded area, the game camera shifts to a tight shot of the rear of the vehicle the pair are in and cannot be moved.

In the region one version, once Niko finds a secluded spot, an extra option pops up, asking whether Niko wants the $20 or the $50 service. Once the appropriate "service" is chosen, the act begins, but instead of a static camera, players can freely rotate the game camera around the vehicle.

But in all other aspects, the Australian version and the region one version seem identical so far. GameSpot AU will report any further differences it spots as we explore the overseas version of the game.

131 Comments

  • Myth-Q8

    Posted Dec 1, 2008 12:05 pm PT

    SEX is GOOD

  • damaster101

    Posted May 22, 2008 2:36 am PT

    Why don't the people who rate the games harden the **** up and release the game the way it was originally made. I don't care about the prostution scenes but what is the point in editing a sex scene when you can go do things such as killing heaps of people.People look at sex these days like its pure evil, its so ridiculous.

  • Kolonel_Karnage

    Posted May 9, 2008 6:32 am PT

    Yeah, I noticed this while watching an "Arbiter and Chief" episode with my friend. In the You Tube video they go to pick up a prostitute and when they're just about to get it on you have full control of the camera veiw but when I do it the camera just locks on to the back of the car. Not really a big deal unless your one of those people who likes to watch fictional cyber characters doing the deed. I'm not sure but I have a feeling the blood effects have been lowered in the edited version.

  • CrackerMcGee

    Posted May 7, 2008 10:28 pm PT

    What is the specific problem with the prostitute sex in the game? Is it better if you pay her with diner and a movie, if you don't pay her and drive off quickly its not prostitution just rape or theft of services. If prostitution is immoral is killing prostitutes morally just? Is the problem the lack of consequence? How about Niko get AIDS and his health drains.

  • anthj5

    Posted May 6, 2008 7:36 pm PT

    I got the PAL UK and PAL AU versions. Another difference is that in the Australian copy Niko doesn't get bloody and bruised whereas in my imported copy he does!

  • Ek-Andy

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:02 pm PT

    Never mind. I misread the article... Well it wasnt very clear... well mabye it was but its still Gamespots fault.... somehow...

  • Ek-Andy

    Posted May 6, 2008 2:58 pm PT

    Hows this any beter? You now have more choice and more control of the camera. Erm am I missing something?

  • xbox3604lyf

    Posted May 6, 2008 2:39 pm PT

    DAMN IT!! i wanna rotate the camera

  • ShadowOfKratos

    Posted May 6, 2008 12:25 pm PT

    feel sorry for the Australians, I mean, pretty soon they won't even have M Rated movies... coz what's the difference between a porn movie and GTA4? GTA4 doesn't get explicit, stil they get the same age rating. weird...

  • edeasknight

    Posted May 6, 2008 10:19 am PT

    ridiculous. /facepalm

  • Snakelet

    Posted May 6, 2008 8:27 am PT

    You are correct Rowr14...and it sux. Why the hell did R* tone down the blood, it would have easily passed censorship with it. I understand the prostitutes, but am a bit annoyed they decided to remove the blood on clothes/pools of blood. I'm pretty sure the next GTA will contain green blood...at least all those who want zombie mode will be satisfied...

  • Rowr14

    Posted May 6, 2008 8:19 am PT

    I got an uncensored copy today after playing an Aus rental all week. I noticed blood pools from dead bodies, and blood through nikos clothing when i was shot. which i dont really recall seeing before. I am aware of the blood spatter, but theses were pools on the ground, also i am sure i never saw niko bleeding from wounds before.

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted May 6, 2008 7:55 am PT

    No biggie. Still, I'd have preferred Rockstar didn't have to go to that trouble and that Australia gets the 18+ rating it sorely needs.

  • SOL1D_SNAKE

    Posted May 6, 2008 6:14 am PT

    Unbelievable. What about the consumers who are infact old enough to purchase the game, and at the same time realize that their just playing a game and should have no bearing on them?

  • jivemaster

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:54 am PT

    These cuts were not instigated by the ratings board, Rockstar didnt actually attempt to get it through prior to cuts. So people ragging on the ratings board shouldnt technically be doing so for this particular instance. Sometimes things can get through, it depends on the people testing and how it is presented.

  • zoe256

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:20 am PT

    Didn't really need to be in the game anyway, so it's no great loss. It's not like the Mass Effect scandal where you could justify it because it was party of the story line...

  • RaNaBiR

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:14 am PT

    That's not much of a change at all..

    Still, it cost too much over here..

  • S2333

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:04 am PT

    Who can really cry about that?

    I mean all I want in this game is the gameplay, I don't get off on virtual sex.

  • Awful_Cleric

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:02 am PT

    I understand why they had to do this.
    Anyone been to Australia?
    Their Prostitutes are TERRIBLE!!!!

  • raghraghragh

    Posted May 6, 2008 2:01 am PT

    Eh, doesn't bother me. I don't think I'd really want to see that anyway.

  • DiabolicalX

    Posted May 6, 2008 1:43 am PT

    thay really should of given us the jist of what they cut out, for me, being allowed to get his game hinges on what has been cut out, if there is little or no sex then I'm good, my parents don't care if I brutally murder people

  • the-very-best

    Posted May 6, 2008 1:25 am PT

    That's it? That's really weird. There's so much other sexual content within this game and that's the only thing they take out? Man...our ratings board do not like prostitution.

  • Wildboy124

    Posted May 6, 2008 1:15 am PT

    Er... Thanks for posting this Gamespot, but does it honestly matter? I mean, the only ones who want a look at whats going on during these scenes are perves or teenagers

  • bagmup

    Posted May 6, 2008 12:59 am PT

    How come you can have sex in God of war and not GTA?

  • is0lati0n

    Posted May 5, 2008 11:34 pm PT

    This better be all that was taken out.

  • Hawkez

    Posted May 5, 2008 11:22 pm PT

    This really has nothing to do with Australian's views on anything. I am an American who is an Aussie resident. The whole problem is that there is no M rating only 15+ on games here. So this game had to be made to fit into the 15+ category. They do have a higher rating for everything else (movies etc.) There are several groups trying to get this changed. From the outside it probably does look silly since prostitution is legal here. Hopefully by the next game like this there will be a 17+ rating here. I of course ordered mine from the U.S. I prefer a game not modified from it's intended version.

  • Simple_malk

    Posted May 5, 2008 10:46 pm PT

    Did anyone really care that much? Seriously it's funny the first couple times you see it but if you really want to see that sorta thing you can see it 100% uncensored a click away. I'd rather see more TV shows and generally more of other things then the time they spent on virtual hookers and strippers that aren't even nude. Sure it gives a bit of realism but again if I want a porn game I can easily go download one. What's up with music in this one? Worst sound track out of all the recent ones pretty much.

  • smc_sewer

    Posted May 5, 2008 10:17 pm PT

    Damn I dont even think ive seen a hooker in the game yet lol...anyway one mission that seemed sus(I dont know the title) was one where you had to drive a boat to the poop deck club with brucie and 2 chix. anyway you get to the club the screen goes blank then it's time to take em back to the jetty you started at.
    Anyway i started the game again so i can see how it turns out when you get the mission where you have to make a choice to who you kill(pretty pissed that kate died without getting some action from her lol)

  • Snakelet

    Posted May 5, 2008 9:08 pm PT

    Blood stained clothing is also excluded from the AU release

  • zaptoman

    Posted May 5, 2008 9:04 pm PT

    Aussies, does your government work FOR you, or AGAINST you?

  • Sparrow51

    Posted May 5, 2008 8:56 pm PT

    Wasn't GTA3 taken off the shelves for being able to kill a prostitute and take the money you just paid them? I was able to do this in GTA4 when I wanted to see if that act was removed. OFLC WTF? BTW I have seen the US fotage of using a prostitute, we in Australia aren't missing much.

  • Shmoe82

    Posted May 5, 2008 8:32 pm PT

    I hate the regulating of games. Leave games like they were meant to be or make 2 versions of every game. One for those that feel violated and corrupted by a game with "any" violence, nudity, swearing, stealing, lieing, fun, etc; and a version for those of us that want the game unfiltered and as dark and evil as the programers and producers intended.

  • BoogieManZero

    Posted May 5, 2008 8:19 pm PT

    Did anybody else laugh after reading this? It is kind of funny really. All this build up and all that seems to be missing is a fully clothed woman bouncing up and down. The animation is great in those...eh...activities...but trust me it is something you do once to see and then kind of ignore.

  • Pure_Awesome

    Posted May 5, 2008 8:02 pm PT

    dont forget also, that in the AU version, Niko never gets blood on his clothes, wheras in the uncensored version, Niko's clothes get stained with blood.

  • AceTen

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:44 pm PT

    Now what am I supposed to get arroused to?

  • Jaz0

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:32 pm PT

    its really not a big deal...its a simple change and it doesnt even matter that much (unless u wanna watch prostitutes in ur car in GTA4 for some strange perverted reason)

  • pappa-ray

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:31 pm PT

    theres no decapitation in the aus version, is there any in the US?????

  • ps3cooly21

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:29 pm PT

    hot coffe was taken out too from what i see cos i played it on ps3

  • snake_9909

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:05 pm PT

    Chris_555_TK lol the UK version probably has an extended hot coffee mod were you can pick up multiple hookers and use the environment for different positions

  • mcbride69

    Posted May 5, 2008 6:54 pm PT

    Their missing out, its so F'in funny watching it lol

  • SirCrimson

    Posted May 5, 2008 6:53 pm PT

    God bless Bart Simpson for mooning the Prime Minister of Australia.

  • SirCrimson

    Posted May 5, 2008 6:49 pm PT

    So much for freedom of expression.

  • other44

    Posted May 5, 2008 6:49 pm PT

    thats good!

  • sj420

    Posted May 5, 2008 6:41 pm PT

    "oh the rest of it? nah, i'm cool with my 15 yr old son playing that. bloody fine game."

    aussies have some fd up censorship policies. weren't there other social issues that needed attention before rating GTAIV with a _MA15+_, you douchebags. if we censor it, it won't exist. brilliant.

  • Chris_555_TK

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:41 pm PT

    Huh, I guess Australia is run by prudes. I bet in the UK version, you can see even more

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:30 pm PT

    Rofl, thats like no diff at all, infact thats fine with me. I dont watch that garbage anyway...

  • corn999

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:23 pm PT

    wow, that sux.

  • ocdog45

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:19 pm PT

    so this is what was taken out huh. doesn't ruin the game.

  • diablusx

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:12 pm PT

    If that is all they did then it is not that bad. They could have replaced the scene with worse things such as either fast forwarding to him just getting out of the car or changed the camera so that you look at the nearest wall.

  • mrklorox

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:10 pm PT

    First of all, Gamespot, it's NTSC region... not region 1. That whole region number thing went out with DVDs. Secondly, there are THREE options from which to choose when renting a prostitute (20, 50, and 70)... not just two.

    EDIT: Thirdly (to GS readers/commentators) Aussies get censored because there is no adult rating equivalent for video games. This will change soon, once the old fogeys that think videogames are for exclusively kids leave office. It's not because Aussie government refuses to let adults play what they want... it's because they don't think adults play games. Plain and simple.

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