Chinatown Wars receives '18' rating in UK
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Jan 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been granted an "18" certificate in Britain by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, and no, we don't understand that, either).Huge surprise, right? Well, no. We already know about the drug-dealing subgame, and any GTA game receiving a restrictive age rating is hardly news. But then Chinatown Wars is also the first DS title in the UK to receive such a classification, a landmark that is worth recording. Incidentally, no DS title has yet obtained an "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB (indeed, only six have been rated "M" -- C.O.R.E., theresia, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Dementium, Touch the Dead, and Resident Evil: Deadly Silence); could Chinatown Wars be the first?
Also of interest: the BBFC's listing for the game reveals that the title contains 168 minutes of in-game cut-scenes. Wow!
Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
[Via MCV]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
NetOperator Wibby @ Jan 9th 2009 4:18PM
Dayum, that's almost 3 hours of cutscenes. Fantastic. I [still] eagerly await the release of this game.
Clemfold @ Jan 9th 2009 5:42PM
well, simply the put, the BBFC was established long before it was necessary for games to have ratings
imagine: Space Invaders; features fantasy violence and mild peril.
they are almost as controversial as your MPAA. But not quite.
Alex @ Jan 9th 2009 10:30PM
3 hours of cut scenes, wow, if this game gets even half decent ratings I'll definitely be getting it!
Matias @ Jan 9th 2009 10:59PM
And how many hours of actual gameplay?, I hate when games are too filled with cut-scenes and give you short bits of gameplay between them, if you're going to put 3 hours of cut-scenes, do a movie then.
Also, I doubt it will get adults only, not only drug dealing isn't that much of a shock for minors (they watch tv with worse stuff on it), but it will limit the audiences and sell less.
WalkingCarpet @ Jan 11th 2009 11:50AM
Yeah, but at the same time, the stuff that has to be in there for it to be GTA would make it. GTA's always been rated M and that hasn't stopped parents from buying the game for their kids. I don't think that it'll affected all that much by the rating, to be perfectly honest. The only people that will buy the game are people into games anyway.