Damn You, Game Boy! (For the cop-killing game!)

The BBQ Pit
41

I happen to own this game for the PS, and on the cover it carries a mature rating (17+) and warns parents of explicit language. Since your game is ported over to the Game Boy, I am sure Nintendo cleaned it up enough to warrant the teen rating. There is no doubt you disagree with the premise of the game, but that is all it is… a game. There are countless games where you are the lone hero, up against hundreds of bad guys until you confront the villian himself. So this game decides to be innovative and let you be the bad guy for once, nothing wrong with that, thats why I bought it. As stated earlier, there are the consequences to pay for stealing cars and killing people, but in almost any game save those puzzle ones, you are killing something, no matter how cute its portrayed. To me the cops in GTA are no different than the mushrooms Mario jumps on. I really cannot say if the store will allow a return on used games, highly doubtful, your best bet is to take it to a game/software trader, around here there is Games to Go or Babbages that buy/trade/sell used games.

Next time I am willing to bet you will research a little more on your next game purchase, and that is the best thing to do. I hate to buy a stinker, the best way to avoid this is to rent them at your local Blockbuster or wherever, if it sucks or its inappropriate you only lose a few bucks, if its a hit then keep it in mind for a birthday. Another nice gift is a subscription to a gaming magazine, for you I would say Nintendo Power, they review dozens of games each month and give hints and walkthroughs, but you can also read it for future games. I myself get a mag every month for PS games and it really helps me decide what to buy and whats coming out so I know if I need to save up for a better game.

“Wow! Spider-Man! Are you really friends with the X-men?”
"Not since Cyclops tried to use my viewmaster."
(Marvel Team Up #1)

42

Let’s not overreact here. Raging at the company that makes the game has been done to death, its not going to solve anything, and just makes you look stupid. Don’t buy the games if you don’t like what they stand for. I happen to like GTA2; so do many others, and nobody buys games for raw violence. They buy games because the game itself is a quality product. If you do want to return the game, the store will very likely take it back if you mention the objectionable content; if the clerk refuses, just ask to talk to the manager. They don’t like dealing with angry parents :wink:

43

I tried it, liked it, eventually got bored of it and returned it. Here in Britain it has an 18-certificate on the front of the box, classified by the BBFC (the same body that rates films in the UK).

I applaud Melin for caring about her children’s viewing/gaming material - too many people really just don’t seem to give a damn at all. On the other hand, though, as has been pointed out, the game is named after a crime and the artwork/back cover details ought to have given people a clue as to the contents (the link below shows some screenshots and cover artwork).
http://www.hotgames.com/games/grandt/review.htm

I never touched him, ref, honest!

44

  1. The clerk is an asshole. He should have told you exactly what was in there or at least that he didn’t know. However:

  2. Get real. Do you really think that playing a video game is going to make your kids want to kill cops? Are they that weak-minded? If so, you personally have more to worry about than video games.

45

If you subscribe to AOL, go to Keyword: ANT > Index (scroll down if you’ve got 5.0) and the Fortress of whichever system you have. There’s plenty of reviews and message boards devoted to various games. There’s also tons of relatively safe downloads.

Lynn
ANT PSX Fortress Monitor

46

Homer,

Bloody hell! Five or six hours of drinking and I’m normally completely wasted. I take my hat off to you.

Just so long as you have never stolen a car radio. That would have been really naughty.

47

On one hand, the Teen warning (why shouldn’t young children be playing it?) and the name of the game should have been warning enough.

OTOH, the employee gave a bad recommendation. And, going to the Nintendo website for GTA,
http://www.nintendo.com/gb/grandtheftauto/index.html

we find:

[/quote]
Working your way up the criminal corporate ladder isn’t easy. You have to be prompt, courteous, detail-oriented and drive like a maniac.

In Grand Theft Auto, you essay the role of wise-guy wannabee. Taking assignments on the fly, you pick up stolen cars, rendezvous with fellow would-be wise guys and perform other task-based missions.

There’s some gunfire, of course, but most of the action involves traipsing across bleak cityscapes while evading the long arm of the law, not to mention rival gangsters. In all, there are more than 100 missions.

Grand Theft Auto takes the same top-down view as the controversial PC version. Gone, though, are the hefty helpings of gangster slang and Type O sloshing about the landscape.

While you can walk and drive pretty much any where you want to, including city parks, control is dicey. Changing directions after you’ve bumped into a wall is particularly annoying. On the plus side, Grand Theft Auto’s huge 32-meg size makes for plenty of clear, crisp graphics.

Chalk up the Teen rating to Grand Theft Auto’s lurid premise. But despite the salty screen text (" … you mess up, we mess you up"!) and occasional opportunity for gunplay, Grand Theft Auto for the Game Boy Color is a surprisingly low-key actioner.
[/quote]

This is a woefully misleading whitewash of the game. What they meant to say is:

[/quote]
Working your way up the criminal corporate ladder isn’t easy. You have to be fast to kill, to toady up to your mob boss, to destroy any evidence of your crimes, and drive with the goal of reckless homocide.

In Grand Theft Auto, you essay the role of mobster wannabee. Taking illegal contracts on the fly, you steal cars, deliver stolen goods to other racketeers, and perform other crimes against humanity.

There’s some gunfire and murder, of course, but most of the action involves being pursued as a fugitive, not to mention blood fueds with rival gangsters. In all, there are more than 100 crimes.

Grand Theft Auto takes the same top-down view as the sickeningly bloody PC version. Gone, though, are the hefty helpings of foul mouthed gangster swearing and bloody sloshing about the landscape.

While you can walk and drive pretty much any where you want to, including city parks, control is dicey. Changing directions after you’ve bumped into a wall is particularly annoying. On the plus side, Grand Theft Auto’s huge 32-meg size makes for plenty of clear, crisp graphics.

Chalk up the Teen rating to Grand Theft Auto’s lurid, illegal, sickening, and bloody premise. But despite the salty screen text (" … you mess up, we mess you up"!) and occasional opportunity for copkilling, Grand Theft Auto for the Game Boy Color is a surprisingly low-key actioner for those already numbed to violence from hours of TV.
[/quote]

Now that would be truth in advertising.

Peace.

48

I think this is a case of people expecting way too much from some guy who’s making a little more than minimum wage. Do you expect the salesperson to have all encompassing knowledge about every game in the entire store? If the label read “Teen”, then your gripe is with the company that made the game or whoever gave the game that rating, not the store. Secondly, I can’t even imagine GTA for Game Boy actually being that offensive or graphic with it’s little two inch by two inch, black and white screen. My friends and I used to play “cops and robbers” with toy guns when we were young. If I was playing as a robber, I’d shoot at my friends playing cops. How is this any different? IMHO, you’re being melodramatic.