New York officials: We don’t like GTA 4!
The problematic topic of Grand Theft Auto 4 hits the streets again. And now months before the official launch. The New York City officials are apparently annoyed by the way their city is portrayed in the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto game. Of course, the game is set in the fictional Liberty City, but it’s quite clear which real city it copies, as it contains landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island’s Cyclone, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The MetLife Building is renamed “GetaLife”. Vice City from GTA III’s follow-up was a nod to Miami, Florida, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was set on turf reminiscent of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers,” New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. City council member Peter Vallone, chairman of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, noted that setting the game in the “safest city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland.” The mayor’s office also noted that since he took office car theft has halved and the murder rate is down by 28 per cent.
In the game’s trailer, a voice with an Eastern European accent is heard saying: “Life is complicated. I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different.” In previous versions of the game, players killed both police officers and prostitutes. Beside the trailer, Rockstar didn’t reveal any information. It’s still unclear if the Eastern European guy who used to kill people is the main character of the game or just a member of a team. The gameplay is also still a mystery. The previous games of the franchise were focused on a single player experience, but recent installments have dropped enough multiplayer modes to suggest that expanding beyond solo play is an interest of the series’ development team. GTA IV is due to be launched stores in North America on October 16, 2007 and in Europe on October 19, 2007 and it will be available for the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. No word about a PC version. I’m wondering what would these people say if someone remade the old good Carmaggedon…
Comments(29)
The next thing we are going to hear is Rockstar because people believed the game helped someone commit a crime. GAMES DON’T CAUSE VIOLENCE!!! Amazing looking trailer and can’t wait for the release
Let them bitch about it, there’s probably nothing they can do anyway. Besides, let them be happy it’s just a game and not in their real precious city.
Anyway, I’m REALY looking forward to this game, hope it won’t come to pc months after it comes to the consoles.
It’s so stupid, it should be released on PC first, where it original belongs. Now we have to wait a few more months until it comes to PC, if it happens. And I don’t understand the critics about it, look at movies these days about murder/prostitues etc. etc. Can’t wait for it!
New York, the safest city in America?
Yeah Right.
New yorker’s need to stop crying like little bitches and just laugh it off, just a game. Don’t like it, don’t play it.
lol he said that New York was the safest place in America.
I really wish they would release a new Carmageddon
[at] Gubba
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing…
They must have got that title after the terrorists took down the trade centers. Because there is no way that terrorists would ever want to target America’s heart again…no way. Shit you wouldn’t catch me living anywhere near any big cities after that. Safest city my ass…
How can a city that has hundreds of porn shops and xxx theatres, tons of drugs and violence, and enough roaches and varments to carry away the statue of liberty- be considered the safest city in america? What a freaking joke.
I wan’t to be apart of it. New York, New York! ..dum dumdidum..
Ah, so much whining from “officials” these days…
These moron politicians should atleast play the game before knocking it. You don’t get points for killing cops, you kill a cop first you get more cops on your ass, and second you get a fucking gun and stick, whooo hoo cash in those points.
And unless they change it, there are no missions that have you killing cops unless they are crooked.
Bloomberg doesn’t have any problems with movies showing a darker side of NY and I think he’s just jumping on the hate videogames bandwagon cause he’s mildly retarded.
Safest city in the world? Fuck that, my mother lived in New Jersey and I spent alot of time in NY. Yeah, it gets a bad rap and it really isn’t that bad, but fuck being the safest city in America.
You can polish a turn as long as you want, it really doesn’t matter, you’ll always end up with a shiny turd and shit on your hands.
bahhh to all these pedofile bastards…. Drug da cunts is wat i say!!
the only thing worse than statements like these is seeing it on a thousand sites again and again, as if it has ANY meaning at all other than government knee-jerking to a popular topic of discussion.
it’s neither news nor important. it’s non-news and even a single thought about bullshit like this is a crime against intelligence. with this post i comitted, too. and it should be a life sentence. moron, me… :-]
I like the idea of Halo in Disney World . That sounds interesting
Halo sucks dood
Innocent Bystander (On side of road) = 1 point
Ignorant Bystander (On road) = 3 points
Common Thug = 3 points
Mafia = 5 points
Police Officer = 7 points
Swat Team Member = 9 points
F.B.I. Agent = 10 points
Army Member = 12 points
and you can make up the rest
@Martin: Did you write that? Reads really great, perfect article, nice ending, really nice work!
honestly, who gives a crap if “their” city is in a computer game? i mean come on… FOCUS!
why do the authorities always come out with these dumb ass announcements. all they do is give the game a heap of free publicity. (not like this one needs it, but anyway……)
I
i would like a new carmaggedon :d
FUCK new york
FUCK “officials”
And with all due respect FUCK YOU “Mr. Bloomberg”
This game will be released and there’s nothing you can do about it. The nerve of these assholes never ceases to amaze me.
No need to tell me to calm down, I’m very calm indeed
If Rockstar dont bother with a PC version, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
sheesh, what babies!
halo and disneyland makes sence actually.
they are both for children
New York only had one of the biggest death tolls ever . Of course it’s safe. Theft is down by a half and murder down by 28 percent is probably in reaction to 911 . Keep building giant dominos and save us from those evil doers
@ Valentino
Actually New York was becoming one of the “safest” cities in america long before 9/11. Disney bought a fucking street there and cleaned it up. Go into times square and find a SINGLE porn shop, you can’t, they aren’t there.
Glad it’s coming to the ps3 first. Definitely gonna get it.
I think the last verion of this serious is really bad! It is showing NY in deceptive way and this gives the city a bad reputition. This game has to be banned from the market!!