Chinatown Wars to be first Z-rated DS game in Japan
The highest possible rating will be applied to Rockstars GTA title for its Japanese release, limiting the game to mature gamers only
The game will be distributed by Cyberfront games, a company normally known for their publication of arcade games and ‘visual novels’ for video game consoles and handhelds. The rating limits the game to only being sold to customers over the age of 18. No Nintendo game has received a Z rating since Suda 51’s Killer 7 on the Gamecube.
GTA games have a met a mixed reception in Japan. The first 3D venture of the series- GTAIII, opened to a slow sales start in 2003, selling a modest 350,000 copies before its eventual banning in late 2005. Later sequels ‘San Andreas’ and GTAIV fared differently, with GTAIV landing top spot in sales on its week of launch before falling off the charts completely. Both games were slapped with the same Z-rating, from Japanese classification body CERO.
GTA: Chinatown has received high reviews despite falling short of sales expectations in western territories.
Source: Nintendo World Report
