If you were in the least bit unsure of why Australia needed an R18+ Rating for games (and yes, we’re talking to you South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson), ScreenPlay is reporting that GTA IV has been modified to obtain a MA15+ rating in Australia.
Opposition to the rating will probably see this as a good thing. Even though Rockstar haven’t made it clear exactly what elements were removed from the game, they’ll be claiming that it will certainly be the most sexual / violent aspects, and they’d probably be right.
The problem is that GTA is a violent game, and if the only thing they took out was, let’s say, the ability to murder prostitutes after they service you, there’s still a myriad of other violent possibilities for players to choose from.