![\"blog-2008-Rivervale-DSC_0892-GTA4.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/blog-2008-Rivervale-DSC_0892-GTA4.jpg\")
There were more than a few Singaporeans who scoffed when MDA announced the new game rating system in Singapore; after all, they\u2019ve been getting their fix of \u2018disallowed\u2019 games in Singapore through a variety of means, including from our neighbors up North, and – if they knew where to find it – certain temporary shops in the heartland area.<\/p>\n
Funnily, I was one of the Singaporeans who was actually happy with the new system, since it meant that games that weren\u2019t previously available could now finally be bought here. And what better game to celebrate that with than gaming\u2019s arguably most hyped, and definitely the most expensive, game ever – GTA IV<\/a>?<\/p>\n This game has special meaning for me for two reasons: firstly, it was Matt who introduced me to this series what 6-7 years ago with GTA III. Secondly, a colleague at work was one of the designers on the game before moving to Singapore.<\/p>\n As for the game itself, it\u2019s possibly the best example of single-player sandbox styled gaming, or in layman\u2019s terms, a game that is open-ended and doesn\u2019t require players to rigidly follow a well-defined path to game victory. It\u2019s also lived up to its massive hype, with critical acclaim coming from all review sites. One source<\/a> even notes that at 609,000 copies sold on day 1, GTA IV<\/a> is now the fastest selling game title within a 24 hour period in the UK.<\/p>\n That said, the game is marked for adult players only and it means just that, and it isn\u2019t just the language spoken by characters in the game. The themes of gangland wars, racism, drug wars, prostitution, crooked cops, and politics Americana provide quite a reflection and social commentary of the type of life that exists in some parts of the civilized world that until the GTA series had been largely seen only in non-interactive media. Sure, the game is unflinching in its representations of brutality, but its tie-in with story telling is intricate, and I\u2019ve never felt in the 20+ hours I\u2019ve played so far that some act of violence is there only for its sake.<\/p>\n Eh – since I have a colleague who was in the development team for it, I should get him to autograph my copy of the game.:)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There were more than a few Singaporeans who scoffed when MDA announced the new game rating system in Singapore; after all, they\u2019ve been getting their fix of \u2018disallowed\u2019 games in Singapore through a variety of means, including from our neighbors<\/p>\n