The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (AKA CERO), the Japanese equivalent of the ESRB, has traditionally given the Grand Theft Auto series of games a rating of Z. Chinatown Wars has continued the trend. While not a perfect match, the closest equivalent rating in the US would not be M but AO. Yes, that means the Japanese version of Chinatown Wars is more restrictively rated than it is in America.
What makes this interesting, is that Chinatown Wars has become the first Japanese DS game to receive this rating. As a result, it is being looked at to see if Z-Rated games on the DS can turn a profit, not unlike how the US version was considered a test to see if M-Rated DS games could sell. While the US response seems to have been a shaky “not so good”, it will be interesting to see if this holds true on another front.
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