Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars rated MA 15+ down under

Like almost every other Grand Theft Auto game released in Australia, Grand Theft Auto IV wasn't without its controversies last year. Ever since the franchise's Nintendo DS debut was announced at the E3 Business & Media Summit in 2008, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been closely followed, given that such a mature, violent game is a rarity on the platform. Aussie gamers will be pleased to hear that GTA: Chinatown Wars has successfully made it through the Classification Board, earning itself an MA15+ classification.

Staying true to previous games in the franchise, the warning sticker on GTA: Chinatown Wars box will advise consumers that it has "Strong drug references, coarse language, and sexual references." This development comes a week after the British Board of Film Classification in Britain classified GTA: Chinatown Wars a rating of 18+, the highest game-classification category in that system.

When GameSpot AU contacted Rockstar Games' local arm to find out whether any cuts had been made to the game prior to its submission in Australia, a Rockstar rep told us that it will be the same version as the rest of the world.

With most Nintendo DS games being placed under either the General or Parental Guidance recommended bracket, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars joins the small band of games--Resident Evil: Deadly Silence and Dementium: The Ward, just to name a few--that have MA15+ ratings in Australia.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is due out on the 20th of March. Stay tuned for the review soon.