GTA San Andreas AO rating sticker

[theclaw]

Seeing as sticker prices are a hot topic thanks to that Sonic thread...

Do those supposed GTA San Andreas stickers really exist? Is there any value to them? I haven't seen clear photographic evidence it was real.

The story goes that they were given by Rockstar to those minuscule handful of retailers willing to keep AO rated games stocked. Which can't be many. We know how much the rating is a virtual death sentence. All but condemning a game to become a PC-download-exclusive commercial failure, like the way Manhunt 2 ended up (so bad that after D2D dropped it I haven't heard much about trying to find another sales avenue).

[camarotuner]

Well, they definitely exist. As far as a "value" to them, no clue. They're similar to the M rated stickers that got sent for T rated copies of Oblivion on 360. I can't imagine anyone cares that badly can they?

[TonyTheTiger]

I know for a fact that they were used at FYE. Saw it myself.

[kedawa]

Aren't they just generic ESRB stickers, though?

[camarotuner]

More or less yes. They're printed by the specific companies so I'd imagine there'd be some differences between a capcom M rated sticker and a Activision one but not much.

[buzz_n64]

This should be in modern gaming.

[kainemaxwell]

I know for a fact that they were used at FYE. Saw it myself.
Seconding since I used to work at a FYE.

[BlastProcessing402]

Wow, FYE actually sold AO rated games? Props to them.

[SamuraiSmurfette]

They're just standard ESRB stickers. I had to re-sticker all our copies at EB back in the day

[kainemaxwell]

They're just standard ESRB stickers. I had to re-sticker all our copies at EB back in the day

I had to do the same at my FYE. Did manage to get a used copy pre-AO sticker at my store back then (first trade-in of SA we got).

[PapaStu]

This should be in modern gaming.


Agreed. **shimmy**

[Dobie]

I've been wondering this for a while now, since its related to the GTA sticker issue... didn't the original Halo: CE start out as "T" rated? Wouldn't there be "T" rated copies floating around out there, as well as stickered copies? I've been looking for them but haven't seen one. I could be mistaken on this. I know there were pre-release items such as posters and artwork showing the "T" rating, but can't remember if the actual game made it to shelves as a "T" at launch.

[substantial_snake]

Wow, FYE actually sold AO rated games? Props to them.

I'm not sure if where you live stores have a different policy but every time I walk into an FYE here their "adult entertainment" section with cleverly hidden opaque media dividers seems to grow.

That being said wouldn't the San Andreas AO stickers be relatively rare? I thought they started using those after hot coffee hit but before new versions of the game were pressed with the offending code omitted. It seems like exactly the thing that people go nuts over in a decade or so for sealed copies of, maybe people are just picking up on it faster this time.

(Friend of mine broke my original San Andreas disc, picked up a new post hot coffee version, and my end game save file is incompatible....FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!! !)

[theclaw]

Possibly. I can't find solid proof the AO stickers are real though. Many claimed sightings like in this topic. But no one seems to ever say they own one, or have seen copies in the wild recently. Let alone pics of it.

[misfits859]

Wow, FYE actually sold AO rated games? Props to them.

I've actually found multiple copies of the hardcore version of Caligula at my local FYE in the past. :vamp:

[TonyTheTiger]

Possibly. I can't find solid proof the AO stickers are real though. Many claimed sightings like in this topic. But no one seems to ever say they own one, or have seen copies in the wild recently. Let alone pics of it.

I know FYE used them but my memory is hazy regarding where they actually placed them. I know they were put "over" the original M rating but I think they were actually on top of the shrinkwrap. In fact, they may even have been on a plastic case containing the game like Best Buy uses. Either way it explains why few people have the stickers.

[theclaw]

I know FYE used them but my memory is hazy regarding where they actually placed them. I know they were put "over" the original M rating but I think they were actually on top of the shrinkwrap. In fact, they may even have been on a plastic case containing the game like Best Buy uses. Either way it explains why few people have the stickers.

In that case there'd be photos from the lucky bragger-types. Everyone loves their proverbial 15 seconds of lulz. Something is fishy here...

[The 1 2 P]

I've been wondering this for a while now, since its related to the GTA sticker issue... didn't the original Halo: CE start out as "T" rated? Wouldn't there be "T" rated copies floating around out there, as well as stickered copies? I've been looking for them but haven't seen one. I could be mistaken on this. I know there were pre-release items such as posters and artwork showing the "T" rating, but can't remember if the actual game made it to shelves as a "T" at launch.

Like you said, the "T" rating for Halo was only used in pre-release marketing material. As far as I know all copies of the actual game are rated "M".


Possibly. I can't find solid proof the AO stickers are real though. Many claimed sightings like in this topic. But no one seems to ever say they own one, or have seen copies in the wild recently. Let alone pics of it.

I own one and here are the stickers from both sides:

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr306/THE-1-2-P/GEDC1054.jpg

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr306/THE-1-2-P/GEDC1053.jpg

Although this copy is still factory sealed I doubt it's worth much more than the $19.99 I paid for it back in the day at....you guessed it, FYE.

[kainemaxwell]

I know FYE used them but my memory is hazy regarding where they actually placed them. I know they were put "over" the original M rating but I think they were actually on top of the shrinkwrap. In fact, they may even have been on a plastic case containing the game like Best Buy uses. Either way it explains why few people have the stickers.

I can confirm this.

[PacmanPlush]

Pretty sure I have an Xbox copy of San Andreas with the AO stickers somewhere around here... purchased used at an EBGames in Canada not too long after the re-rating. I'm looking for it now, and I will post pictures tomorrow if I find it--the stickers aren't quite the same as The 1 2 P's if I remember correctly. (And, as theclaw says, I want my "15 seconds of lulz". :pimp:)

The North American release of the Xbox version was June 7, 2005. The ESRB re-rated the game in mid-July, just a month later. I assume that (despite what sites like Gamespot reported) the game was still selling well enough that EBGames (and FYE, apparently) couldn't justify removing it from their shelves; might have cost them some sales. (They might have actually removed the PS2 version, though--I've never seen a stickered PS2 version, and I've been looking.)

If this is the case, it would explain why the game wasn't kept out of sight behind the counter. @_@ I grabbed it off the used game rack. As I recall, it was the only copy there. I didn't check to see if the PS2 copies were similarly stickered, or if they'd actually been pulled. Wish I had, though. Keep in mind, I bought my copy not long after the Xbox version came out, so it's not too surprising that there was only one used copy to be found. They may have had dozens of new copies with AO stickers in the glass case for all I know.

Unlike The 1 2 P's copy, the stickers on mine are attached to the cover art insert. (I bought it used--no wrapper to stick them to!) Also, if I recall correctly, my stickers are slightly different... don't have such a thick black border and they might even be multilingual, but it's been a while since I had my copy out so I could be remembering wrong.

Although I see copies of San Andreas around everywhere--most of them from before the re-rating, mind you--I've never seen another with AO stickers. :confused: In any case there's no real demand for them, so I doubt they'd sell for much more than any other copy of San Andreas. (Has anyone seen a "Second Edition" Xbox version in the wild? I know they exist, there's one on eBay now. But I've only seen the original and the black disc version included with the GTA: The Trilogy collection. :2gunfire:)

[PacmanPlush]

Here are a few images of my copy. :pimp:

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3384/dsc00002pm.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/dsc00002pm.jpg/)

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/7818/dsc00004uy.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/dsc00004uy.jpg/)

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/634/dsc00006ew.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/dsc00006ew.jpg/)

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2829/dsc00003pl.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/233/dsc00003pl.jpg/)

The stickers are, as I remembered, bilingual, which means they're specialized for use in Canada. To me, this implies these stickers were widely distributed, not just a small run for retailers who requested them. Games in Canada are required to include bilingual manuals and cover art, but it's not unheard of for budget/limited release titles to only include English text. @_@ The fact that Rockstar actually went to the trouble of printing Canadian ESRB stickers, rather than just a set of "North American" stickers, would seem to imply they had a very wide distribution, and it was up to retailers whether or not they would use them and keep the game in stock. :vamp:

[Jaruff]

I saw a copy of the AO San Andreas at an EB Games one time. There was no sticker; instead, it was in a cardboard container that stated the game was AO. I probably should have bought it but I didn't think anything of it at the time.

[BlastProcessing402]

I'm not sure if where you live stores have a different policy but every time I walk into an FYE here their "adult entertainment" section with cleverly hidden opaque media dividers seems to grow.

Lots of places sell unrated or x rated or NC17 rated or whatever movies. Very few places are willing to sell AO games, that's why I gave some props.

[TonyTheTiger]

Probably because there are so few AO games in general (and pretty much none are high profile) that retailers get a free pass. They get to take the moral high ground without risking much lost revenue. That's why San Andreas was so interesting. FYE generally doesn't stock AO games. But when a game people actually care about gets an AO all of a sudden those store policies start looking awfully unattractive.

[theclaw]

Yeah no publisher has been gutsy enough to try budging the console makers with an AO game with that much sales potential. If say WoW2 were intended to be PS4 exclusive under the stipulation it must see AO release, it might turn a few heads.

[camarotuner]

Turn a few heads? Dude that might make the world explode.

[TonyTheTiger]

It might just result in a revamp of the ESRB's system. It's actually pretty hard to get an AO. Pretty much the only way, with perhaps the exception of some extreme cases of realistic violence, is to depict actual intercourse. But the thing is, even by that standard it's something of a farce. The Hot Coffee content in San Andreas was substantially tamer than other sexual situations that appear in M rated games.

I'm guessing the ESRB didn't put that much thought into it and just used the MPAA standards of NC-17 without considering how unrealistic and corny video games can often be. There's a wider swing in terms of how something appears in a game. San Andreas wasn't exactly the pinnacle of visual fidelity, after all.

If publishers started heavily pushing against the AO wall (not that I expect them to given how much leeway the M rating allows) we may just see the ESRB drop the AO rating altogether and create an intermediate rating in between T and M to cover the difference like they did with E10+. They probably should do that anyway since far too many games get an M rating without actually being the equivalent of the MPAA's R.

[The 1 2 P]

Lots of places sell unrated or x rated or NC17 rated or whatever movies. Very few places are willing to sell AO games, that's why I gave some props.

FYE is pretty much the only place around here that sells AO rated games. If you ever go back into their anime section, they have an adult version that is seperate(atleast in stores down here) from their regular adult/nc-17/porn movies. If you look thru this adult anime section you are likely to find several AO rated PC games. It's been that way for several years now but I'm mainly speaking for the various FYE stores I encounter here.

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't think I've ever seen an AO game sold at FYE outside of San Andreas. In fact, I don't think any FYE around me sells PC games at all. Not that I've actually gone looking or anything but, again aside from San Andreas, I don't think I've ever seen an AO game being sold in the wild period. That's probably why the sticker stuck in my mind so well. It was the first and last time I've seen that logo on an actual product.

[The 1 2 P]

I don't think I've ever seen an AO game sold at FYE outside of San Andreas. In fact, I don't think any FYE around me sells PC games at all.

For the most part they don't sell PC games, which is probably why the anime/hentai ones are mixed in with the regular adult anime section.

[theclaw]

FYE is pretty much the only place around here that sells AO rated games. If you ever go back into their anime section, they have an adult version that is seperate(atleast in stores down here) from their regular adult/nc-17/porn movies. If you look thru this adult anime section you are likely to find several AO rated PC games. It's been that way for several years now but I'm mainly speaking for the various FYE stores I encounter here.

Ouch. Physical copies of AO rated anime games. Got to be scarce there. I'd think most wanting them would just pirate.

[The 1 2 P]

Ouch. Physical copies of AO rated anime games. Got to be scarce there. I'd think most wanting them would just pirate.

If they weren't priced so high($30-60 each) I'd buy them all so I could take a picture for you guys. Although I said they usually have several different titles it's probably no more than 10 or so unique games with various sequels.