GTA III....sued.....again.

[Gamereviewgod]

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftauto3/news_6077161.html

[Vroomfunkel]

Ha! Well that is nothing .... I am going to present a class action suit against Electronic Arts on behalf of the population of Iraq and Afghanistan, on the grounds that the invasions were undoubtedly inspired by the game Desert Strike. I think I've got a good case.

Vroomfunkel

[atomicthumbs]

I've got a tummy-ache 'cause I ate some wild mushrooms that ended up to be a little poisonous. I'm-a-gonna sue Nintendo!

[Darth Sensei]

We all joke at the stupidity of this, but the truth is that Rockstar's Lawyers don't work for nothing. I've always wondered how much the "blame someone else and go for a cash grab" mentality costs Rockstar to fight these cases. Altho, perhaps it works out in the end because of the publicity they get each time they're sued.

Dave

[MacGurl]

I'll admit that sometimes after playing GTA, I feel like going out and running a few people over, but parents have to place responsibility on their own children. At the age these 2 kids were, they were old enough to know that shooting at people in their cars is wrong.

God, we live in a sue happy country. :roll:

[maxlords]

The boys told investigators that they had got the rifles from a locked room in their home and then started shooting at vehicles on Interstate 40 just like in Grand Theft Auto III--which it's worth noting is an M-rated game that neither of them should have been playing.

Yeah right. Like ANY rental stores or retail stores enforce that. Almost NO ONE bothers to enforce the ratings system. Well...except Wal-mart cause their registers are keyed to check ID on M rated games.

[SoulBlazer]

Which raises a question -- the suit named Wal-Mart as well, which makes me suspect that is where the game was bought at. How did two minors get it from there?

[CitizenWhite]

Someone probably got it for them or something. In my area there are a ton of stores that enforce those rules, actually, most of them do. I tried 3 different stores before I was able to buy GTA: VC for ps2. I finally got it at CompUSA.

I'm 17 since september though... yay for violence.

Oh yea, and if you sue a game company because someone did something stupid, fuck you.

[Ed Oscuro]

Oh no! I never guessed William Bucker was so violent :P

(he's the "goat of game six" from the 1986 world series (http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/bucknerbill/), though I was thinking of a certain conservative columnist as well :P)

[Half Japanese]

Just goes to prove my old theory: "Accountability has given way to the ability to hire a greasy trial lawyer." Good punishment? Have someone dress up like the GTA 3 guy and drive past the two boys, lightin' 'em up with an Uzi. It's scum like these boys, their parents and the lawyer involved in the case that makes me wish I weren't human at times.

[Retsudo]

These kids are old enough to know better...well unless they're nuts to began with. I think they are using the game as an excuse to get out of it.

[ManekiNeko]

To quote Nelson...
"HAW HAW!!!"
Couldn't happen to a better company. Suck it, Rockstar.

JR

[brandver3]

I don't think any company deserves this. Mainly because it just causes more flack towards an already scrutinized industry.

[buttasuperb]

To quote Nelson...
"HAW HAW!!!"
Couldn't happen to a better company. Suck it, Rockstar.

JR

Since you don't like the games they make, they deserve to be sued because kids are idiots and parents are too.

Stupid.

[Arrrhalomynn]

Can somebody here explain to me why they would sue them for 246 million dollars? I wonder how they get to an amount like that.

[ManekiNeko]

To quote Nelson...
"HAW HAW!!!"
Couldn't happen to a better company. Suck it, Rockstar.

JR

Since you don't like the games they make, they deserve to be sued because kids are idiots and parents are too.

Stupid.

It's called shadenfreuden, dude. If the same thing happened to Acclaim I doubt any of the rest of you would shed any tears over it.
Don't get me wrong... I don't support these frivolous lawsuits, and feel that people should be held responsible for their own actions. However, if this particular court battle bankrupts Rockstar, I won't miss them much. They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn? My point exactly. GTAIII is the only game that's kept Rockstar alive for the past two years... what delicious irony it would be if the same game was responsible for their demise.

JR

[Jive3D]

12345

[Darth Sensei]

To quote Nelson...
"HAW HAW!!!"
Couldn't happen to a better company. Suck it, Rockstar.

JR

Since you don't like the games they make, they deserve to be sued because kids are idiots and parents are too.

Stupid.

It's called shadenfreuden, dude. If the same thing happened to Acclaim I doubt any of the rest of you would shed any tears over it.
Don't get me wrong... I don't support these frivolous lawsuits, and feel that people should be held responsible for their own actions. However, if this particular court battle bankrupts Rockstar, I won't miss them much. They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn? My point exactly. GTAIII is the only game that's kept Rockstar alive for the past two years... what delicious irony it would be if the same game was responsible for their demise.

JR

Excuse me, but GTA3 and VC are not just gorefests. They happen to be extremely well designed, addictive games which are among the best of any games of all time. Period.

Just because you don't care for them doesn't cheapen Rockstar's contribution to our hobby, and I'm quite confident they will continue to produce excellent products.

Dave

[SoulBlazer]

Plus GTA 1 and 2 were'nt bad games either. :D

[Ascending Wordsmith]

They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn?

Gosh, I really liked Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2. Sure, they're not anywhere as deep or engaging as Grand Theft Auto III or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but I did have some good fun with those two titles.

Anyways, why do games all of a sudden become the scapegoats for acts of violence? Remember the arcade goodness that Operation Thunderbolt gave us? There were two replicated automatic weapons mounted on the cabinet. People played the hell out of that game, yet nobody felt compelled to grab an uzi and gun down a courtyard full of people.

How I long to be back when times were better.

[Sotenga]

Ah... Operation Thunderbolt. That game rocks. That last stage is a pain, you know, where you can't continue if you die and you get the bad ending if you kill the pilot? Tricky. But it's a great game.

Anyway, the topic:

Sued over GTA3 again... yawn... -_-

It's nothing new. The game was made two years ago, and it's still getting blasted by individuals who confuse fiction and reality. Come on, people! It's a great game, but you honestly aren't going to slice people's heads off with a katana until you invite the FBI? If you are, then committ seppuku before you get life in the clink. Now if a new Splatterhouse game would be made, let's sew how the populace reacts to that. :evil:

[zmweasel]

They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn?

Rockstar North, formerly known as DMA Design, also developed the wonderful Lemmings action/puzzle series -- which, in retrospect, has a sadistic edge that would fully manifest itself in the GTA franchise.

-- Z.

[hamburgler]

When will this end? x_x I mean it's like everyday Rockstar North is getting sued by someone for obivious reasons for just selling a M-rated game. :angry:

[kainemaxwell]

You know this is really a shame that parents cannot take responsibility for themselves and gotta find some scapegoat. If Rockstar eventually went out of business for crapoloa like this, id be a sad day in the video gaming world.

[Sotenga]

You know this is really a shame that parents cannot take responsibility for themselves and gotta find some scapegoat. If Rockstar eventually went out of business for crapoloa like this, id be a sad day in the video gaming world.

It won't happen. Never ever. Don't count on it.

[Jorpho]

We all joke at the stupidity of this, but the truth is that Rockstar's Lawyers don't work for nothing. I've always wondered how much the "blame someone else and go for a cash grab" mentality costs Rockstar to fight these cases. Altho, perhaps it works out in the end because of the publicity they get each time they're sued.

All right, look. It's not a mentality. It's Jack Thompson.

Please, spread the word. A Miami lawyer named Jack Thompson has been behind every recent video game lawsuit that I know of, including that Everquest suicide thing from a while back. I will not apply the adjectives "misguided" and "money grubbing" to this fellow, as I know little about him (beyond the apparent fact that he was once obsessed with Janet Reno's sexual orientation for some reason).

[ApolloBoy]

Just one question...

When will the madness stop? x_x

[Sotenga]

Just one question...

When will the madness stop? x_x

Never, buddy boy. Never. There are all sorts of corrupt buttwipes out there who will do anything and everything for money. I bet the people who organized this lawsuit actually enjoy the game. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this court case is a hoax. At least, I hope it is. It's not very funny, but at least there's a possibility that it's bogus.

[ManekiNeko]

Plus GTA 1 and 2 were'nt bad games either. :D

The Dreamcast version I'd played was awful. AWFUL. I played it for about five minutes before I became fed up with the terrible control and even more atrocious graphics.
Rockstar's ONLY contribution to the video game industry was the later Grand Theft Autos. Nearly everything else they've made has been underwhelming at best. Has everyone already forgotten about all the horrors Rockstar released under its Take 2 label?
I find it immensely frustrating that Rockstar has changed its reputation from a fly-by-night producer of awful games, to an important contributor to the video game industry, all because of the success of ONE game and its sequel. People need to put things into perspective and remember that Rockstar has released far more bad games than good ones.

JR

[ManekiNeko]

They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn?

Rockstar North, formerly known as DMA Design, also developed the wonderful Lemmings action/puzzle series -- which, in retrospect, has a sadistic edge that would fully manifest itself in the GTA franchise.

-- Z.

I've always considered Lemmings to be a Psygnosis game, although yes, DMA did design the game (well before Rockstar bought them out). Same goes with Shadow of the Beast, which was released by Psygnosis, but created by Reflections, the makers of the Driver series.

JR

[Kid Fenris]

They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn?

Rockstar North, formerly known as DMA Design, also developed the wonderful Lemmings action/puzzle series -- which, in retrospect, has a sadistic edge that would fully manifest itself in the GTA franchise.

-- Z.

Wasn't DMA Design also behind Space Station Silicon Valley and Body Harvest, two of the best N64 sleeper hits? That alone gives Rockstar North relevance outside of GTA, in my opinion.

[Gamereviewgod]

Going off the currrent flow of this thread, CNN just had this one as their question of the day: Should Rockstar be sued for GTA III. Surpsringly and shockingly, most people said no. It was something like 60%-65% against the suit. Maybe America does have more common sense than we thought.... O_O

[ManekiNeko]

[quote=ManekiNeko]

Rockstar North, formerly known as DMA Design, also developed the wonderful Lemmings action/puzzle series -- which, in retrospect, has a sadistic edge that would fully manifest itself in the GTA franchise.

-- Z.

Wasn't DMA Design also behind Space Station Silicon Valley and Body Harvest, two of the best N64 sleeper hits? That alone gives Rockstar North relevance outside of GTA, in my opinion.

Yeah, but as I'd mentioned earlier, DMA Design was in no way affiliated with Rockstar when those games were created. It's dumb to give Rockstar the credit for DMA Designs' games when all they did was purchase the company and conveniently change its name to theirs. It'd be like giving AOL sole credit for sixty years' worth of Looney Toons episodes. Most of those cartoons were made before AOL even existed, and the same thing applies to Lemmings and Rockstar Games.
Rockstar is a fly-by-night game maker that got lucky and struck gold with ONE popular title. I'm confident that people will come to this conclusion in five years, just like they had recently with Eidos and in the late 90's with Acclaim.

JR

[Cheese]

The lawyer, Jack Thompson, has been suing the video game industry for years. He sued for columbine, he sued for the kids in kentucky, etc. He is a crackpot, ultraconservative that in reality demeans the suffering of the people involved. He has a personal agenda and is using these poor people to meet his own goals. He is focused on holding our society back from evolving into anything besides his twisted utopian 1950's - esque nightmare. He's never been successful, unless you count the fact that he's the guy that got 2 Live Crew arrested in Florida. He has a website:

http://www.stopkill.com/

It's a laugh riot.

He's a terrible lawyer, he'll never win a case against the sharks Sony and Walmart will send to kick his ass.

[zmweasel]

Yeah, but as I'd mentioned earlier, DMA Design was in no way affiliated with Rockstar when those games were created.

Yeah, but YOU claimed that GTA3/VC were DMA Design/Rockstar North's only contributions to the videogame industry, and I gave you an example of another very popular franchise created by DMA/Rockstar North.

You didn't say anything about "affiliations" in your earlier post; you just made a sweeping generalization, and Kid Fenris and I poked holes in it, and now you're being defensive 'cause you know you were wrong.

It sounds to me like you're confused (as are many people) with the distinction between developers and publishers, since your post said...


However, if this particular court battle bankrupts Rockstar, I won't miss them much. They're the epitome of the overhyped, overrated game developer... can you think of one game they'd made before Grand Theft Auto III that was worth a damn?

From that sentence, I assumed you were referring to the developer Rockstar North, not the publishing label Rockstar. Now you're claiming you were referring to the publishing label Rockstar.


Rockstar is a fly-by-night game maker that got lucky and struck gold with ONE popular title. I'm confident that people will come to this conclusion in five years, just like they had recently with Eidos and in the late 90's with Acclaim.

Okay, now you're using "game maker," which could be interpreted as either "developer" or "publisher."

Eidos did not "make" Tomb Raider. That was Core Design, all the talent of which fled elsewhere after Tomb Raider II. Eidos also has the developers Ion Storm and Crystal Dynamics in its stable. You don't consider Soul Reaver and Deus Ex to be "popular"?

I agree with you, incidentally, that Eidos was foolish to pressure Core into cranking out five TRs in five years.

If you're referring to Rockstar as a developer, you're referring to DMA/Rockstar North, the new Rockstar San Diego, or both.

And if you're referring to Rockstar as a publisher, it's one publishing arm of the Take-Two empire. Take-Two was founded in 1993 -- hardly a "fly-by-night game maker." To survive for ten years in a business as loony-tunes as the videogame industry is no small taters.

Take-Two has five publishing labels: Gathering (formerly Gathering of Developers), Global Star (budget), Gotham Games (all-ages, but probably going away in the wake of several high-profile failures and the resignation of GG's prez), Rockstar (mature games), and Talonsoft (PC).

Now, is Take-Two a "one-hit wonder"? Certainly they wouldn't be the sixth-largest publisher (in terms of revenue) without GTA. But off the top of my head, I recall they also have the Max Payne franchise, among others.

-- Z.

[Jorpho]

The lawyer, Jack Thompson, has been suing the video game industry for years. He sued for columbine, he sued for the kids in kentucky, etc. He is a crackpot, ultraconservative that in reality demeans the suffering of the people involved. He has a personal agenda and is using these poor people to meet his own goals. He is focused on holding our society back from evolving into anything besides his twisted utopian 1950's - esque nightmare. He's never been successful, unless you count the fact that he's the guy that got 2 Live Crew arrested in Florida. He has a website:

http://www.stopkill.com/

It's a laugh riot.

He's a terrible lawyer, he'll never win a case against the sharks Sony and Walmart will send to kick his ass.

Ah, thank you. You said that so much better than I did.

[Kid Fenris]

Wasn't DMA Design also behind Space Station Silicon Valley and Body Harvest, two of the best N64 sleeper hits? That alone gives Rockstar North relevance outside of GTA, in my opinion.

Yeah, but as I'd mentioned earlier, DMA Design was in no way affiliated with Rockstar when those games were created. It's dumb to give Rockstar the credit for DMA Designs' games when all they did was purchase the company and conveniently change its name to theirs. It'd be like giving AOL sole credit for sixty years' worth of Looney Toons episodes. Most of those cartoons were made before AOL even existed, and the same thing applies to Lemmings and Rockstar Games.

Perhaps, but if the same people who made Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley (the latter of which was published by Take-Two Interactive) are still working under the name of Rockstar North, they have at least two excellent games to their credit. Hence, Rockstar has some good developers in its ranks.

That said, I wish they'd work outside of contemporary crime titles once in a while. Imagine Grand Theft Auto's freedom of play and exploration used in, say, a cyberpunk space opera.

[SoulBlazer]

A cyberpunk space opera? X_x

Say WHAT? LOL