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Rockstar quiet on GTA IV censorship

Blood disappearance just an accident?

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer

Rockstar has offered Eurogamer no comment on the apparent censoring of Grand Theft Auto IV after the release of The Lost and Damned.

European gamers noticed, after an update was applied, that pools of blood no longer formed under bullet-riddled corpses and red mist no longer sprayed as bullets found their mark. Kotaku has a before-and-after video comparison to illustrate all this.

Also, the update appears to have limited the camera angles used when you frolic with prostitutes.

Meanwhile, over in previously censored Australia, the exact opposite has been happening: blood now flows freely and prostitution can be seen clearly.

We suspect there's been some sort of mix up, but neither Rockstar nor Microsoft has held their hands up.

It's all a bit of a shame, as The Lost and Damned has otherwise set a sterling example for what DLC can achieve. Head over to our Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned review to find out why.

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