Grand Theft Auto Gets DS's First Z Rating

Grand Theft Auto is in the Japanese gaming headlines for the second week in a row. Following last week's announcement by Capcom of budget versions of GTAIV for PS3 and Xbox 360 and a Japanese release for the 360 version's exclusive The Lost and Damned download content, Cyber Front made formal announcement today of a Japanese release for Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars. The game will arrive here this Fall.

Already released overseas, Chinatown Wars is the first DS installment in the series. The game focuses on Hunag Lee, a Hong Kong native who was born into the world of the Triads crime syndicate. Following his father's assassination, he travels to Liberty City to meet his uncle, Kenny Lee, now the new head of the Triads.

From left to right, Huang, Kenny, and Ling Shang.

While Capcom is widely known as the Japanese publisher of the GTA games, its dealings only appear to cover console entries. Cyber Front previously released the PC versions of GTA IV (there were two, an English version and a Japanese language version).

Of particular note with Chinatown Wars is that the game will be the first Z-rated title on the DS and only the second Z rated title on Nintendo hardware, following GameCube's Killer 7.