It's no secret that Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City is a video game rendition of the Big Apple itself with a lot of striking similarities to notice in the layout and architecture of the environment. Of all the boroughs in the metropolis, however, Staten Island was not included and this got different reactions from opposing sectors.

State senator Andrew Lanza, for one, is happy. "I'm glad Staten Island is left out, frankly," says the senator. "Perhaps it's because they know Staten Island is the safest place in the entire city." The reaction comes after a series of incidents that saw parents and politicians criticize the game for its crime-simulation content.

If the politicians are happy, the gamers are not. Comments on Digg have ranged from the annoyed to the disappointed as gamers demanded a more accurate account of the geography of the Big Apple. "It [Staten Island] is a more relevant borough then Queens and Bronx," says one user.

Through a spokesman, Rockstar Games explained that creative innovations were the main consideration in the move not to include Staten Island. "While Staten Island has a lot of great architecture and more square miles than any of the other boroughs, the open spaces are kind of what we've explored in other games already," says a Rockstar representative.

The series has been a gaming stalwart since it debuted in the late 90s on the first PlayStation. Ever since, it's been feeding off its explosive crime-simulation gameplay and the media hype around it to become one of the most commercially successful franchises of all time. Grand Theft Auto IV is set for release on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 game consoles later this year.