- UnderTheKnif3
- |
- Intrepid Legendary Member
If this is the state of my art, then I secede.
Okay, I can understand Halo 3 being rated M because of the Flood, but I don't understand Halo 3: ODST being rated M. From what I've seen, there is very little blood, no gore, and PG-13 curse words.
In Halo 3, the gore was the flood. The ESRB considered the flood to be gorey because of the way they look, and because they tend to explode when you melee them. I couldn't find a "review" of Halo 3 from the ESRB, but I did find this. GamerDad.com:
Halo 3 is rated M-Mature by the ESRB and GamerDad.com publicly disagrees with that rating. The violence in the game is basic gunplay with only rare red blood spray with much of the blood being of the bright blue or purple alien variety. The bad language amounts to "damn" and "hell" and since this is a game your teenager is going to beg you for - parents need to know that this isn't a battle that's worth fighting. Halo 3 is basic shooter combat with none of the mature story or gameplay themes found in other M rated games. When compared with PG-13 movies or television, Halo 3 doesn't even rate as offensive - except maybe the Flood. Flood are a zombie like contagion thingie that spreads fast, kills lots of good guys, is fairly terrifying, and results in gouts of red blood as you destroy it. Despite even that, the game feels misrated at Mature. Worth a look, but not an argument, Halo 3 could always be a rental. See what you think. What's your parental age rating?
Now, in Halo 3: ODST, they have taken off the "gore" label, but still have blood, language, and violence. This was their (the ESRB) reasoning for ODST's M rating. "This is a first-person shooter in which players engage in futuristic battles against invading aliens. Players use pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns, and rocket launchers to shoot and kill enemies during the constant and fast-paced battle. Firefights are highlighted by camera effects (e.g., blurring and screen shakes) and realistic sound effects, including screams of pain, gunfire, and explosions. Puffs of blood are emitted from injured aliens/humans, and blood is sometimes smeared on walls and on the ground. Some profanity (e.g., "bull-blam!-," "a*shole," and "bastard") can be heard in the dialogue and radio chatter.
Here's a list of 10 teen games (in no particular order) that are more "offensive" than Halo 3.
1) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
2) Fight Night Round 4
3} Street Fighter 4
4) Almost every hunting game out there...
5) inFamous
6) UFC 2009 Undisputed
7) DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION
8) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
9) DYNASTY WARRIORS: Strikeforce
10) Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. (It's a stretch, but I needed 10...)
Also, keep in mind that the ESRB only rates the campaign, not the multiplayer. What are your thoughts about ODST being rated M? Do you think it's necessary?
BTW, I just saw that MONOPOLY was rated T because of simulated gambling. Wow, just wow...
[Edited on 08.10.2009 2:23 PM PDT]