Misrated: 10 Games the ESRB Got Wrong
- August 27, 2008 16:36 PM PST
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Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and GRAW 2
ESRB: Teen
Our rating: Mature
Your guess is as good as ours -- why are GRAW and GRAW2 both Teen games? They share the same realistic environments and weaponry as Call of Duty 4. They encourage tactical warfare, a la Rainbow Six Vegas. Yet while Team Rainbow's jaunt into the glimmering lights of Sin City netted them a Mature rating, GRAW's Mexican terrorism was, according to the ESRB, more palatable to younger audiences.
There's a virtually identical amount of blood and violence in these franchises, and they're all as true to modern combat as their developers could make them. Consistency is key when it comes to ratings, and GRAW's rating is just plain inconsistent.
The Thief Trilogy
ESRB: Mature
Our rating: Teen
Garrett's stealthy, midnight romps through his steampunk world were seminal games that the ESRB limited to Mature audiences for reasons passing understanding. The Thief trilogy never sported sex or language, and violence, while certainly an option, was frowned upon in-game. Thief, after all, pioneered the "first-person sneaker" gameplay that was later copied by titles like Splinter Cell.
Was there blood? Some, yes. But even the ESRB said it was "Animated Blood" and "Animated Violence," a far cry from the gore and gibs of Quake and Unreal. Red stains there may have been, but Thief never deserved such a black rating.
Devil May Cry 4
ESRB: Mature
Our rating: Teen
We need to make something very clear to the ESRB: Blood is red. It might not be perfectly logical, but when blood isn't red, no one much cares about whether their little ones see it. When all the action in the Devil May Cry series involves killing demons that spout black smoke and goopy mucus, it doesn't count as blood. And everyone's cool with it.
So why, we ask, does it get the same rating treatment as Kratos curses when it pleases him, slices enemies into bloody chunks, and beds the women of the realm in sex minigames. Dante and Nero, on the other hand, shout "Slam dunk!" when they kill. This one's a Teen in anyone's book.
The Bourne Conspiracy
ESRB: Teen
Our rating: Mature
There are a few games out there that don't sport much gore, but still serve up enough visceral violence to warrant an M rating, and Bourne's console outing is one of them. The game's combat may not peel flesh from bone, but it does tend to focus on breaking those bones and bloodying that flesh. The over-the-shoulder shooting echoes the tactical realism of Rainbox Six, while the beautifully-choreographed martial arts go a step beyond brawling and into painful, rib-cracking punishment.
The ESRB gave Bourne a Teen rating, and based purely on the lack of foul language, sex, and gibbing, it's certainly a fair one. But compare Bourne to the M-rated tactical shooters that are out there, and you won't find much different in the way of bloodiness between them. If we're going to be consistent with game ratings, then Bourne deserves the same treatment as Call of Duty 4.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
ESRB: Teen
Our rating: E10+
Take a gander at the ESRB's website and read the description of its relatively new E10+ rating. Better yet, we'll just boil it down for you: Games that get the rating have cartoon or fantasy violence, minimal but present blood, and minimal "suggestive" themes. If you're one of millions of gamers who enjoy WoW on a daily basis, then you know that it pretty much fits that description to a tee. The violence is very much fantasy, the art style is patently cartoonish, the blood is minimal, and the only suggestive themes are the semi-racy jokes female characters tend to tell. And, as any WoW player can attest, the game is already populated by a large number of younglings -- including 10-year-old kids who probably have more 70s than you do.
When WoW was first released, the E10+ rating didn't exist, so a Teen rating made perfect sense. But when its expansion came out, the ESRB had its new rating at their fingertips. They should have used it. And no, the fact that it's an online game shouldn't factor in the rating, because Blizzard can't control the behaviors of other players. That's why the disclaimer, "game experience may change during online play," even exists.
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I wonder if they passed on the mature rating for COD2-3 and Ghost Recon for the same reasons the MPAA passed on an NC-17 rating for Saving Private Ryan? I wonder if they felt the violence was in the right context?
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well, WOW wouldn't be E10 because it's primarily internet and internet people can be reallllllllllllllly nasty.
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I agree with Halo. When I first played it I was surprised it was M rated.
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i think assassin's creed should have also been teen, there was very minimal blood, and no suggestive themes whatsoever, sure you stab folks in the face, but if their face remains unwounded, it doesnt need to get an M
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no halo didnt deserve that M rating but think about it i dont think the game would have been approached by so many and sold so many copies if it was T. When you think T you think mildly intense. The halo creators wanted to give it a better chance in the world gone M and lead people toward it because it is intense and fun to play even though it deals with aliens and fake blood. so yeah thats it i hope you all understand that
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