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GTA III and GTA: Vice City Rated by ESRB as PS2 Classics

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:30:29 +0000

Good news for PlayStation gamers as it appears Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will be on PSN as PS2 classics soon.

According to Siliconera, both games were re-rated by the ESRB for release on the PSN. Unfortunately the beloved GTA: San Andreas hasn’t been rated as of yet. Interestingly enough, SCEA is shown as the publisher, not Rockstar.

Skyrim Gets Mature Rating – Features Drunken Decapitation!

Chris Carlson — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:00:25 +0000

Skyrim may still be a few months away, but there’s still plenty of time for Bethesda to reveal new information about the title.

Well, thanks to the ESRB, Skyrim gets a Mature rating that consists of; Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes and the Use of Alcohol. Sweet

The ESRB also listed a lengthy summary of the title, which has also confirmed you’ll be able to decapitate your enemies. Skyrim just keeps getting better and better.

“As players traverse through mountainous open-world environments, they complete missions and quests that impact the eventual fate of their character. Players use swords, bows and arrows, axes, and magic attacks (e.g., fireballs, ice shards) to kill various enemies (e.g., wolves, dragons, human bandits and soldiers).

As players engage in melee-style combat, some sequences are highlighted by slow-motion effects, particularly for decapitations. Large blood-splatter effects also occur during combat, and some environments are stained with blood or body parts (e.g., heads impaled on spikes). Some sequences allow players to injure/kill nonadversary characters, including prisoners chained to a wall; they scream in pain amid splashes of blood or fire.

As the game progresses, the dialogue and on-screen text contains references to sexual material (e.g., “. . . all the whores your heart, or any other organ, desires,” “She . . . raped the men as cruelly as Bal had ravished her,” and “Remember when you thought [he] was . . . intent on making you . . . into his personal sex slave?”).

Alcohol such as wine, mead, and ale can be purchased and consumed by players’ character throughout the game; and in one sequence, players can engage in a drinking contest with another character, which eventually results in slurred speech (e.g., “One more. No problemsh . . . Thash grape!”).”

Nice.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set to release on November 11th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

For more on Skyrim be sure to check out our epic hands on preview.

ESRB Slaps Zombie Action/RPG Dead Island With a Mature Rating

Matthew Sims — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:30:45 +0000

We can’t say we didn’t see this coming, Dead Island has officially gotten a Mature rating from the industry’s most prolific governing body, the ESRB. It’s no secret that the Ripten staff is literally foaming at the mouth to get our hands on this first person zombie murdering simulator, and we saw this rating coming from a mile away. In fact, it’s pretty impossible to have an engaging zombie game without a ton of gore anymore. I mean who wants a zombie game where you murder a zombie and a fountain of rainbow confetti shoots out of its neck. On second thought, that sounds amazing. Dave Oshry should get on that…

The game managed to hit basically every content descriptor that determines if a game should be rated Mature. Blood and gore, drug references, Intense violence, sexual themes, strong language, and use of alcohol basically round out the list of things that parents will hate in a video game. Just the description alone warrants a Game of the Year nomination; I know it’s a little early, but come on, we all know it’s going to be fantastic.

Here’s the whole description as per the ESRB:

This is a first-person shooter in which players join a group of survivors who must battle a zombie infestation on a tropical island. Players use baseball bats, knives, axes, shotguns, and rifles to kill waves of zombies. Battles are accompanied by screams of pain, realistic gunfire, and slow-motion effects. When zombies are knocked to the ground, players can sometimes stomp on their heads to complete kills. Large blood splatter stains the surrounding environment and players’ weapon. Players can also dismember zombies, and various scenes depict bloody torsos, legs, or other mutilated body parts. As the game progresses, alcoholic beverages can be consumed to increase damage output, resulting in screen-blurring effects; in one cutscene, drunken characters are depicted stumbling around a party. Some sequences also reference drug use; one mission requires players to retrieve drugs for a character (e.g., “I haven’t shot up since the day before yesterday and I’m getting the chills.”). The game also contains a handful of sexual references in the dialogue (e.g., “One rich bugger I investigated was clearly molesting his fourteen-year-old daughter.”); one scene depicts a bikini-clad woman tied to a bed and surrounded by video cameras. The words “f**k” and sh*t” can be heard in dialogue.

So if you enjoy drug use, drunken partying, voyeurism, inappropriate sexual contact and a cavalcade of expletives Dead Island may be your game. Being over the age of 17 has never been so cool.

Enjoy Plenty of New Deus Ex Info Thanks To the ESRB

Aaron Alexander — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:01:35 +0000

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been rated Mature by the ESRB. Aside from just slapping a rating on it, the ESRB have also given us an idea of what we’ll expect to see during our adventures in the game;

“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Adam Jensen, an ex-cop who must uncover the truth behind a cybernetics company’s attack. Players complete mission-based objectives to increase their character’s skills (e.g., stealth, strength) and advance the main storyline. Players use pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill a variety of human enemies (e.g., soldiers, police officers, gang members, drug dealers).

“Players can also use stealth attacks (e.g., choking, electrocution) to dispatch enemies at close range. Firefights are highlighted by screams of pain, realistic gunfire, explosions, and large sprays of blood that stain the surrounding environment. Players can sometimes make choices that result in the death of innocent characters: during one sequence, an injured man asks to be “put out of his misery”-the main character can then administer a morphine overdose.

“Civilians can also be killed directly, though this may negatively affect players’ progress. As the game progresses, alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, vodka, cocktails) can be purchased and consumed to reduce damage, resulting in a screen-blurring effect. In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”) are occasionally referenced in the dialogue.

“Some missions contain sexual material: a brothel room containing a sex toy on the bed; dialogue with prostitutes (e.g., “They want me to get augmentations . . . for the customer’s pleasure. It’s sick” and “[W]e can find a quiet spot . . . Do you have enough money for me, sexy?”). The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.”

There you have it, the words f**k and sh*t will indeed be present in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and this is clearly the highlight of the assessment:

In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”)

Keep on visiting RipTen for more coverage on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and be sure to leave your “cigaweed” in the comments below.

Via [CVG]

New Burnout Crash Details Revealed – You May Not Like Them

Murray Hibble — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:46:38 +0000

The next title in the long-running Burnout Series is set to be a family friendly top-down arcade… thing. The player will still be triggering crashes at intersections, they’ll just be doing so from an entirely new angle.

Check out this direct quote from the ESRB below;

“This is an action game in which players earn points for creating traffic pileups. From a top-down perspective, players initiate crashes by driving ‘cartoony’ vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, vans, buses) into busy intersections; multiple crashes trigger score multipliers and rack up large ‘bills’ of property damage. Each level is accompanied by crashing sounds, small explosions, and vocal encouragement (e.g., ‘Cool,’ ‘Maximum Carnage!’). In some levels, players are instructed to crash into police cars (e.g., ‘Crash them before they bust you!’); in other sequences, oversized airplanes, tornados, lobster monsters, and UFOs slide across the screen, destroying any vehicles in their path.”

We’ll be looking for more news regarding this title and the development team working on it. With the immensely popular (and awesome) Hot Pursuit under their belt, does Burnout Crash signal a move into the casual gaming scene or is this a Ubisoft/Crytek-style split for the popular developer?

Trigger some score multipliers on my Twitter (@DarkMellie) and let me know what you think.

Source: [Examiner]

ESRB Ratings Will Now Be Decided By Machines

Dave Oshry — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:16:24 +0000

Who needs humans to decide how vulgar or sexually offensive our games are, when machines can do it for us!?

According to the Times, the ESRB will start using a program that will,

“replicate the ingrained cultural norms and predilections of the everyday American consumer, at least when it comes to what is appropriate for children and what isn’t.”

It consists of data compiled from a

“detailed digital questionnaire meant to gauge every subtle nuance of violence, sexuality, profanity, drug use, gambling and bodily function that could possibly offend anyone.”

You are now free to /facepalm

This questionnaire will be filled out by game developers and publishers and consists of many, many categories and sub categories. I’m sure it’s a friggin’ blast to fill out. Sounds like a job for an intern or seven.

Here’s an example. Offensive language is broken down into multiple subcategories, such as: minor profanities, epithets, scatological vulgarities (poop), racial obscenities and sexual vulgarisms.

Some of the scatalogical choices include, “whimsical depictions of feces,” “realistically depicted feces” and the “act of human (or humanlike character) defecation visually depicted.” I think the guys behind Duke Nukem Forever are glad they got the game rated before this nonsense. Hell, they might have to check every damn box on the survey. Moreover, they’d likely have to spend hours simply looking for the “Realistic depiction of smearing feces on an alien genitals and then beating his face in” category.

Duke Poopem Forever

If there’s one thing we need to teach machines to do, it’s identify the extent of the poop jokes in our video games.

While this all sounds a bit ridiculous, it is understandable. Last year the ESRB rated 1,600 games. Compare that to the motion picture ratings board which only rated about 850 films. Not to mention most games are much longer than your average film. It’s a big job, but someones gotta do it. I mean, we’ve gotta keep violent video games out of the hands of our children, lest Jack Thompson start sending me angry emails again.

However, I can’t say I don’t know a few unemployed gamers who would be happy to land a job rating games for a decent wage. I’m not saying that the ESRB can afford to hire thousands of unemployed nerds to rate games all day, I’m just saying… they’re out there.

However, contrary to popular belief:

“The human game classifiers who will soon be ceding work to machines don’t actually play the games. Instead they watch a DVD submitted by a game’s publisher that is supposed to include the raunchiest and most violent scenes, if any. So they have not actually been experiencing games as they are played.”

Wait… what!?

Skyn… I mean, this amazing new system will go into effect this week on XBLA, PSN and WiiWare games. A human will not review the game’s rating until after it’s already been released.

“All games rated via this new process will be tested by E.S.R.B. staff shortly after they are made publicly available to verify that disclosure was complete and accurate.”

Feel free to /facepalm again now.

Buzz! Quiz Player for PS3 Leaked by ESRB

Demi Adejuyigbe — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:07:06 +0000

If you haven’t played Buzz!, you really should; it’s a great party game in the vein of Scene It! for the Playstation 2 and Playstation 3, and I’ve had tons of fun with it in the past. I’ll most likely have tons of fun with it in the future as well, as Sony is planning to release yet another game in the Buzz! franchise for the PS3. Or so says the ESRB.

While the description sounds just like every other Buzz! game, if you haven’t played any of the other Buzz! games, it might pique your interest-

This is a trivia game in which players compete to answer questions on a variety of topics, including sports, TV shows, movies, and music. Players can choose a character (e.g., cheerleader, super hero) and a sound effect that will be heard when attempting to answer questions. One sound choice sounds like a belch, and another is called “tequila.”

I wonder what this game will do that the previous PS3 Buzz games didn’t, but until Sony makes an official announcement (or we get more leaks) we’ll just have to wait for more information on this one. Yeah, don’t cry too much about it. [Joystiq]

ESRB Says Oops Mah Bad After Leaking 1,000 Private Email Addresses

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:37:22 +0000

As Ripten previously reported, the email addresses of one thousand individuals who complained about Blizzards Real ID system, were leaked in a mass email stuff up. The ESRB today made the first steps down the path of forgiveness by issuing an official statement that read;

“Yesterday we sent an e-mail to a number of consumers who wrote to us in recent days expressing their concern with respect to Blizzard’s Real ID program. Given the large number of messages we received, we decided to respond with a mass e-mail so those who’d written us would receive our response as quickly as possible – rather than responding to each message individually, as is our usual practice.

Through an unfortunate error by one of our employees, some recipients were able to see the e-mail addresses of others who wrote on the same issue. Needless to say, it was never our intention to reveal this information and for that we are genuinely sorry. Those who write to ESRB to express their views expect and deserve to have their contact and personal information protected. In this case, we failed to do so and are doing everything we can to ensure it will not happen again in the future.

The fact that our message addressed individuals’ concerns with respect to their privacy underscores how truly disappointing a mistake this was on our part. We work with companies to ensure they are handling people’s private information with confidentiality, care and respect. It is only right that we set a good example and do no less ourselves.

We sincerely apologize to those who were affected by this error and appreciate their understanding.

Sincerely,

Entertainment Software Rating Board”

I’m a bit on the fence about the whole scenario. Sure peoples privacy was compromised, but that happens every single day. I understand the ESRB has to make face by publicly apologising, however I think the whole situation has been blown out of the water, and I openly welcome more changes that make people more accountable for their behaviour and actions on the world wide wait web.

[Source: Consumerist]

Uh-Oh: ESRB Accidentally Releases E-mail Addresses of Unhappy WoW Real ID Grievants

David Oxford — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:24:21 +0000

Recently, Blizzard made it known what their intentions were for the implementation of their new Real ID system, which in all truth sounded pretty cool. That is, except for one thing: removing anonymity from users on their forums.

Fortunately, after taking up broomsticks and storming the proverbial gates of Blizzard HQ, the company decided on a different course of action. With that, it was over as quickly as it began…

Or so we thought.

During the course of these events, a number of people took their grievances to the Electronic Software Ratings Board. The ESRB listened, and responded to those who took the time to contact them.

The problem?

Whoever was in charge of sending the letter apparently clicked “reply to all” or just pasted all the addresses in the “To” field, thus exposing all of the nearly 1,000 e-mail addresses to… well, everyone else on the list. Following is the letter which was sent, which concludes with a now-amusing blurb regarding the company’s privacy policy:

Thank you for contacting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) regarding the policy recently announced by Blizzard Entertainment which would have required participants in its official forums to post comments using their real first and last names, and for expressing your concerns regarding potential privacy implications.

It is our understanding that Blizzard has provided an update announcing that it will not be implementing the above-referenced policy with respect to its forums, and users will not be required to post using their real names. You can read Blizzard’s announcement regarding this most recent development at http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25968987278&sid=1&pageNo=1.

Separately, if you have questions regarding Blizzard’s implementation of its Real ID option — which by our understanding is unrelated to Blizzard’s plans for its forums — and/or the new capabilities this option offers, they will likely be answered by reviewing the information posted at http://www.battle.net/realid/.

ESRB, through its Privacy Online program, helps companies develop practices to safeguard users’ personal information online while still providing a safe and enjoyable video game experience for all. We appreciate your taking the time to contact us with your concerns, and please feel free to direct any future inquiries you may have regarding online privacy to our attention.

Regards,

Entertainment Software Rating Board

Not to blast someone for what was no doubt an honest mistake, but perhaps the ESRB should bump their own name up the list of companies they help with developing privacy practices.

Sources: WoW.com (via Joystiq, via Game Informer)

ESRB Gives Heavy Rain Mature Rating, Spoils Plot For All

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:34:56 +0000

As our own Dan Landis once said, “It’s okay to cut someone in half with your chainsaw bayonet … as long as you don’t show any nipple.” Unfortunately, Heavy rain is light on the chainsaw mounted firepower and heavy on the flesh exposing cocaine usage. Well, I wouldn’t exactly say “heavy”, but the lovely ESRB seemed to think it was enough to warrant a Mature rating.

WARNING: Reading beyond this paragraph will reveal plot information that many will not appreciate having unveiled to them prior to the games release. As a side note, it’s moments like this that make me wish I didn’t write about videogames and therefore wouldn’t have to read spoiler laden ESRB posting in order to report them to you. The sacrifices we make…

Alright, last warning. Any reading beyond this point and the spoilers you lay eyes on are not my responsibility.

I’m serious. Go visit Disney.com or something.

Heavy Rain
Platform: PlayStation 3
Rating: Mature
Content descriptors: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

Rating summary:

In this cinema-style action game, players control one of four main characters whose lives are altered by events surrounding the investigation of the Origami Killer, a serial killer who kidnaps children in public places. Gameplay consists of controlling a character in a fully interactive environment; choosing a variety of action-, dialogue-, and decision-paths based on on-screen prompts; and watching as cinematic cutscenes progress the somewhat dark (film noir-style) storyline.

Players may encounter victims at various crime scenes: a woman (fully clothed) in a bathtub tainted with blood; a child under forensic examination (though the scene is largely narrative and clinical, with no depiction of victim’s face or signs of trauma). More direct depictions of violence include the following: a woman squirming and screaming as she catches on fire; a man impaled in the chest with a power drill; a female attacked in her own home by masked male assailants (the scene is prolonged); and a man shot (shown in slow-motion) by police officers. Blood sometimes accompanies the acts of violence-whether triggered or viewed passively.

The most intense instance of violence occurs during a “lizard trial” sequence in which players’ character, Ethan, is forced to cut off a segment of his own finger to save his son’s life: Several instruments (saw, scissors, knife, etc.) can be used to remove the finger; and though the camera pans away from the actual dismemberment-instead the blade, the blood, the scream-the scene’s poring focus on Ethan’s psychological tenor/terror (the dread deliberation before the cut) may be unnerving for some.

The game contains sexual content and nudity. Shower cutscenes may depict a male character’s bare butt; if players control the female character, her breasts and buttocks are also briefly visible. A more prolonged instance of nudity occurs during a female character’s investigation of a seedy club owner: After getting him alone in a room, the player-character is asked to strip; at gunpoint, she dances topless in front of the man. The game also contains a prompt-based love scene (kissing and rubbing) in which players match on-screen cues to angle characters’ mouths, remove shirts and blouses, unhook bras, and lower to the floor; a woman briefly appears topless amidst the dark shadows and heavy breathing-actual sex is never depicted as the camera fades to black.

The camera does not fade on characters addicted to the fictional drug Triptocaine, referred to as “dope” in the game: Players may see a character trembling next to open vials; lines of cut white powder on a table; and a man staggering from the drug’s ill-effects, as the screen turns blurry. Consumers may also wish to know that the game contains strong profanity (e.g., “f**k,” “motherf**ker,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole”). Overall, the game’s highly evolved motion-capture graphics (advanced renderings by 2010 standards) sharpen the sense of realism, increasing the impact of some aspects of pertinent content (the nudity, blood, violence, etc.).

[Source: ESRB via Kotaku]

Rumor: Shinobi, Call of Duty, and Transformers: Origins Coming to Xbox Live?

Demi Adejuyigbe — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:36:54 +0000

Usually, the tips we get at Ripten HQ have headlines crazy enough (like “Duke Nukem Forever to be released this decade”) that we have to take them with a grain of salt, but with two of the games in the above image already being rumored to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade, and one of them actually being on Xbox Live Arcade already, we can probably take this rumor with the whole can of Morton’s.

In Late March, the Pan European Game Information board listed Call of Duty for Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network, but that information has since been delisted. Last week, the ESRB listed Shinobi for the Xbox 360 as well, even though SEGA hadn’t mentioned anything about the game. No one has said anything about Transformers: Origins, and according to the internet, the game doesn’t even exist. It’s not listed anywhere, and not even rumored to exist. Come on, tri-dub- you can do better than that.

If these games do exist, I bet that they’ll concur with the releases of other games in their franchises. Transformers will probably come out when Revenge of the Fallen does, Call of Duty will probably re-release when Modern Warfare 2 comes out. And Shinobi’s advent will probably coincide with the Ninja Insurrection of 2011.

It’s coming.

Did the ESRB Leak Max Payne 1 & 2 for the Xbox 360?

Demi Adejuyigbe — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:44:38 +0000

The ESRB has never been an impenetrable fortress of information, and the fact that they have a search function on their website doesn’t really help them keep things secret. Destructoid pointed our earlier today that the ESRB is now listing three Max Payne games, one being the poorly-recieved Max Payne Advance, and the other two being Max Payne 1 and 2, which are listed for the Xbox 360.

Since Rockstar announced Max Payne 3 a short time ago, they may be looking to release the previous games on Xbox Live in the same time frame as the third’s release in retail. Destructoid also pointed out that the games weren’t listed for the PS3, which could signal another exclusive for Microsoft. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what Rockstar says on the matter.

Source; ESRB (via Destructoid)

New Mortal Kombat vs. DC Fatalities: Sonya Snaps, Catwoman Crackles, and Sub-Zero Pops

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:18:38 +0000

Uhhh, the quirky headline and image should pretty much say it all, but if you need a little extra explaining, I’ll do my best. Midway has revealed three new MK vs. DC Universe Fatalities that I thought needed a little side by side comparison to their breakfast cereal mascot counterparts — Snap, Crackle, and Pop.

That’s right, Sonya snaps a neck, Catwoman cracks a whip, and Sub-Zero makes a frozen body go pop. I’m going to eat some Rice Krispies while I try my best to hold back tears of disappointment. ESRB for me to poop on.

Hit the jump and watch the video.

Joker’s T-Rated Gag Gun Fatality All Gag No Gore

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:32:32 +0000

In the midst of all the Metacrtic user score bashing, you may have missed out on some fairly important Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe news. The Joker’s Gag Gun fatality that took the internet by storm has been reworked due to ESRB Teen rating scrutiny.

If you have been following our coverage of the game here at Ripten, you already know that we had a chance to sit down with Hector Sanchez (the game’s producer) at E3. He walked us through the latest MK installment, and we spent some hands-on time with it as well.

Overall, my impression was positive, and I was looking forward to the game’s release. That excitement escalated further when I saw Hector unveil the Joker’s Gag Gun fatality in late August on GameTrailers TV. He wrapped up the segment by addressing skeptics.

“So for all the people that thought that this was going to be Mortal Kombat light, you’ve seen it here first on GameTrailers TV, the Joker actually blows Katana’s head off.”

The concept was vicious and yet the blood wasn’t persistent — something Hector explained to be a key requirement in order to achieve a Teen rating. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be enough to convince the ESRB powers at be.

The Joker’s Gag Gun fatality that I fell in love with just two short months ago has been further “teen-a-fied”. Kotaku describes the new version after experiencing it first hand:

Joker still whips out his prank gun, a “BANG!” flag unfurling. Unfortunately, you won’t see the follow up of Joker shooting someone in the face; that actually happens off screen now, the headshot safely out of sight.

Meh. I’m disappointed. Personally, I find those damn Highschool Musical films more disturbing than a little non-persistent blood. It’s too bad. I’m holding out hope for Hector and the crew at Midway, but it appears that the ESRB has them right where they want them — drained, dazed, and ready for a finishing move of their own.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Clashing On The PS3 and 360

Sal Romano — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:48:44 +0000

The ESRB are at it again! If you do a quick search for “Marvel vs. Capcom 2″ on the Entertainment Software Rating Board website, you’ll get some shocking results. Apparently, the game is slated to be available on “PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3″.

While we know it is already available on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, what’s new is the additions of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. So we know it’s coming to our next-gen platforms, but we just need to know a time now. Don’t get your hopes up for a disc-based release though, it will probably be downloadable.

Source

MadWorld May Not Release in Japan… or Australia… or Germany

Dan Landis — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:24:29 +0000

Sega reps won’t be showing the extreme gore-fest MadWorld at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, mostly due to the fact that it may be too extremely gore-festy for Japanese audiences. The game is being developed with a western audience in mind and will only be evaluated for a release elsewhere if it becomes a hit.

Japan-based Platinum Games, developer of MadWorld, is said to be be working closely with the ESRB. They want to make the ESRB feel like “part of the process” and they “don’t want to surprise them”. Basically, they want the game to be as violent as possible and are pushing to see where the ESRB draws the line.

This level of violence obviously doesn’t go over well with those pussy censors in places like Australia and Germany, so those countries are not currently in the running to receive a localized retail release. Oddly, even Japan is not being targeted for some MadWorld action.

Platinum Games and Sega are mainly focused on making MadWorld a huge, bloody hit for the Wii when it releases in North America in March ’09 and, depending on how successful it is, will consider releases in other countries sometime down the road.

Tough call on this one. Most Wii owners are the proverbial “casual gamers” like my sister and her 7-year-old, and I don’t see either one of them being a likely fan of the game. Sure, there are plenty of parent gamers out there that used their kids as a cover for buying a Wii, and maybe they would appreciate some intestine-ripping action, but people like me who think the game looks awesome, well… I don’t own a Wii.

What do you think? Even if MadWorld were a good game, would that be enough to get the numbers given it’s violent nature?

Source: MTV Multiplayer

Kids Say The Darndest Things To Get GTA4

Roly Reyes — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:15:22 +0000

Grand Theft Auto IV will be released in just about a week. It’s very likely taken over your very consciousness and the only reason that you still eat, sleep, and breathe is because you’d like to live just one more week.

But what about us kiddos that are under 17? Those of us that would have to hop on our bikes, see if the cashier forgets to ID us, complete the transaction, and then pedal like the devil was chasing us home?

What They Play and the MTV Multiplayer blog have spoken to several minors (anonymous and otherwise) who plan to get their hands on a copy Grand Theft Auto 4. Read on for some of their best schemes to beat the ESRB.

As humans, we can’t help but want what is seemingly unattainable– it acts as motivation, especially when it smells of forbidden fruit (or at least that’s what news channels, activists, and overzealous parents make it out to be).

However, I’ll admit that I may be a little biased as I’ve played through all 3 recent GTAs and shot many a pixel-based fool in the face, and have yet to go on a murderous rampage. Although I am clearly preaching to the choir and straying way off point.

As kids we’re industrious; if we want something, we’re gonna get it! And it holds true for video games as well as anything. A few choice quotes that are up at What They Play vary from nice, clean, and semi-wholesome – although, keep in mind that age and identity both remain anonymous for fear of these brave young upstanding may get busted.

“I am mature and my parents know that I know that this is just a video game. I know not to follow any of the actions in the game. They’ll buy it for me.” It then transitions to, “My dad will get me M-rated games, but my mom won’t.”

Then it quickly degenerates into something along the lines of, “My mom has 1-click ordering enabled on Amazon, so I’ll use that.” From there the attitude becomes something much more sinister, such as, “Since my mom and dad divorced, it’s pretty easy to convince one of them to buy whatever we want.” I feel bad for that particular young soul.

There are many more quotes to be had at What They Play, all anonymous as opposed the examination that the MTV Multiplayer did, in which they picked 3 individuals within the age range of 15-17 and did a more thorough examination of all their cases. The first one is a schmuck that no longer even picks up a controller. What a loser.

Source: MTV Multiplayer and What They Play

Pennsylvania Governor Defends Videogames and Supports the ESRB

Dan Landis — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:43:26 +0000

Fight for your right to Mario Party!

Unlike the vast majority of politicians, Pennsylvania State Governor Ed Rendell is not a self-righteous prick when it comes to videogames. In fact, he supports the ESRB’s rating system, and he’ll even go on TV to prove it.

Governor Rendell recently teamed up with the ESRB to create a public service announcement educating parents on the ESRB’s rating system and how it can benefit their families. The PSA will run on both television and radio.

The Video Game Voters Network has a page in which you can submit a pre-written letter to thank the good statesman. Of course, you can edit the text if you really want, so you can thoroughly express your gratitude for his coolness.

It’s great to see a politician not be a total asshole, so I really think we should try to show Governor Rendell that we greatly support him in his efforts to support us.

You can visit the “Thank You” page made for Governor Rendell and submit your letters to him here.

Thanks also go out to Krispy Demon for pointing out the Governor’s majesty.

Presidential Candidates Talk About Video Games

Dylan Duarte — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:25:22 +0000

Nathaniel Edwards over at The Wii Playbox 360.3 (hey, that name’s too long) wrote up a nice little summary of what various candidates plan to do about mature gaming. Here are the highlights.

Hillary Clinton – Clinton was a big player in the infamous Hot Coffee scandal of 2005. She spearheaded the Family Entertainment Protection Act, an act which charges fines against any store managers that sells mature games to minors. She’s made it clear that she’s not done with the issue.

Mitt Romney – The current frontrunner for the Republican Party is more or less on the same page as Senator Clinton, looking to ban the sale of mature games to minors.

John Edwards – Edwards praised the ESRB, but still favors government involvement in the matter.

Barack Obama – Obama is in favor of the ESRB monitoring video games, but isn’t opposed to the idea of the government keeping them in line when need be. He’s also in favor of federally funding experiments to study the effect of video games on minors.

Bill Richardson – Richardson briefly mentioned educating parents, but then went off about general education.

So there you have it, gamers. There are plenty more candidates, but here we’ve covered the top Democratic nominees and the current Republican frontrunner. Hopefully we’ll hear more about this issue before the November elections. Check out Nathaniel’s writeup here.

Warhawk PS1 Reaches PS3 and PSP

Patrick Steen — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:18:49 +0000

Over 10 days ago we reported that the ESRB had rated a Warhawk game for the PSP. I suggested that instead of being an exclusive PSP title, it would be the original PS1 Warhawk. I was right.

With the US Playstation Store update, which can be found here, came the 1995 original and classic Warhawk. Nice to see it joining the Warhawk Omega Dawn Booster pack that some of us can’t yet download sadly.

The original game has a Gamesranking.com average of 88%, which is a tad spectacular considering it was born in an era when games weren’t given out 10′s left, right and centre. It can now be yours to play upscaled on your PS3 and on your PSP for $5.99

Unsure of whether you want to fly back to the past? Have a look at the trailer:

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k61y7gWx-3w[/youtube]