Ratings

[silhouette]

Does anyone know what constitutes for an M rating and what constitutes for a T rating?

I guess the line is so blurred over there. For example, why do you think Halo 3 is M rated (there is almost 0 blood in that game and you are killing aliens all the time) while Uncharted is T rated (you are killing ppl). Is that because of multi-player in which you attack real ppl?

Also if brief nudity requires M rating, shouldn't Heavenly Sword also gets M rating?

Is there a clear guideline about how a game gets T rating and how a game gets M rating?

 

[Dominik D]

It takes 10 seconds to Google it and get an answer from ESRB page:
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp

TEEN
Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

 

[Rangers]

I dunno, but Shane Bettenhausen has remarked several times that Uncharted is the most brutal T rated title he's ever seen, and he cant believe it got a T.

I also dont really see why Halo is the same class as a game like manhunt. imo shooting people/things onscreen should not be an automatic M.

 

[cthellis42]

Can't be automatic, else Uncharted would have gotten it too. Had an awful lot of "shooting people/things onscreen."

 

[Rangers]

Can't be automatic, else Uncharted would have gotten it too. Had an awful lot of "shooting people/things onscreen."

So what would we think pushed Halo over the edge to M, that wasn't in Uncharted? Is there a bit of swearing? I think there's a few "shits" from random enemy background dialogue (I''m not sure, anybody else confirm?), I dunno. Perhaps Bungie should have eliminated that to gain a T, since it's really such a minor thing anyway. I dont like swearing in Halo universe anyway, really doesn't fit the game. Also, I wonder how much Bungie even cares whether it's T or M since it sells a lot with the M anyway.

I've thought that games need a PG-13 type thing for just such games as Halo myself. PG-13 was supposedly invented by the movie industry just for Indian Jones, as it went beyond a PG but according the them didn't deserve a R (or, they wanted to admit kids anyway and increase box office).

But anyway, I dont pay much attention to game ratings, so I'm speaking from ignorance. I suppose, it is just like movie ratings, necessarily you will get cases where an "R" film is much cleaner on the whole than a PG raunch comedy.

 

[nintenho]

Halo's M rating is probably because of the blood. Uncharted not having blood was probably a style choice but you have to kind of focus to see the blood in Halo.

 

[deepbrown]

I dunno, but Shane Bettenhausen has remarked several times that Uncharted is the most brutal T rated title he's ever seen, and he cant believe it got a T.

I also dont really see why Halo is the same class as a game like manhunt. imo shooting people/things onscreen should not be an automatic M.

Odd that the shooting of dead bodies and animals was taken out for ratings purposes. Like it's somehow worse than killing people...these ratings boards are odd.

And my favorite move in HS was taken out - the human nunchuck move

 

[deepbrown]

Halo's M rating is probably because of the blood. Uncharted not having blood was probably a style choice but you have to kind of focus to see the blood in Halo.

Uncharted has plenty of blood.

 

[inefficient]

Uncharted has plenty of blood.

I don't recall seeing any blood in Uncharted now that I think about it. Maybe they took it out of the JP version just like they did in Resistance.

 

[deepbrown]

I don't recall seeing any blood in Uncharted now that I think about it. Maybe they took it out of the JP version just like they did in Resistance.

There's no blood in the Japan version.

 

[inefficient]

Also if brief nudity requires M rating, shouldn't Heavenly Sword also gets M rating?

Heavenly Sword has brief nudity?! Was that taken out of the game I played too?

 

[nintenho]

Uncharted has plenty of blood.

actually I think there was some. didn't remember it though. I'm not sure why it got that rating then.

 

[Dominik D]

The difference between Halo 3 and Uncharted is that killing (or not getting killed) is the only way of progression in Halo 3 where Uncharted has some quick time actions and para-platformer sections. Rating is a subjective process and it seems that ESRB reviewers agreed that violence in Uncharted is not exaggerated and never unnecessary where in Halo 3 you kill just for killing (especially online). We can guess whether Uncharted was or wasn't on the border between M and T. ESRB decided this way and the only thing we may look forward to get is consistency across games. T game may contain violence and small amount of blood. Too bad T rating does not prevent game from being boring (M doesn't either).