3rd November 2007, 10:29 AM
http://kotaku.com/gaming/breaking/esrb-m...318363.php
Read this article. It's... weird... ESRB is saying THIS mod, which only removes a filter, is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the other mods that allowed one access to previously unaccessible stuff like the "nude" thing in Oblivion or that "Hot Coffee" mini-game.
They try to explain that it's different because... well they used different words to describe it. Sorry I'm not buying it. It's the same thing. My argument? They should NOT have put higher ratings on the previous games and this mod is no different than the previous. About the only thing I can see is this time that "hidden content" was told to the ESRB beforehand, and the other content was not (and really, it's not really "in the game" anyway so I didn't see the big deal in not revealing dummied out code). ESRB can say what they will, but it seems like they are really just grasping at straws to defend themselves and really just sending a not so subtle message to developers that all dummied content must be revealed to them.
Frankly, I'm sick of the ESRB. Can a parent honestly not tell just by looking at the cover art for something like God of War or Doom that maybe this isn't the game for little Suzie? Those crazy fees don't help, and Japan's got their own new ratings board that is taking out all our beloved decapitations from their games, which is going to affect our versions.
Read this article. It's... weird... ESRB is saying THIS mod, which only removes a filter, is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the other mods that allowed one access to previously unaccessible stuff like the "nude" thing in Oblivion or that "Hot Coffee" mini-game.
They try to explain that it's different because... well they used different words to describe it. Sorry I'm not buying it. It's the same thing. My argument? They should NOT have put higher ratings on the previous games and this mod is no different than the previous. About the only thing I can see is this time that "hidden content" was told to the ESRB beforehand, and the other content was not (and really, it's not really "in the game" anyway so I didn't see the big deal in not revealing dummied out code). ESRB can say what they will, but it seems like they are really just grasping at straws to defend themselves and really just sending a not so subtle message to developers that all dummied content must be revealed to them.
Frankly, I'm sick of the ESRB. Can a parent honestly not tell just by looking at the cover art for something like God of War or Doom that maybe this isn't the game for little Suzie? Those crazy fees don't help, and Japan's got their own new ratings board that is taking out all our beloved decapitations from their games, which is going to affect our versions.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)