MK Vs. DC Getting Further Edits

[Psykoboy2]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/Psykoboy2/dropthehammer.jpg

I thought everything was done. With a release date of November 16th, I figured all the kinks had been worked out, but that's not the case it would seem.

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe has received an "M" rating. Something that Boon and the guys at Midway have been consistently saying they DID NOT want. They were so dedicated to the goal of a "T" rating that they were working very closely with the ESRB to make sure that's exactly what they got. Apparently, it wasn't close enough as the game has now gone back to make further edits to tone down the violence in the game.

Wondering what those edits may be? Well, one that has been confirmed is the fatality for the Joker (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/Psykoboy2/jokerfatality.gif). The actual death part of the move will now take place off-screen.

Source - Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/26/mortal-kombat-vs-dc-universe-toned-down-to-keep-t-rating/)

[Scaryfaced]

They took out the Joker's fatality? No sale....ever.
________
Weed Vaporizer (http://weedvaporizer.info/)

[King3567]

This is so lame. I mean, the game is already toned down enough. I say that they just put everything back to the way it was and keep the M rating.

[Dark Prince]

Well....this blows...

[Purple Santa]

This is so lame. I mean, the game is already toned down enough. I say that they just put everything back to the way it was and keep the M rating.

I feel the same but i'm sure it has to do with more sales if it's T rated then M. It might seem a bit arbitrary but I think there is a big sales difference between T and M especially a game like this one where your large part of your audience might be below 18.

[Nura]

Bah, keep the M rating, and go in and edit the game to fit that instead!

[Sandman]

I understand from the viewpoint that this is Midway's last hope of survival for this holiday season and they want as many people as possible to be able to buy it...but what is the point if it is going to cost you your hardcore fanbase which would probably outnumber the teenage sales anyway?

[Dave]

First thing I think, upon seeing this post, is "HAL!" (Yay!!)

Then I finish reading the post. NOT COOL, Midway.

I'm not sure if I'd NOT buy this, but why in the hell were they shooting for a fucking "T" rating to begin with? It's Mortal Kombat for cryin' out loud. By default it should be rated "M". This is just fucking silly. Seriously.

And this post was the first (and I guess now maybe the last) time that I had seen that Joker fatality, and I think it was pretty fuckin' sweet (so thanks for posting it). That's too bad that it's getting axed because of the guys at Midway wimping out.

I mean really, what is going to be hotter for the Christmas '08 shopping season... an "M" rated MK game where you can put the serious hurt on that boyscout Kal-El or a "T" rated game that could have been badass?

I'm just sayin'. =)

[Elrik Murder]

That's how you kill interest for a game folks! Don't get me wrong, I totally understand from a business perspective, it just sucks that the ESRB has that pull on the industry. If they only could release both versions, not unlike DVD releases of today. I'd definitely be up for an "unrated" copy, however unlikely. Shame too, as this was looking to be a pretty solid title. I can't personally condone censorship in any artistic medium (yeah, I said it).

[yeti]

Bad news for me, this has gone from my "very interested" pile to the "maybe when it hits the bargain buckets pile" which probably isn't very good for Midway in their current situation.

[Adam Blue]

I understand from the viewpoint that this is Midway's last hope of survival for this holiday season and they want as many people as possible to be able to buy it...but what is the point if it is going to cost you your hardcore fanbase which would probably outnumber the teenage sales anyway?

I'm pretty sure the under-18 crowd outnumber the hardcore fanbase. If this keeps the company going, go for it. This way we'll get a real MK title in the future. The MK vs DC idea is neat...but as fan of the MK games, I don't kare.

[LongStepMantis]

If toning down a MK game for a "T" rating is the final nail in the coffin for Midway, we can't say they didn't do it to themselves. Somewhere along the line they forgot what the hell MK games were supposed to be. Without the over-the-top violence, they would never even have made it past MK1. The fighting itself is usually below average to average at best.

It's just funny/sad to see them trying to get a lower rating because they think it will increase sales, while simultaneously ripping out the features anyone gave a shit about enough to buy it. I loved MK games, I even dropped money on their latest few titles.
The quality of their entries into the franchise get steadily worse each time. Maybe it is just for the best if they RIP at this point.

[Purple Santa]

I'm pretty sure the under-18 crowd outnumber the hardcore fanbase. If this keeps the company going, go for it. This way we'll get a real MK title in the future. The MK vs DC idea is neat...but as fan of the MK games, I don't kare.
Beat me to it. This was my thoughts exactly. They are going for the same crowd that buys Spider-Man games. Not hardcore gamers but "casual" buying gamers or parents who are going to be buying this game for their kid for xmas.


It's just funny/sad to see them trying to get a lower rating because they think it will increase sales, while simultaneously ripping out the features anyone gave a shit about enough to buy it. I loved MK games, I even dropped money on their latest few titles.
The quality of their entries into the franchise get steadily worse each time. Maybe it is just for the best if they RIP at this point.

If they cater this title to the hardcore, it most likely would be Midway's swan song. Is it better for them to survive and make other games, like the MK games you would buy...or not existing? The hardcore fans will come back if they make a game that appeals to them. Midway needs a wide audience on this title...like a Spider-Man game. It's a similar buying demographic. Actually I think it's a parent buying demographic in reality...but either way that's why they are going for the T.

[Johan]

Whether Midway survives or not does not determine the future of the MK IP. If they go belly up, the IP will go to the highest bidder, and subsequently would see use by that new investor/developer/publisher.

As for T or M? I don't care myself. I don't root for games to get particular ratings; I look at the game, the ratings, the price, the content, its features, and make a decision based on all that and more.

[Pale Ale]

I'm pretty sure the under-18 crowd outnumber the hardcore fanbase. If this keeps the company going, go for it. This way we'll get a real MK title in the future. The MK vs DC idea is neat...but as fan of the MK games, I don't kare.

I dunno if your 18 or so Mortal Kombat has been a bad, over blown series for as long as you can remember.

Are they really going to try and sell MK to teenagers by having LESS violence? No wonder there trying be Atari at 4x speed

[Adam Blue]

I dunno if your 18 or so Mortal Kombat has been a bad, over blown series for as long as you can remember.

Are they really going to try and sell MK to teenagers by having LESS violence? No wonder there trying be Atari at 4x speed

I'm not just making shit up, I'm going by the market. They are selling MK to teenagers by having DC characters. That's the entire point here. DC will have a large crowd, and so will MK. Maybe some of the MK fanbase will turn their heads, but Midway/Boon knows this. They just want a good seller this season. No company tries to go bankrupt, they just make risks, and sometimes they don't work.

This is just one of those risks that could work. I want to continue to see Boon with the franchise.

[Sazime]

For everyone complaining abut the T rating and thinking that it will hurt sales, look at Hollywood. Now that you've seen how much more money making potential a PG-13 rated movie has over an R rated movie you can realize that you can yell as loud as you want; Midway cares about money, not your petty hatreds of toned down violence.

In other words, suck it up fanboy. Your god is dead.

[Food Nipple]

For everyone complaining abut the T rating and thinking that it will hurt sales, look at Hollywood. Now that you've seen how much more money making potential a PG-13 rated movie has over an R rated movie you can realize that you can yell as loud as you want; Midway cares about money, not your petty hatreds of toned down violence.

In other words, suck it up fanboy. Your god is dead.

Too bad the games industry doesn't work that way. (http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/report-m-rated-games-rack-up-higher-sales/70891/)

EEDAR examined 219 retail and 187 downloadable games made available for the three new platforms (Xbox 360, Wii and PS3) since their respective launches through June 1, 2007, and found that Mature rated titles have both the highest average Metacritic scores and the highest average gross sales in the U.S. despite the fact that these titles only comprised about ten percent of all U.S. retail games examined.

The only reason this has a T rating is because DC is insisting on it. They'd probably have better sales if it was M. As far as sales go, it works like this:

M-Rated MK vs. DC > T-Rated MK vs. DC > M-Rated MK without DC

Option 1 is out of the question, DC won't allow it, but option 2 is still a hell of a lot better than option 3.

[LongStepMantis]

If they cater this title to the hardcore, it most likely would be Midway's swan song. Is it better for them to survive and make other games, like the MK games you would buy...or not existing? The hardcore fans will come back if they make a game that appeals to them. Midway needs a wide audience on this title...like a Spider-Man game. It's a similar buying demographic. Actually I think it's a parent buying demographic in reality...but either way that's why they are going for the T.

Unless it ends up being much better than the last handful of MK games have been, it doesn't really matter what rating it has. My point is that at least with the violence, they still had something going for them. The actual fighting in MK games anymore is laughably bad. Sure, maybe younger buyers will fall for it, but this news just made everyone I know say "No thanks." They're screwed either way, imo.

[Sazime]

Too bad the games industry doesn't work that way. (http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/report-m-rated-games-rack-up-higher-sales/70891/)
But wait, there's more!
[UPDATE] When contacted for comment an ESA representative could not give us an official statement but simply pointed out that most top selling video games are not rated M. For example, looking at the chart of the best selling titles of 2006 (http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17370), you can see that only one game out of the top ten is rated M, Gears of War.

[UPDATE 2] GameDaily BIZ contacted Geoffrey Zatkin, President, COO and Co-Founder of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research who clarified that "the Everyone and Teen ESRB rating categories both have higher total revenues – however, these ESRB ratings also have significantly higher quantities of game titles." He said that only 16% of all PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 retail game titles have a Mature rating, but "the average Mature game title brings in more revenue than the average game with any other ESRB rating." Interestingly, Zatkin pointed out that "Mature games on the Wii have lower average revenues than the Everyone, Everyone 10+ and Teen ESRB rated game titles."
Interesting, isn't it? 1 top 10 M, but over all, game to game, M titles sell more. I'm surprised they didn't bother to ask why this is.

I'm compelled to believe far more big budget titles, this year Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Resistance 2, Left for Dead, Bioshock (PS3 this year), Brother's in Arms, Call of Duty: WoW, Dead Space.... the list goes on, are all AAA titles and are all rated M.

How many AAA titles are rated T? Is Mortal Kombat a AAA title? No. It's been a middling to good fighting game year after year now. They need a bigger market. This is what will get them there.

[bean]

Well....this blows...

Agreed. I wonder if they'll gain more sales with a T-rating or lose more sales by dumbing it down.

Really entertaining fatalities have turned MK rentals into MK purchases for me in the past. The combat has to be good too, of course, but what makes MK stand out has always been it's hilariously brutal fatalities. Without those, I simply don't care about the game.

[Sazime]

Really entertaining fatalities have turned MK rentals into MK purchases for me in the past. The combat has to be good too, of course, but what makes MK stand out has always been it's hilariously brutal fatalities. Without those, I simply don't care about the game.
Another thing I didn't think to bring up, I wonder if Warner Bros. required the game to have a T rating to use the DC characters?

[OrangePulp]

Another thing I didn't think to bring up, I wonder if Warner Bros. required the game to have a T rating to use the DC characters?

I think that was explicitly stated: DC required them to make it a T game. I think it sucks, but it will also probably work out better for them, monetarily.

[bean]

Interesting, isn't it? 1 top 10 M, but over all, game to game, M titles sell more. I'm surprised they didn't bother to ask why this is.

I'm compelled to believe far more big budget titles, this year Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Resistance 2, Left for Dead, Bioshock (PS3 this year), Brother's in Arms, Call of Duty: WoW, Dead Space.... the list goes on, are all AAA titles and are all rated M.

How many AAA titles are rated T? Is Mortal Kombat a AAA title? No. It's been a middling to good fighting game year after year now. They need a bigger market. This is what will get them there.

Good post Sazime.

The thing about many of those games is that parents don't seem to have a problem with gun warfare (Halo, Gears of War, Bioshock) or fantasy settings with violence (Fable 2, Oblivion), but the fact that Mortal Kombat actually glorifies violence with fatalities turns them off.

The way I see it is that we don't really have the language for this. There are four types of violence really:


Cartoon Violence - Tweety hits Sylvester over the head with a frying pan. It's silly, no one is permanently hurt, and there is no blood. Mario, Zelda, and most every Nintendo game is like this.
Appropriate Violence - In Saving Private Ryan, there is an immense amount of violence because they are storming the beach of Normandy. However, we except this violence because it is being committed for a reason we can understand. Most mature games fit into this space and are often less violent than this film. Call of Duty 4, Gears of War, and Bioshock are all good examples.
Over-the-top violence - This is your cheesey horror movie violence like that found in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The violence in these is both horrifyingly gruesome and so over-the-top that people don't actually believe it . It's somewhat silly to provide catharsis to the viewers and is really a mix of cartoon and appropriate violence. Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil are good examples of this in games.
Gratuitous Violence - This is horrifying and very real seeming violence that is intended to disturb viewers like that seen in the Hostel films. Only one example comes to mind in the videogame world and that is Manhunt (I never played the neutered Manhunt 2, but I assume it is similar). However, even Manhunt only has moments of gratuitous violence and is more often over-the-top.


With parents tending to only allow cartoon and appropriate violence (even allowing many teenagers to purchase M-rated games that depict warfare), I wonder if a teen rating will have any impact.

Clearly the ESRB simply has a problem with anything that is above cartoon violence, and they have to in order to maintain their credibility with legislators.

Still, the fact that this game could get a Teen rating at all is surprising to me. Maybe they are getting breathing room now that our country is facing real problems like the economy and two extremely long wars.

[Sazime]

I would agree on all except that the original TCM was probably the scariest movie I've seen just because they don't show violence, they imply it and let your brain go crazy. I think there's two scenes with blood and they're only the after effects of a previous violent act, or a guy cutting his hand.

Hostel on the other hand goes far enough to the point of absurdity at times, making it much easier to deal with psychologically, imo.

Either way, both go far enough to be disturbing on a level to warrant some warning on content.

[Carlos]

I'm one of the biggest Mortal Kombat fan you can find right now....

And I am trying my very best to not buy this piece of shit of an idea. Its like this, I don't want it. But the gameplay stuff is pulling me in.

I really don't want a "T" rated game, god, I really don't.

M-rated games sell more than T-rated games out there, you guys. I mean, look at Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, and other M rated games.

I fucking hate ESRB, and the ideas behind it. Their ratings system is so broad that its bullshit, its broken. That fatality that Joker had was nothing compared to the fatalities that were found in previous games in the series.

And I fucking hate DC for insisting that there be a T rating, mostly because their comics have some insane violent stuff in some parts of their series of comics *cough* Superman's death for example *cough.* On top of all that, they approve of violence in their comics than they do on other mediums. So, I say, fuck you DC!

I love mortal kombat, but Midway does some stupid shit, and this alliance is one of them. VERY, so very stupid. I want my regular mortal kombat, damnit. And I want it online with trophies, and achievements, and stuff. I want my mortal kombat back! Damnit!

[Xerxes]

I was going to say it would be awesome if you could get the M rated version unlocked through the market place. But then they'd whine about it still being on the disc. Can't win.

[Wolvie]

Man Midway is acting as if this is an AO rating or something. An M rating isn't a death sentence for sales, quite the opposite.

I agree with the sentiment that Midway should just bite the bullet and keep the M rating. I mean, it is a Mortal Kombat game after all... people die in them, how much can you gloss over that fact to make it tame enough for kids?

Edit: A good solution for this is the way the publisher of Leisure suit Larry handled the same situation. Make the "T" rated game available to anyone who asks for it. Then have the "M" rated game behind the counter for us adults. Do a mandatory ID check before sale, problem solved... I doubt they'd do it though.

[TKO]

Yeah, an M-rated unlock would be a cool idea. ..maybe they could do an M-rated release sometime later. I'm guessing politics would get in the way of that tho. Damn stupid companies and the requirements of their licences.

I won't let this affect my purchase decision tho. I want the gameplay, and I hear the gameplay is good.

[Ravenlock]

As others have said, it's not like Midway has a choice here. DC won't allow them to us their characters in an "M" game. They either make the edits to fit a "T", or the game has to go back to the drawing board and come out without the DC characters.

Which is, sadly, really ironic for DC as well as for Midway; that Joker fatality video would probably have sold the game to at least some DC fans who otherwise wouldn't have cared about it. It said very clearly "we captured the character faithfully."

Oh well. They'll do what they have to do and we'll get whatever game we get. Even if all it manages to be is a MK game worth renting that'll be a step up from what Midway usually does with the series. ;)

[Widgetcraft]

I feel the same but i'm sure it has to do with more sales if it's T rated then M. It might seem a bit arbitrary but I think there is a big sales difference between T and M especially a game like this one where your large part of your audience might be below 18.

Yeah, lots of Mortal Kombat and DC Comics fans are under the age of 18 :rolleyes:

As others have said, it's not like Midway has a choice here. DC won't allow them to us their characters in an "M" game. They either make the edits to fit a "T", or the game has to go back to the drawing board and come out without the DC characters.

Funny, considering that rape and murder happen regularly in their comics these days. I really have no idea what they were thinking when they decided to go for a T rating. Not that I care; Mortal Kombat has always been a pretty lame series of games, whose only appeal lay in the violent fatality scenes rather than the actual fighting (which was always clunky, at best).

[Variable Gear]

I am unsurprised.

[Psykoboy2]

I'm only surprised cause I thought it was over with. I thought they'd made the teen rating they wanted and were ready to go.

[AniAko]

Ed Boon, you just confirmed the faildate for MK vs. DC

It's one thing to "shoot for" a particular rating. I can understand that. But to remove content "already revealed" to the world to attain some intangible label is nothing short of faux paux. We wouldn't care if they hadn't shown the content already. I blame the ESRB for not working hard enough to ensure the content they released would make the teen rating.

And fuck you DC. I have comics of yours from the mid-90s that would make your mother wish she abandoned you in a dumpster filled with TB infected rats. Your mandate is based solely in hypocrisy and fear that your precious image may be tarnished. Marvel would do it anyways, pussies. :p

[LongStepMantis]

It's one thing to "shoot for" a particular rating. I can understand that. But to remove content "already revealed" to the world to attain some intangible label is nothing short of faux paux. We wouldn't care if they hadn't shown the content already.

This pretty much sums up why I feel the game will be doomed. How many people out there saw the joker's fatality footage and decided to check the game out? Now those people get the shit end of the stick. And they won't take it well.

I really want them to succeed, I truly do. But I just see this as them shooting themselves in the foot.

[Psykoboy2]

Just look at The Dark Knight.

One of the highlights of E3 this year was getting to meet Ed Boon.

[Johan]

Was the Joker's fatality officially unveiled, or was it leaded?

This is a legitimate question. If it was officially unveiled, then the angst is more understandable; if it was a leak, then you're left with "just get over it."

[LongStepMantis]

Was the Joker's fatality officially unveiled, or was it leaded?

This is a legitimate question. If it was officially unveiled, then the angst is more understandable; if it was a leak, then you're left with "just get over it."

A good question. Leak or not though, it was the defining image of what people got to see of the game.

I do agree with your point though. I just don't know the answer.

[Food Nipple]

Was the Joker's fatality officially unveiled, or was it leaded?

This is a legitimate question. If it was officially unveiled, then the angst is more understandable; if it was a leak, then you're left with "just get over it."

It was official

38956

[AniAko]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/38956.html

Wasn't a leak. Had it's world debut at Leipzig by a MK producer

[Adam Blue]

Yeah it was from an actual developer interview, where the developer was standing there showing it himself.

[Psykoboy2]

There wasn't any big fanfare for it or something, but it was shown during a demo of the game with developers, and shown again on some other show or program, can't remember. It wasn't leaked though.

[Dave]

Ed Boon, you just confirmed the faildate for MK vs. DC

It's one thing to "shoot for" a particular rating. I can understand that. But to remove content "already revealed" to the world to attain some intangible label is nothing short of faux paux. We wouldn't care if they hadn't shown the content already. I blame the ESRB for not working hard enough to ensure the content they released would make the teen rating.

And fuck you DC. I have comics of yours from the mid-90s that would make your mother wish she abandoned you in a dumpster filled with TB infected rats. Your mandate is based solely in hypocrisy and fear that your precious image may be tarnished. Marvel would do it anyways, pussies. :p

You're killin' me. I'm sitting here, in the base library, reading this and it's all I can do not to bust out laughing. Ha ha ha!!

TB infected rats... geeze. :D

[Wolvie]

Ed Boon, you just confirmed the faildate for MK vs. DC

It's one thing to "shoot for" a particular rating. I can understand that. But to remove content "already revealed" to the world to attain some intangible label is nothing short of faux paux. We wouldn't care if they hadn't shown the content already. I blame the ESRB for not working hard enough to ensure the content they released would make the teen rating.

And fuck you DC. I have comics of yours from the mid-90s that would make your mother wish she abandoned you in a dumpster filled with TB infected rats. Your mandate is based solely in hypocrisy and fear that your precious image may be tarnished. Marvel would do it anyways, pussies. :p

In short Marvel>DC

[MagGnome]

Can anyone watch that Joker video and honestly tell me that deserves a Teen rating?

Those blaming the ESRB for this are just being ridiculous. It's not the ESRB's job to ensure that developers get the rating that they want regardless of the content.

[Psykoboy2]

Can anyone watch that Joker video and honestly tell me that deserves a Teen rating?

Those blaming the ESRB for this are just being ridiculous. It's not the ESRB's job to ensure that developers get the rating that they want regardless of the content.

I don't know who to blame that let that fatality get by as is. We were told the devs were working closely with the ESRB to get the teen rating. Then we see that fatality and think, "Wow. Not too shabby there, especially given that it's getting a teen rating."

Either they were told it was okay, or Midway just went ahead with it and showed it off before getting approval.

[Ravenlock]

Can anyone watch that Joker video and honestly tell me that deserves a Teen rating?

*Shrug* The following games are rated T:

Mercenaries 2
Battlefield: Bad Company
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare 2
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Call of Duty 3
The Bourne Conspiracy

I didn't play them all, but I feel pretty confident in saying that most if not all of them involve shooting guys in the head, and not in the "but there's no blood so it's okay" way.

If it's the manner in which it's done or the nature of the character that is the problem, I would remind you that The Dark Knight was a PG-13 movie, which is the film equivalent of the T rating. The Joker's actions in that were at least as disturbing (pencil?), if maybe a tad less graphic.

Does it push a boundary? Sure, you can argue that. But I think it's hard to claim it's clearly over said boundary when you look at the other things that get rated T.

All that said, I agree with others that it was dumb for a MK game to be pushing for a T rating in the first place. They're M games. That's always been almost their whole appeal.

[Pale Ale]

I'm not just making shit up, I'm going by the market. They are selling MK to teenagers by having DC characters. That's the entire point here. DC will have a large crowd, and so will MK. Maybe some of the MK fanbase will turn their heads, but Midway/Boon knows this. They just want a good seller this season. No company tries to go bankrupt, they just make risks, and sometimes they don't work.

This is just one of those risks that could work. I want to continue to see Boon with the franchise.

I admire you passion, but I still remain unconvinced at this is going to turn out well.

*Mk has been a fading star for most of a decade. Maybe longer depending on your personal view. Now for a series who's distinguishing feature are fountains of cherry syrup and killing you beaten opponent. Taking a hammer to the pillars of the series now that balls are to the wall... It can't turn out well. Especially when you consider selling to (male) teens one of the iron clad rules is: MOAR VIOLENCE!!!1!

*DC IP's have always struggled to headline a game. While they have a smattering of moderate successes, they have just as many who have a strong claim to worst ever.

Did Midway's check to the ESRB not clear? For a lobbyist who's job it is to run interference with politicians, soccer moms, and rubber stamp games, in that order You'd think they'd just nod and wink and say it's "totally a T", considering Midway needs a hail mary more than ever.


In hindsight I think Midway got the wrong license from DC.

MK vs Wildstorm

[MagGnome]

I can understand some of the frustration, as it is hard to see where the boundaries lie. For those above mentioned games, I would argue that the video of The Joker glorifies the violence and gore enough that it deserves to be labeled Mature.

Have there been T rated games that I was shocked weren't rated M? Of course.

[Carlos]

Can anyone watch that Joker video and honestly tell me that deserves a Teen rating?

Those blaming the ESRB for this are just being ridiculous. It's not the ESRB's job to ensure that developers get the rating that they want regardless of the content.
Think about what you say before you say it.

You just contradicted yourself. You asked: Can anyone honestly tell me that joker fatality deserves a Teen rating?

You said those who are blaming the ESRB are being ridiculous. Okay, can YOU tell me that fatality deserved a Teen rating. You tell me.

Exactly. You can't tell me it deserves a teen rating. Who rated the game? ESRB. Like I said before, their rating system is too broad to be placed in a single category.

Whoever said that the joker fatality is "Mature" is beyond stupid. That fatality is weaksauce compared to the other fatalities we've seen so far. I mean, damn, calling it MATURE!? That's just a standard and obvious fatality. That fatality falls under "cartoon violence" if you ask me. Which is typically under the T rating class.

The fatality got a Mature rating, JUST because of the fact that the blood comes out a bit? That's it!? THAT'S IT!?

Woow.

Just......wooooww. I hope none of you get a job at ESRB.

[Food Nipple]

Think about what you say before you say it.

Whoever said that the joker fatality is "Mature" is beyond stupid. That fatality is weaksauce compared to the other fatalities we've seen so far. I mean, damn, calling it MATURE!?

The fatality got a Mature rating, JUST because of the fact that the blood comes out a bit? That's it!? THAT'S IT!?

Woow.

Just......wooooww. I hope none of you get a job at ESRB.

First, let me say welcome to Colony of Gamers.

Now, your post comes off as a bit condescending, which isn't going to win you many friends around here. I'd suggest phrasing things a bit more politely in the future.

To answer your question, yes, the presence of blood is usually the determining factor in whether a game gets a 'T' or an 'M'. Which is why GRAW is rated 'T', yet Rainbow 6 receives an 'M'.

[Variable Gear]

To answer your question, yes, the presence of blood is usually the determining factor in whether a game gets a 'T' or an 'M'. Which is why GRAW is rated 'T', yet Rainbow 6 receives an 'M'.
The ESRB is pretty wishy-washy when it comes to blood in games. There are quite a few Teen-rated games that feature blood (though not the copious amounts of it that Mature games are allowed to display). The presence of blood in a given game does not necessitate a rating boost.

[Carlos]

Now, your post comes off as a bit condescending, which isn't going to win you many friends around here. I'd suggest phrasing things a bit more politely in the future.
Well, I wouldn't have to word it the way I did, if it wasn't for his "ridiculous" insult which was targeted at anyone who blamed ESRB. I was one of the few who did.

Thanks for the welcome. Much appreciated.

I have nothing else to say since the previous poster have said some really good points.

[TKO]

Those saying other T rated games are just as violent are missing the way the ESRB examines these things: it's all about context. Most of the games being cited involve you killing another armed person in a pretty level confrontation. This fatality is about you having someone defeated already (ie: helpless), they are unarmed, and you're putting a bullet in their head at point-blank range. (and jumping about gleefully as you do it.)

Controversial message to be taken by an impressionable youngster: Shooting helpless people in the head is fun!

I know, I'm oversimplifying, but that's probably not too far off the mark from how they saw it. Yeah, it's always a grey area.. but I wouldn't expect that fatality to be within T bounds.

[Ravenlock]

Fair enough, TKO. Well-drawn distinction.