Oblivion rating bumped: now M

SirThom

SirThom

New Member
Another case of sloppy ESRB ratings. The newest victim: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Apparently, the rating was moved up to M because of more violence, and a 3rd-party mod that can make certain female characters topless in the PC version. Oh well -- I guess every stinkin' game that is mod-compatible needs to be rated M now. WHY, ESRB, WHY?!!?

Even though the Xbox 360 version can't unlock that skin, it was also re-rated.

Source: GameDaily BIZ

Discuss!
 
thaats so messed up..
there was a to get nude sims in all of the sims games..
and than the wow naked mod...
 
What the crap!!!!!!! I hate the stinkin' ESRB...I mean Bethesda didn't make the stinkin' mod! A 3rd-party modder did....I swear....even though I already own the game and I am 17...that is still stupid and if it were up to me, my friend baseball bat and I would go talk with their kneecaps...

were'd that nuke I was saving...
 
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Frankly I'm not surprised and I wouldn't be any less surprised if that mod had never existed. Oblivion is simply the most violent ex T rated game i've ever played, it's arguably as violent as some M games like Half-Life. However, the decision to base the change in rating partially on that stupid mod is a very, very bad one. Developers aren't responsible for the content that people come up with for their games.

What's the ESRB trying to do? Convince future developers not to release SDKs? Bad, bad, bad ESRB! Stop cowtowing to flaming morons like Jack Thompson, and misguided watchdog groups start using some common sense!

Well, guess Oblivion will be the first game I've owned to have a "nudity" descriptor.
 
Jack Thompson is on my filter list for my firewall software. I am not allowed to view websites that quote him.

I think the whole rating system for games and movies is just a way for individuals to not have to take responsibility for what they watch or do or that their families watch or do. If there is something that I do not want my sons to be playing with or watching, then I have to be a father and tell them that we won't be partaking in that activity.

It stinks that Oblivion is getting the blame for a modder's work, but it is just one more fault in the system.
 
Most fps games in the world can be modded to include whatever content you want, to hold something other then originating content against a company is plain idiotic. Its like selling a vehicle then someone paints it a differnt color, sells it to a reviewer, and then they hold the originating manufacturer responsible for the paint job
 
I was coming in here to say exactly what Shadetaker said. Oblivion really had it coming, I mean Dungeon Siege got re-rated from T to M, and it had hardly any blood. Oblivion has loads of blood/violence, and freedom to be very very evil, it should have been M when it shipped.

As to the nudity, you can't blame the makers of the game for something a stupid modder made. If you're gonna do that, you might as well go back and re-rate every single game that has ever had the ability to be modded, and put the "nudity" content descriptor on it. I suppose this is slightly different than that because the content was shipped on the game disc, it just wasn't accessible. And I'm sure this is just to avoid another "Hot Coffee" thing, but still, putting the nudity descriptor on a game that has no nudity in it at all is really harsh and unnecesary. And it's not on the same level as "Hot Coffee" because there's no sex, just boobs.

I say, the whole thing shows just how much ESRB really knows about the content in games, and the difference between a mod and what's actually in use in the game. I think if enough attention was given to something (even if it doesn't exist without the use of a third party mod) in a game, ESRB would re-rate it. It's all about staying out of potential trouble.
 
I heard that it was being re-rated for violence. Not nudity.
And on that subject, the ERSB says that the newest Prince Of Persia game has nudity in it, but everybody I've heard who has played the game, says it's not there.
 
Snake_Six said:
I heard that it was being re-rated for violence. Not nudity.
And on that subject, the ERSB says that the newest Prince Of Persia game has nudity in it, but everybody I've heard who has played the game, says it's not there.
Click to expand...

The ESRB are just a bunch of idiots that wear ties and make them selves look important by rating games M when they shouldn't be. Even the original SPlinter Cell is rated T for blood and gore and I don' remember any blood let alone gore...

Caleb said:
Is oblivion really a good game?
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Good as in quality and quantity...yes...or good as in rating...well personally I think the rating is a crock...but I'd still let my sister play it...if she wanted. There are somethings I wish they would have done different, but beggars cant be choosers, and besides, thats what modders are for.
 
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Killerah said:
[...]And it's not on the same level as "Hot Coffee" because there's no sex, just boobs.
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It's completely different from Hot Coffee because there is no sex that comes on the disc. Hot Coffee was on the disc when it shipped, Rockstar just put a "door" infront of it so modders might not see it.
shadetaker said:
[...]Well, guess Oblivion will be the first game I've owned to have a "nudity" descriptor.
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Second... You play World of Warcraft.

I think the ESRB should not make ratings based on the mods available, as that is what they have just done. The producers and makers of Oblivion are not responsible for the mods their players make, and shouldnt be held accountable; therefore, their games ratings should not be affected by the mods. Poor decision ESRB, very poor indeed.
 
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Caleb said:
Is oblivion really a good game?
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I don't really like singleplayer games any more, but oblivion has managed to suck 60+ hours of my life so far, and it's not showing any signs of letting up. It is indeed a good game.
 
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