ESRB Changes Oblivion's Rating to 'Mature'

kukyfrope writes "Perhaps reacting based on the debacle that was the 'Hot Coffee' scandal, the ESRB today changed the rating on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from Teen to Mature. From the article: 'The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or 'skin' that, if accessed through a third party modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters,' said the ESRB in a release."

So this out yet?

[ZiakII]

if accessed through a third party modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters,' said the ESRB in a release.

So is this out yet?.....

mmmm

[GmAz]

MMMMMMM...polygon'd boobies!!!

Re:So this out yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters

The change in rating is to prevent younger players getting scared by all those women with their heads missing.

When I was your age

[Burlap]

virtual boobs only had 5 polygons and we had to walk to school up hill, both ways!

Nudity is fine

[foundme]

It's the marriage with an Orc [slashdot.org] that summons a Mature rating.

Re:Any game?

[voice_of_all_reason]

Let's crack Microsoft Word to make Clippy flash us on command. We can finally bring those fuckers down!

Breasts! OMG!

[Tom]

Because, you know, you can't possibly confront young people with images of something they've sucked on 10 years ago.

3rd party modification?

[hunterx11]

I have been told by reliable sources that the ESRB rating board in fact contains nudity, and that it can be unlocked simply by undressing the board members. I must therefore recommend that this story be rated M, and that /. prevent minors from reading it.

False claims

[Ralph Yarro]

the PC version will carry an additional content descriptor for Nudity

If the nudity isn't available in the basic game but needs a third party hack, isn't it false advertising to claim "nudity" on the box? I'd expect a refund if I bought this and found no nudity included.

Re:Nudity is fine

[I Like Pudding]

Why? I know plenty of women married to Orcs.

It's OK

[Anonymous Coward]

As long as it's one Orc.

Polyorcamy would warrant mature in this political climate.

Hot Mead?

[shoptroll]

Anyone up for labeling this scandal "Hot Mead"?

Screw that, Minesweeper Boobies!!!

[winmine]

Oh noes! [imageshack.us] Quick ESRB, slap minesweeper with an M rating!

This sick filth must stop!

[Channard]

Why, only yesterday I was sickened to find that by cutting out and supergluing the centrefolds from 'Playboy' onto my television, I was able to turn the supposedly child-friendly film 'Bambi' into a cornucopia of filth. I have written to the head of Disney to complain and will be protesting outside my local Best Buy to demand this sick spectacle be taken off store shelves.

Re:mmmm

[Jugalator]

MMMMMMM...polygon'd boobies!!!

One may laugh, but [google.com]...

Woohoo!

[idonthack]

That said, some times we are so fucking uptight that if you shoved a lump a coal up the average American's ass, in two weeks you would have a diamond.

I'm rich!!!

Re:Great idea...

[orkysoft]

I read that the ESRB rates games by watching game footage, not by actually playing it. That does explain why they never found out about the secret nude Mc. PacMan level... ;-)

Re:When I was your age

[Anonymous Coward]

5 polygons? Luxury! When I was a lad, we had boobs made of 5 PIXELS, and every day when we'd get home from the coal mine, our father would kill us, and then send us to bed without letting us even glance at the 5-pixel boobies on our monochrome displays!

You think that's bad... Atari Prior Art!

[JonTurner]

I hate to break it to you, but FROGGER was completely nude. And don't get me started about Donkey Kong!

It's shocking, I tell you.

Re:So this out yet?

[beoswulf]

"Half the population has..."? It seems American education is sorely lacking to the point you are unaware that we men have nipples too! And with half of males overweight the boobed population of adults increases to at least 70% after taking into account flat chested women.

Re:Europeans watch with mouths agape

[beoswulf]

Please, Your Majesty, I know that I, like many other Americans, have behaved like a total buffoon. But we Americans are England's children. I know we don't call as often as we should and we aren't as well- behaved as our goody two-shoes brother, Canada -- who, by the way, has never had a girlfriend -- I'm just sayin'! But, please, find it in your jewel-encrusted heart to forgive me. And on another note, in 30 years when European women are forced to cover from head to toe those glimpses of an American hottie's calves and ankles are going to look pretty sweet!

If I modded my pants...

[Sathias]

1/ If you mod Oblivion you can unlock nudity skins, so they need to treat Oblivion as if people will do so.
2/ If I modded my pants I could cut out the crotch so my old feller is hanging out for all to see. Does that mean I should be treated as if I will and locked up for potential indecent exposure?
3/ And if its possible for me to do this, its also nothing stopping Jack Thompson from doing this.

Conclusion: If Oblivion is classified as mature for potential modded nudity, Jack Thompson needs to be locked up for indecent exposure. It's amazing how ironic the world is when you use specious logic.

Re:When I was your age

[MarkTina]

"Pixels!" LUXURY! When I was a kid the boobies were made up of ASCII characters! Any my dad would beat us to death, bury us in the garden under 10 feet of ice and not even tell us the boobies existed till spring!

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Ooh yeah

[Spacejock]

allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters

Now there's a candidate for rephrasing if ever I heard one.

Re:When I was your age

[Pneuma ROCKS]

ASCII? In my day we had to see the boobies in binary! We had to bang our heads against the screen to make them jiggle, and we liked it!

Re:Slap an M on my ass, under my clothes I'm naked

[triffid_98]

With your reasoning it is perfectly reasonable to claim that sex doesn't matter as well, because after all it is natural and everyone does it, yes even 14 year olds, Oh my gosh!!!

Personally, I believe this has a lot to do with the aging of America. The same dorks that were getting wasted and making babies in the 60's are now called Senator and/or Mr. President. Bush talking about the evils of drug abuse sounds about as believable to me as Shwartzenager talking about the evils of steroid abuse.

Re:Europeans watch with mouths agape

[operagost]

So which continent is that, genius? Brittanica?

Re:So this out yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news, the Disney Magazine is no longer to be sold to minors in stores, due to new information showing that it's possible to buy a copy of Hustler, cut out all the tits, and glue them on to Mickey's face.

Re:Any game?

[Achromatic1978]

Is it better that people see rotting corpses with their ribs hanging out, go around smashing people with a giant hammer and so forth, or that they, god forbid, see a pair of breasts.

You fail your American citizenship test. The answer should be obvious. Violence good. Sex bad.

Re:Hot Mead?

[LarsWestergren]

Anyone up for labeling this scandal "Hot Mead"?

Hot skooma! Just to confuse those who haven't played the game.

Re:So this out yet?

[noidentity]

Here is what they look like:

Warning: NOT SAFE FOR WORK

. .

You have been tainted for life!