'Wow, they actually got away with this?' Moments

[Jack Macaque]

A lot of court cases up here in Canada, people get away with anything if their skin is the right color, makes me sick.

 

[Light 086]

Daggerfall.

temples with naked dancers, slaves and implied orgies?

Sounds like my kind of temple, where do I join?

 

[Therumancer]

Have there ever been any moments that you have experienced in gaming that have seriously gotten close to what is unacceptable in gaming, either through racism, sexism, dramatic or upsetting scenes, rather too sexy scenes, etc, but they haven't been caught out, but you thought to yourself, how the hell did this get through the ratings board without it causing some kind of controversy? If not here, elsewhere.

Not really, as I have never seen a game that has pushed the envelope of the ratings system. It's not so much a question of "I can't believe they got away with that" so much as "I can't believe the ESRB isn't throwing coniptions".

In general as long as you don't actually show penetration you can't get an X-rating, so unless there is a "money shot" of the act, there is really nothing sexual that you can't do in an "M" rated game. Hollywood has been exploiting this for erotic thrillers and the like for a long time. Likewise racism, which rarely if ever comes up unless someone is looking for a quick headline, isn't illegal. There is no reason why you can't hate a group of people, even for unfair reasons, and no law making it so you have to remain silent about it. Again at an "M" rating, anything goes in that regard, so there is no question about someone "getting away with it", it's a matter of social censure, chances are if you aren't throwing the game away in disgust and engaging in rants and protests nobody else was that deeply offended either, if there really was anyting there to begin with (for example Resident Evil 5 got racism complaints, but wasn't even remotely racist in any area, it was all about politics and people trying to grab headlines).

See, the thing about contreversy is that it's a matter of timing, and also how famous the product is. "Resident Evil" is a big name game, with a series of movies, and decent brand recognitions. The politicians who have something to gain from creating a race issue can use a name like that to get attention, it's also a matter of getting the attention at the right time so the leaders can offer to sell the "fury" by channeling it in support of someone's political goals. When you see big elections either on a state or federal front, or big bills about to pass or whatever, that's the time you see people looking for ways to get attention and rile people up.

That's my thoughts at any rate.

 

[Amishdemon]

Okay, now to the subject, my "They actually got away with this?" moment was the torture scenes in Black Ops. Not because they were gruesome, but because they seemed to indicate that after the first two games controversial images, Treyarch was just trying too hard. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a rape scene or dead babies in Modern Warfare 3.

$10 says that someone will read that statement, forward it to treyarch and then modern warfare 3 will have a scene of a dead baby being raped... I'm going to hell.

Trayarch isn't making modern warfare 3, Raven software is doing the multiplayer while Sledgehammer games and some remaining people from Infinity Ward are doing the single player.

I actually thought that the torture scenes were there for a reason and therefor justified. same with the airport level. if it should be there it being controversial should be more reason to put it in.

 

[BioHazardMan]

It wasn't really much of a "How did they get away with this" moment, but it did seriously weird me out. It was the mission in New Vegas where you have to get someone for Mortimer of the White Glove Society to serve for dinner. Yes, I said someONE. I know cannibalism is completely plausible in that kind of world, but just going through the mission and convincing that St. Charles guy to willingly go to those... people, I actually felt unclean after I had done it.

Don't feel too bad. It's not like in Fallout 3 when I tricked a child into slavery for 500 caps. I guess some would consider that crossing the line...But I don't think so

 

[Irriduccibilli]

Happy Wheels. Need I say more?
Ok, so its not a retail game, but its a game where you pick your character (A guy on a segway, an old cripple in a wheelchair, a fat woman on one of those scooter/trolley things, and a dad on a bike... with his child on the back. This game has you playing through insane levels where you character, including the child on the backseat of the bike, get smashed into thousands of small bits after your head has been ripped off with your spine finely attached.
Heres a video showing some gameplay

Dont get me wrong I LOVE this game, I just cant understand how the hell they got away with it.
Also, heres a link to the game
http://www.totaljerkface.com/happy_wheels.php
Enjoy

 

[GiantRaven]

The ending of Metal Gear Solid 4. Okay, there was little I liked about the story (or the gameplay for that matter), but the ending was so stupid and took fan-service to a whole another level that it nearly made me roll my eyes out of their sockets. It was just... No.

I know this wasn't exactly what was meant with the question, but in my eyes this just has to be mentioned.

I too am amazed at what Hideo Kojima has managed to get away with. Unlike you, I really like it, but still...there is a lot of stupid and crazy going on in there.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Never. Because I've never given a shit about ratings.

Quoted for truth. I've never been offended by anything in a game either. Hell, I shot first in "No Russian"...it was a nice change of pace from 'run run run run, cover, shoot' to 'SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT'

I really don't understand why so many people, especially here, are so focused on ratings. And usually when people get offended by, let's say content in games, they're usually just thinking it will offend others, or perhaps a certain group of people. I guess that's the airport scene in MW 2. Yeah, change is nice for a while.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Shin Megami Tensei.

SMT II -> Jahwe is depicted as an overlord (as a huge flying head) who tricks people to have faith in him only to use them for his own gain.

SMT III: Nocturne Maniax (or Lucifer's Call) -> True Demon Ending

Spoiler

After the world is destroyed and is placed in some sort of 'cocoon phase', you become a demon, destroy the only hope to recreate the world, kill the voice of God (Metatron) and side by Lucifer to become his prized general and lead his amry of Hell to the gates of Heaven to kill God himself. Damn...

SMT: DDS -> It's a game about cannibalism! :-D

 

[Jennacide]

Resident Evil 5.

I can understand all the zombies being black when the game is set in Africa and i think most of the racial controversy was just people being overly PC, but i cant believe Capcom got away with having zombie spear chuckers decked out in full tribal gear.

Hahah, this. I was originally on the side of the "RE5 isn't racist" remarks before it's release. Then I played it. I got to the spear chucking majini, and saw thier 'reasoning' for this and said aloud "Okay, I was wrong. This is really fucking racist."

SMT: DDS -> It's a game about cannibalism! :-D

Digital Devil Saga was so great, up until the final moments. The union into Seraph literally made me facepalm and go "Really...."

 

[teqrevisited]

I used to wonder how they managed to get all of Barret's swearing through in FF7 considering the game is ELSPA 11+.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

The Dead Space 2 needle scene was a bit over the top IMO, especially if you messed it up. That scene grossed me out, and I'm fairly resistant to most gore.

 

[LikeDustInTheWind]

Quake 4, Strogg Scene.

Easily the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in a game. I've seen intense gore and dismemberment in games plenty, that was the first and only time I was forced to watch it done to my own character while being kept alive, moving down an assembly line like I was a chunk of meat.

It still gives me the willies. And I have no idea how the ESRB didn't go "Wtf no. Take that out."

I remember that and honestly it didn't seem that bad to me. There's been gorier and more torture-y scenes in video games that got past the ESRB.

Also the only really bloody part was when the saw chops your legs off. I admit it made me cringe a bit.

 

[waive]

Demonophobia and Xenophobia blow all that stuff away.

You play a little girl who needs to escape the forces of hell in all their terribly disturbed glory.

I figure even someone who even says ratings are bull would find those games repulsive. If not, go play it, it's a dare

(I would warn you, have a strong stomach, and be prepared to end up on a government watch list xD)

 

[MikeFrost]

Modern Warfare 2 was passed for classification in Australia without the ratings board really looking into it. I imagine Activision & some major retailers had a hand in that.

I doubt Activision has a hand in any of the rating boards. They're independent rating organizations and, as you can see in other examples such as L4D, they don't really care how minimal was your bloody content.

My take on it sliding by is actually the sign of a change in the propaganda that has a view of games as "dangerous media". It's all for the best I hope, since games are as harmful to the user as comic books or movies are.

This thread nags me a bit because there really shouldn't be a moral attitude towards certain types of content, as long as they're rated properly for the apropriate audience. It's like asking "what movies get away with" moments - they get away with everything. So why shouldn't games?

L4D has nothing to do with Activision, it's a Valve game.
I imagine Activision would only bribe the ratings board to get their games through, why would they care about the competition?

Missing the point much? I said that L4D had minimal gore content and it still got censored. I know fully well that it's not a game from Activision...

The point here was: I doubt that they're being bribed. I just think it shows a change of attitude towards games from the Australian boards.