Possibly rated Teen instead of Mature?

Post by **The Hawk's Eye** » 03 Jul 2009

-The producer has stressed that the series structural maturity in terms of atmosphere and story telling will remain intact, perhaps as precautionary damage control for some series fans who will inevitably be unhappy about a T-rating.
-In the E3 demo, even when creatures attack Harry there was no blood at all.
-The drastic change in artistic direction concerning the Otherworld from bloody/rusty to a slick, blue icy look.
-To help spur sales after the abysmal financial performance of Homecoming.
-To look more attractive to more casual Wii consumers who might be intimidated by an M-rating.

Just wondering what you guys think.

Post by **neonblack** » 03 Jul 2009

I'm pretty sure they've explicitly stated that the game will be rated M. And either I'm really unobservant or the protagonists in 1-3 didn't bleed.

Post by **Endri** » 03 Jul 2009

Well, actually, the protagonists from 1 through 3 didn't bleed at all, but in Silent Hill 1, the enemies would take blood from Harry within each attack. I belive it was the same case in Silent Hill 2 with James, though I cannot remember at all. In Silent Hill 3, however, the only reminiscence of bleeding that Heather would have ever, is when...

PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:

she stains her cloth with Harry's blood, after him been killed by The Missionary.

I cannot think of anything other than that in the first three games.

Website · Post by **angelofROOM302** » 03 Jul 2009

Well... that's kind of a bummer.
I'm so used to having that M rating and having to pull out my ID every time I buy it. I feel so mature.

Those are all good points on attracting more buyers and I guess it's all about money. A lot of the wii games aren't rated M. But, honestly a M rating alone doesn't just make a game good. We are used to it, but I know the game will still rock whether it's a T rating of a M. They talk about drinking and role playing in sex, which you have to be 21 to drink and 18 to have sex, legally. LOL, but I doubt those reasons would make a game rated M.

I guess I'd be okay with it, but I bet a lot of other people would be pissed off if the rating were a T.

HammeringInMyHead · Post by **HammeringInMyHead** » 03 Jul 2009

So they're gonna ask a 13 year old boy if he enjoys role-playing during sex.

Post by **lumpo** » 03 Jul 2009

LOL hammering wins. Discussion closed.

Post by **rm2kking** » 03 Jul 2009

GOOD point HammeringInMyHead. It has to be M. But I admit I did get a bit worried there. Theres too much focus lately on getting "casual gamers" into the market. I understand the motivation for this, but I really feel that sometimes it alienates more hardcore gamers. Stop focusing on people that don't play games and that don't like games and cater to the people that do, and always have loved them. Maybe stop is too strong a word, but move them a little down on the priority list, you know?

Post by **Mephisto** » 03 Jul 2009

I don't care about those ratings. Never did and won't start caring now.

Website · Post by **angelofROOM302** » 04 Jul 2009

I thought about it again and it would actually be not a good idea to rate it a T.
If they make other Silent Hill games, I'm darn sure they're going to be for the 360 and PS3 and other game systems and are probably all going to be rated M.

Post by **cascade88** » 04 Jul 2009

rm2kking wrote:GOOD point HammeringInMyHead. It has to be M. But I admit I did get a bit worried there. Theres too much focus lately on getting "casual gamers" into the market. I understand the motivation for this, but I really feel that sometimes it alienates more hardcore gamers. Stop focusing on people that don't play games and that don't like games and cater to the people that do, and always have loved them. Maybe stop is too strong a word, but move them a little down on the priority list, you know?

My thoughts exactly. The entire point of the Wii, or so it's seemed thus far, was to draw in like family game time or whatnot. And hey, that's all well and good, but don't forget about the people that cared about gaming before Wii Sports came out. *facepalms*

As for the rating, I get kind of nervous at the prospect of it being rated Teen. I mean, it might just be due to no blood or weapons in the game, but I still think it'd just not be a good thing. I remember watching a documentary on the first Resident Evil movie, and the director said that they tried to push him to make it be pg13, to get more of an audience (aka more $$$, of course) but he was adamant that he not screw it up by making it less mature than it was intended to be.

So anyway, I think it matters if it's Teen or Mature. But as someone already said, the sex question alone *could* push it up to M. So I'm probably worrying for nothing.

Post by **Hannah** » 04 Jul 2009

Just because a game is on the Wii doesn't mean it's going to be rated Teen. Just because a game appears to lack teh bloodz doesn't mean it's going to be rated T. The devs hinted that there would be a possible ending for sexual deviants in one of their interviews. The implications that ending may provide alone are enough to warrant an M rating.

The game getting a T rating wouldn't mean much, either. The game doesn't need a mature rating to be a good survival horror game, or a good Silent Hill game (Homecoming could have been rated M for Massacre and it still would have been lackluster). Granted, it might not be a 'good' SH game if it lacks all the disturbing crap we had to deal with in the other games (Abstract Daddies, coat hangers, Harry's terrible voice acting), but having a T rating does not automatically make it terrible. Silent Hill was always more about psychological horror to begin with, not geysers of blood.

I find the prospect of worrying about a game's rating to be childish. Next thing you know people are going to be complaining about the lack of weapons making Harry a pansy and the lack of a rusty Otherworld ruining the atmosphere oh wait.

I'm interested in someone coming up for a good reason to be worried about the game being rated T beyond 'Baaaaw kids get to play it and thus it is less of a survival horror game baaaaw'. Saying 'Silent Hill is nothing without gore' also earns you a trip to the corner with a sailor hat.

Post by **cascade88** » 04 Jul 2009

Hannah wrote:Just because a game is on the Wii doesn't mean it's going to be rated Teen. Just because a game appears to lack teh bloodz doesn't mean it's going to be rated T. The devs hinted that there would be a possible ending for sexual deviants in one of their interviews. The implications that ending may provide alone are enough to warrant an M rating.

The game getting a T rating wouldn't mean much, either. The game doesn't need a mature rating to be a good survival horror game, or a good Silent Hill game (Homecoming could have been rated M for Massacre and it still would have been lackluster). Granted, it might not be a 'good' SH game if it lacks all the disturbing crap we had to deal with in the other games (Abstract Daddies, coat hangers, Harry's terrible voice acting), but having a T rating does not automatically make it terrible. Silent Hill was always more about psychological horror to begin with, not geysers of blood.

I find the prospect of worrying about a game's rating to be childish. Next thing you know people are going to be complaining about the lack of weapons making Harry a pansy and the lack of a rusty Otherworld ruining the atmosphere oh wait.

I'm interested in someone coming up for a good reason to be worried about the game being rated T beyond 'Baaaaw kids get to play it and thus it is less of a survival horror game baaaaw'. Saying 'Silent Hill is nothing without gore' also earns you a trip to the corner with a sailor hat.

Hmm, well I wasn't trying to say that rated T = no blood = bad for the game. In fact, enemies, blood/gore, grotesqueness aside, just the general outlines of former games have been on a more mature level have they not? Cults? Impregnating 7 year old little girls with a satanic god? Murder, suicide, sexual abuse, human sacrifice; it could go on. My point was that those topics are, I believe, typically attributed to mature rated titles. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I really don't believe that a lack of blood and weapons is going to bring down any title, be it Silent Hill or otherwise. However if it took away from the plot point, then it could be an issue. And no, being a Wii game doesn't equal an automatic Teen--below rating, but it is known to have more "family friendly" titles.

Post by **Agent of God** » 04 Jul 2009

^ Wii also has Mortal Kombat Armageddon

So I don't think they would make the game less violent because of the Wii console.

Post by **reap28** » 04 Jul 2009

well look at the wii game madworld which in very bloody you get bonus points for brutality so the wii isnt just for casual gamers

Post by **Wilson** » 04 Jul 2009

reap28 wrote:well look at the wii game madworld which in very bloody you get bonus points for brutality so the wii isnt just for casual gamers

Although this is besides the point, if think the quoted statement highlights the issue of people making 'casual gamer' synonymous with 'spineless gamer'.

I would admit that being accustomed to the big red manly MA rated tags on the Silent Hill series; no matter how much I'll try and disregard the blue M tag, it will still be picking at me subconciously.

That being said however, no matter how they rate the game, I would doubt alot of teenagers would be bothered to really try and look into the themes explored in Silent Hill, bar a few.

Post by **rm2kking** » 05 Jul 2009

The Wii has an unimpressive and disappointing track record. There are a few gems, like Metroid Prime 3 and such, but I am somewhat disappointed with the Wii, though Nintendo is one of my all time favorite videogame companies. But the Wii is still somewhat young. I think the problem is that developers tend to stay away from the Wii because of the stigma that it caries, a stigma that Nintendo hasn't been able to drop since Gamecube (totally unfair for the poor GC); The notion that Nintendo is "for kids". So I do not blame Nintendo, but the developers. Though I do own a Wii, and I LOVE it. If you don't love it, play Metroid Prime 3, and if you still don't love it then, go away.

Post by **SPRINGS02** » 05 Jul 2009

rm2kking wrote:The Wii has an unimpressive and disappointing track record. There are a few gems, like Metroid Prime 3 and such, but I am somewhat disappointed with the Wii, one of my all time favorite videogame companies. But the Wii is still somewhat young. I think the problem is that developers tend to stay away from the Wii because of the stigma that it caries, a stigma that Nintendo hasn't been able to drop since Gamecube (totally unfair for the poor GC); The notion that Nintendo is "for kids". So I do not blame Nintendo, but the developers. Though I do own a Wii, and I LOVE it. If you don't love it, play Metroid Prime 3, and if you don't love it then, go away.

Hmm yeah i have a wii and i just rented metroid prime 3(its pretty damn good). The problem with the wii is that they're trying to make it more "family friendly" i've been losing faith in the wii ever since they canceled fatal frame 4 for america. But back to the topic i hope they don't change it to T rating. I mean its true that more blood doesn't mean more scary but alot of times they cut back on some of the more disturbing stuff to make it more accessible for everyone. Its the same thing for most horror movies these days and 90% of these horror movies suck.

Post by **leftshoe18** » 06 Jul 2009

didn't tomm say it was going to have "mature themes" during an interview?

i don't think there's anything to worry about

Post by **rm2kking** » 06 Jul 2009

Theres not.

"Do you enjoy roleplaying during sex?"

^proof.

Post by **Light Alessa** » 04 Aug 2009

rm2kking wrote:Theres not.

"Do you enjoy roleplaying during sex?"

^proof.

I can't wait to see my little brother playing that... (He's 13)

My Mom will be like 0.o WTF.

It's definately going to be rated M.