Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 51

Thread: "Nintendo no longer "family friendly"" UGH!

  1. #1
    Peach (Level 3) Atari 5200's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    757
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default "Nintendo no longer "family friendly"" UGH!

    http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/...-quot-/1295531

    Really? And nobody cares that GTA is going to be on the DS which has freakin' 7 year olds playing pokemon on them? Rubbish. Ugh. Get a ******* life.
    Tea is for terrorists-Leo Laporte

    Klingons Invented Saran Wrap

  2. #2
    Crono (Level 14) Sonicwolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Abbotsford, BC, Canada
    Posts
    6,610
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    PSN
    Sonicwolf359

    Default

    This is the way things are. If you make kiddy games, everyone older than 12 bitches. If you make adult games, the super-religous and soccermommish people bitch too. The good thing is that making kiddy games puts you in the financial toilet. Luckily Nintendo figured that out with the Gamecube and tough luck to these morons who whine and complain about the loss of family friendlyness.
    ITS NOT 1986 PEOPLE!
    Nintendo has the right to become a diverse company. How would they feel if there so-called "Family Friendly" platform dissappeard due to lack of sales in the teen-and-up market.
    I apologise if any offence was taken from this post.
    DERP

  3. #3
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    So they'll finally have adult content in their games, instead of wholesome stuff like Mario using mushrooms to get super powers. Cool.

    People would actually have to rely on the ratings that are listed on every game to know if the game is appropriate or not, rather than just assuming it's ok because it's a Nintendo system. This really isn't a big deal, Nintendo is just doing what everybody else did years ago.

  4. #4
    Apple (Level 5) Superman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    1,025
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    So where do fighting games on the various Nintendo systems fit in over the years? I know there is no blood, decapitations or extreme violence in (most of) those games, but what would you call it, "family-friendly fighting action?"

    I don't think they are necessarily moving away from their image, just out. And just a little. Most of their titles are still geared for a younger crowd. Who knows, that could be part of the plan.

  5. #5
    Kirby (Level 13) j_factor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Oakland, CA (representin')
    Posts
    5,231
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Nintendo isn't Leap Frog.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheShawn
    Please highlight what a douche I am.

  6. #6
    Ryu Hayabusa (Level 16) Custom rank graphic
    Oobgarm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Milford. Ohio.
    Posts
    8,087
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Oobgarm
    PSN
    Oobgarm
    Steam
    Oobgarm

    Default

    How dare someone bag on Nintendo. They are untouchable and undeserving of any and all criticism!

    I can see how people could be upset by a pretty violent game on a system that is generally regarded to be the best bet for families and kids. Don't personally agree with the viewpoint, but I understand it.

    And it's just like 1986. Nintendo is having quite the renaissance, and I think it's quite similar to what happened back in the 80's with the NES.
    RIP bargora, you will be greatly missed.That is how we do things on Giedion Prime.

  7. #7
    Banana (Level 7) kaedesdisciple's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    in ur haus, eatin ur d0rit0z
    Posts
    1,418
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    JOEY BLACKOUTS
    PSN
    JOEY_BLACKOUTS

    Default

    Slightly OT but one part of the article brought it to my mind:

    Who watches the Watchmen-I mean-ESRB? Think about it for a second, all they need to do is put the AO on a game and it's essentially banned. Is anyone auditing the ESRB to make sure that they are doing their job properly and not unjustly burdening some companies more than others? I would certainly hope that a reputable auditing firm is there on a regular basis to spot-check their processes and product if they have this much control over an entire form of media.

  8. #8
    ServBot (Level 11)
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    3,791
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Awesome! How long before the M-rated Mario titles?

  9. #9
    Shmup Hooligan Custom rank graphic
    Icarus Moonsight's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Houston Texas & Ancapistan
    Posts
    6,856
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    So, it took Sega to pop the cherry and dirty Nintendo up some huh? That is just dripping with irony... Whoever wrote that article has the memory of a goldfish. Yahoo! huh? That explains everything.


    This signature is dedicated to all those
    cyberpunks who fight against injustice
    and corruption every day of their lives

  10. #10
    Kirby (Level 13) Half Japanese's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Necropolis
    Posts
    5,700
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Half Japanese
    PSN
    HalfJapanese

    Default

    Somebody nudge me when Nintendo returns to being "gamer-friendly".

  11. #11
    Crono (Level 14) Sonicwolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Abbotsford, BC, Canada
    Posts
    6,610
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    PSN
    Sonicwolf359

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TheDomesticInstitution View Post
    Awesome! How long before the M-rated Mario titles?
    Super Mario Bros. 5 - Sex In The Mushroom Kingdom
    DERP

  12. #12
    Strawberry (Level 2)
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    577
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Anyone remember BMXXX for the Gamecube?

  13. #13
    Ladd Spencer (Level 17) Sniderman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    9,319
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Bah. I hate it when I hear some douchebag whining that a videogame/comic book/animated cartoon is too violent/sex-ridden for their little snowflake because everyone knows "videogames/comic books/animated cartoons are for children!"

    I actually heard a co-worker bitching yesterday that she was mortified when she took her kids (ages 8 and 10) to Watchmen over the weekend. Never mind the movie is rated R and based on one of the most sex/violence-laden comics ever produced. She was mad that this was supposed to be a "superhero" movie and - you know - superheroes appeal to kids.

    Wake me when the Nintendo Wii releases the first home edition of Boong-Ga Boong-Ga.

    Bah again.
    Still Around...Still Gamin'...

  14. #14
    ServBot (Level 11) TonyTheTiger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    3,550
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kaedesdisciple View Post
    Slightly OT but one part of the article brought it to my mind:

    Who watches the Watchmen-I mean-ESRB?
    The free market.

    Quote Originally Posted by kaedesdisciple View Post
    Think about it for a second, all they need to do is put the AO on a game and it's essentially banned. Is anyone auditing the ESRB to make sure that they are doing their job properly and not unjustly burdening some companies more than others? I would certainly hope that a reputable auditing firm is there on a regular basis to spot-check their processes and product if they have this much control over an entire form of media.
    If we assume that the ESRB goes rogue and starts dishing out the AOs left and right then console manufacturers and retailers are going to start taking a more critical look at their policies. Right now, because the AO rating is so rare, it's easy for Nintendo/Sony/MS to not allow AO games on their consoles. It's equally easy for Best Buy, Gamestop, and other retailers to not sell those games. There's no downside. They get to wave the "We're a responsible company" flag while not sacrificing anything.

    But if all of a sudden major game releases are getting hit with the AO then those corporate policies will start to become mighty expensive. The incentive to defect will be extremely high. Sony might think "Now's the chance to get an advantage over the competition. Hey, we'll let you publish your game on our console if MS and Nintendo won't!" It'll be the Sega vs. Nintendo Mortal Kombat debacle all over again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that after Sega whooped Nintendo's ass in MK sales Nintendo would then allow Mortal Kombat II in its unaltered form.

    The same goes for retailers. Imagine the benefit to Best Buy if it decides to start selling the AO rated GTA V or DOOM IV while Gamestop and Wal-Mart refuse to. Then when that happens, Gamestop and Wal-Mart will find themselves playing catch up when those once easy decisions not to sell AO games are now a liability rather than an asset.

    Eventually, if it happens enough, the AO rating will just become another standard because no company will shoot itself in the foot in the name of the status quo. And if the ESRB goes rogue and stays that way long enough we'll eventually see another independent ratings board formed to compete for control.

    Things are the way they are today because it's convenient. No blood, no foul.

  15. #15
    Lightgunner Custom rank graphic
    Cryomancer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Southern Central WI
    Posts
    3,748
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Cryomancer

    Default

    No More Heroes? Onechanbara? Madworld is far from the first.



    ...seconding the Boong-Ga Boong-Ga comment.

  16. #16
    Banana (Level 7) kaedesdisciple's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    in ur haus, eatin ur d0rit0z
    Posts
    1,418
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    JOEY BLACKOUTS
    PSN
    JOEY_BLACKOUTS

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TonyTheTiger View Post
    The free market.

    If we assume that the ESRB goes rogue and starts dishing out the AOs left and right then console manufacturers and retailers are going to start taking a more critical look at their policies. Right now, because the AO rating is so rare, it's easy for Nintendo/Sony/MS to not allow AO games on their consoles. It's equally easy for Best Buy, Gamestop, and other retailers to not sell those games. There's no downside. They get to wave the "We're a responsible company" flag while not sacrificing anything.

    But if all of a sudden major game releases are getting hit with the AO then those corporate policies will start to become mighty expensive. The incentive to defect will be extremely high. Sony might think "Now's the chance to get an advantage over the competition. Hey, we'll let you publish your game on our console if MS and Nintendo won't!" It'll be the Sega vs. Nintendo Mortal Kombat debacle all over again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that after Sega whooped Nintendo's ass in MK sales Nintendo would then allow Mortal Kombat II in its unaltered form.

    The same goes for retailers. Imagine the benefit to Best Buy if it decides to start selling the AO rated GTA V or DOOM IV while Gamestop and Wal-Mart refuse to. Then when that happens, Gamestop and Wal-Mart will find themselves playing catch up when those once easy decisions not to sell AO games are now a liability rather than an asset.

    Eventually, if it happens enough, the AO rating will just become another standard because no company will shoot itself in the foot in the name of the status quo. And if the ESRB goes rogue and stays that way long enough we'll eventually see another independent ratings board formed to compete for control.

    Things are the way they are today because it's convenient. No blood, no foul.
    The free market is certainly no auditor or regulator; it's nothing but an armchair quarterback yelling at the TV after hearing the same public information broadcast worldwide while thinking that it was published solely for their personal consumption.

    So, what you're saying is, they can do what they want, but as long as no one talks about it and they don't do it too much it's okay? I don't think they would start throwing out AO's all over the place either. However, what's to stop a company from buying a slightly "better" rating, or some other game company or third party organization from kicking money over to the ESRB to grade one company just a little bit harder than another one to fill their own political agenda?

    If the public believes that your outward purpose is ethical, I guess that's all that matters.

  17. #17
    ServBot (Level 11) TonyTheTiger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    3,550
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    Did anybody see South Park last night? It was strangely relevant even though it was about Disney and not Nintendo.

    It's true that Nintendo's main marketing campaign is about bringing the family together and all that. So it isn't totally absurd for some of these games to raise a few eyebrows. They do sort of fly in the face of how the Wii is being advertised. If the ad campaign were different than this might not even be an issue.

    That being said, to assume that Nintendo consoles will have family friendly and only family friendly titles isn't all that logical. There was never a guarantee. Yet these people seem to have come to the irrational conclusion that just because Nintendo does put out a lot of family friendly titles, the company should be expected to always put out family friendly titles. Like a j_factor said above, Nintendo isn't Leap Frog.

    Quote Originally Posted by kaedesdisciple View Post
    The free market is certainly no auditor or regulator; it's nothing but an armchair quarterback yelling at the TV after hearing the same public information broadcast worldwide while thinking that it was published solely for their personal consumption.

    So, what you're saying is, they can do what they want, but as long as no one talks about it and they don't do it too much it's okay? I don't think they would start throwing out AO's all over the place either. However, what's to stop a company from buying a slightly "better" rating, or some other game company or third party organization from kicking money over to the ESRB to grade one company just a little bit harder than another one to fill their own political agenda?

    If the public believes that your outward purpose is ethical, I guess that's all that matters.
    I'd argue that the free market is one of the best regulators but that's a complicated issue and well beyond the scope of this thread. But Mortal Kombat on the SNES vs. Genesis, and the SNES version of MKII shows just how powerful the free market really is.

    The fact that the ESRB isn't a government entity is a good thing. If we're talking about government run ratings boards and regulators then the world looks very different.

    If you're talking about wheeling and dealing behind closed doors you really are limited to just three ratings. T, M, and AO. There have been a couple of games I think got wonky ratings but that usually happened between either E and T or T and M. The E-10 rating was created specifically to deal with the former issue. I think that a T-15 should be created to deal with the latter and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened relatively soon.

    But, really, the difference between and E and a T is more or less nil. Whether or not we agree with Smash Bros. getting a T rating, there are almost no consequences at all no matter what rating it gets.

    That being the case, the only games that would "matter" are the ones that could swing between T and M or swing between M and AO. If a company tried to push for a lower rating or push for a competitor's game to get a higher one I honestly think that the only time we'd really not know something was up is in the really really fringe situation which is extremely rare.

    The ESRB is actually pretty transparent. It's far more transparent than even the MPAA. We know pretty clearly what a game needs to have to be bumped to the next rating. We also know, from a game like Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, that the ESRB is perfectly willing to work with a publisher to map out the lines between the ratings.

    So if Capcom decided to grease somebody's palm to get a T rating for the next Resident Evil or push Konami's Silent Hill into the AO rating, we'd know pretty damn quickly whether or not something was up just by playing the game. We've been doing this long enough that I doubt things can easily "sneak by" so I don't think it's too much of an issue. If a game gets a particular rating there's probably a 99% chance it has the content to justify it.

    And, yeah, if things started getting egregious where games that would normally sell millions are getting the AO rating, you better believe retailers will take a hard look at their no-AO policies. There'd be such a backlash against the ESRB that they might even change their rating standards.

    I can think of two examples in film where the MPAA could have gone either way. The first is with The Lion King. Here you have an animated movie where a major character is a victim of a premeditated homicide. A fratricide, no less. That's pretty intense yet the movie got a G rating. I think it was because the MPAA was so used to handing out Gs to Disney films that they just let it go by. But did you notice that animated films released after The Lion King started getting PG ratings? The Prince of Egypt, for instance. The Lion King was a sort of "wake up call." These things happen. I don't think we should necessarily march into the MPAA with torches and pitchforks because they screwed up. What matters is that they took the proper steps to correct the problem and started taking closer looks at animated movies.

    The second example is The Dark Knight. This is probably the perfect movie that walks that line between PG-13 and R. It probably could have gotten either rating. It's at this point that subjectivity inevitably comes into play. These are the only situations I can imagine that would really leave room for potential shenanigans leaving the audience none the wiser. Maybe it does happen but the system is set up in such a way so that the risk of harm is pretty low. I've had more bad teachers who had no business being in front of a class than I've seen movies/games that should have gotten a different rating. And you would think there would be strong protections against allowing bad teachers into schools.
    Last edited by TonyTheTiger; 03-12-2009 at 04:36 PM.

  18. #18
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Phyeir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    CT, USA
    Posts
    139
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Half Japanese View Post
    Somebody nudge me when Nintendo returns to being "gamer-friendly".
    Couldn't agree more.

  19. #19
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Cryomancer View Post
    No More Heroes? Onechanbara? Madworld is far from the first.
    Isn't Splatterhouse coming out for the Wii? I doubt that would be family friendly with all the gore. Though it is cool it's on a Nintendo system.

  20. #20
    Key (Level 9) Nebagram's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    77° 38 36.9 S 166° 45 58.5 E
    Posts
    1,801
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Nebagram
    PSN
    Nebagram

    Default

    I saw the words 'Daily Mail' in that thread and just stopped reading. It's like saying DVD players are evil because you can get porn disks for them. Utterly retarded.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 128
    Last Post: 05-24-2019, 01:06 PM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-24-2013, 07:30 PM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-31-2012, 08:50 AM
  4. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-29-2012, 08:27 PM
  5. "Family Guy" meets "Doom". :)
    By diskoboy in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 40
    Last Post: 11-12-2005, 04:49 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •