Family Media Guide's Top 10 Violent Games of 2005

[DigitalSpace]

I got this from a post on CheapAssGamer that didn't list a source.

Resident Evil 4 – Player is a Special Forces agent sent to recover the President's kidnapped daughter. During the first minutes of play, it's possible to find the corpse of a woman pinned up on a wall — by a pitchfork through her face.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – Player is a young man working with gangs to gain respect. His mission includes murder, theft, and destruction on every imaginable level. Player recovers his health by visiting prostitutes then recovers funds by beating them to death and taking their money. Player can wreak as much havoc as he likes for no reason without progressing through the game's storyline.

God of War – Player becomes a ruthless warrior, seeking revenge against the gods who tricked him into murdering his own family. Prisoners are burned alive and player can use “finishing moves” to kill opponents – like tearing a victim in half.

Narc – Player can choose between two narcotics agents attempting to take a dangerous drug off the streets and shut down the KRAK cartel while being subject to temptations including drugs and money. To enhance abilities, player takes drugs including pot, Quaaludes, ecstasy, LSD and “Liquid Soul” – which provides the ability to kick enemies' heads off.

Killer 7 - Player takes control of seven assassins who must combine skills to defeat a band of suicidal, monstrous terrorists. The game eventually escalates into a global conflict between the U.S. and Japan. Player collects the blood of fallen victims to heal himself and must slit own wrists to spray blood to find hidden passages.

The Warriors – Based on a 70's action flick that set new standards for “artistic violence,” a street gang battles its way across NYC in an attempt to reach its home turf. Player issues several commands to his gang, including "mayhem," which causes the gang to smash everything in sight.

50 Cent: Bulletproof – Game is loosely based on the gangster lifestyle of rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Player engages in gangster shootouts and loots the bodies of victims to buy new 50 Cent recordings and music videos.

Crime Life: Gang Wars – Player is the leader of a ruthless street gang, spending time fighting, recruiting new gangsters, fighting, looting, and of course, more fighting. Player can roam the streets and fight or kill anyone in sight for no apparent reason.

Condemned: Criminal Origins - Player is an FBI serial killer hunter in one of the first titles for the Xbox 360. Game emphasizes the use of melee weapons over firearms, allowing players to use virtually any part of their environment as a weapon. The next generation graphics provide a new level of detail to various injuries, especially “finishing moves.

True Crime: New York City - Player is a NYC cop looking for information regarding the mysterious death of a friend. Player can plant evidence on civilians and shake them down to earn extra money.
_________________________________________

And here's some details about their list from last year. Pretty hilarious. Reading this, I gotta give them credit for the fact that seem a little more informed this year:

The games the group singled out as the year's "Worst Violent Video Games" (at bottom of the page) are all rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB and are not supposed to be sold to children under 17. Besides containing Postal 2 and Manhunt, which both came out in 2003, the list also misspelled and misidentified a number of games, including "Gunslinger Girls 2"--presumably the import Gunslinger Girl Vol. 3--and Hitman: Blood Money, which won't be out until spring of 2005. The list also contained Shadow Hearts, which was released in 2001. Presuming the group meant Hitman: Contracts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, respectively, the rest of the coalition's list consisted of: Doom 3, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and Mortal Kombat: Deception (which the group spelled as "Mortal Combat").

On another note, I know these guys are just looking out for parents who don't want their kids to have violent stuff, but these family groups are usually pretty anti-video games and closed to the fact that adults play games too. Also, I'm wondering what this group might recommend instead - I'm wondering if it would give me a good laugh.

[Ed Oscuro]

I was hoping I could relegate this to the obscurity of my DP Blog, but here goes:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/weblog_entry.php?e=2148

Yeah, the rating system's broken. I didn't even understand the thing just now, and the content descriptors only make sense to me because I've played the games.

I'm proud to say that, of that list, I've played both RE4 and Killer 7, and yes, they're right - it's nasty stuff. But, unlike a "snuff game" there's a reason for it; these games have some meaning - especially Killer 7. Not at all suitable for kids, of course, but teenagers? Yeah, I could explain Killer 7 to a teen, and I doubt I'd find anybody who couldn't handle it. Back in the day kids had their own kids around 13-16 as a matter of course, and similarly younger people fought in the great battles of antiquity.

[ProgrammingAce]

For some reason i found this really funny:

Player engages in gangster shootouts and loots the bodies of victims to buy new 50 Cent recordings and music videos.

I dunno what to think about this list, i was pretty pissed off about the one they posted last year because they couldn't even be bothered to research the games they were bashing. This list seems more thoughtout at least. I guess i'll cut them slack this year, and their general statement is correct, none of these games are for kids. I can't really argue with that.

[Joker T]

Intresting

NARC's description seems more about drugs than violence though.

[Mianrtcv]

I see the list and others like it... Who cares? If you are a parent, be a parent. Mine were. If you are an older brother or sister do so with some consideration. The rating system may be less than perfect, however that is a sliding scale. One that a CONSUMER can actually judge for themselves!!!! Make an educated purchase. Wait, that takes effort, sorry.

[Daniel Thomas]

Lessee...hmm...something's missing there. There should be something else on their list. Oh, wait! I know what it is!

The war in Iraq!

Baka yaro. What a pathetic pack of circus clowns. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

[exit]

I'm surprised someone actually remembered Narc, I got it when it was released and I was quickly bored with it. I let someone borrow it and never cared to ask for it back.

This little kids came up to me last week and asked if we had the 50 Cent game. I quickly commented on how he's 8 and shouldn't even bother trying to get that kind of game, then he told me that his parents buy him those kinds of games all the time. He then pointed at every M rated game in one case and said he had all of them.

I don't see why the hell a parent would buy a kid that young that kind of game, sure my parents got me Mortal Kombat back in the 5th grade but they woouldn't have even let me even look at something like GTA at that age. I bet if this kid ends up doing something violent when he gets older his parents will try to blame videogames, when they were the ones who got it for him in the first place.