Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Parents

Parents 


Here's the ESRB:
ESRB rates this game M for Mature, ages +17 for the following:
Blood
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Language

This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of members of an elite squadron on the trail of a Russian ultranationalist. Players defend the U.S. from Russian armed forces, engage in skirmishes and combat missions, and track the ultranationalist in an attempt to discover his true motivations and co-conspirators. Players use machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, and missiles to kill enemy soldiers throughout the battlefields. Realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain are heard during the frequent and fast-paced combat. The most intense depiction of violence occurs during a "No Russian" mission where players take on the role of an undercover Ranger: Several civilians are gunned down at an airport as players are given a choice to participate in the killings (e.g., players can shoot a wounded civilian that is crawling on the ground), or walk by and observe without opening fire. In either case, civilians scream and emit pools of blood as they are shot to death. Within the multiplayer portion of the game, players can unlock "emblems" to be used on their player name cards. Some of these emblems contain images that reference drugs (e.g., a cannabis leaf; a name card with a depiction of a joint). Dialogue in the game contains profanity in both English (e.g., "sh*t") and Russian (e.g., "f**k" and "motherf**ker").

     Ok, let's talk about this No Russian business. The ESRB explained pretty well what happens during that mission. Allow me to go deeper into the background of it. I'll also put everything in simpler terms so that it's really easy to understand. First off, when you start the game, it tells you that there is offensive content within this game and that you may choose to opt out of playing the mission containing the offensive content. It goes on to mention that should you choose to opt out, it will not ruin the game for you story-wise or gameplay-wise. There is nothing forcing you to play this level.
     In the mission, you have the chance to settle in with a group of Russian terrorists if you carry out an operation with them while undercover. If you succeed, then you would have access to their plans to commit further terrorism. The terrorists make sure that while they perform their mission that they speak no Russian. This fact is important. Then they proceed to mow down a lot of russian civilians within an airport. As a player, you do not have to kill any innocent civilians. The game will let you kill if you want to but you're also free to just walk along and witness the event. In the end, they know that you were undercover the whole time and that you are an American. They shoot you and leave you behind, dead at the airport. The reason why they performed this mission and kept themselves from speaking Russian was so they could use the Americans as scapegoats and rally their country against America. Because no one heard them speak Russian and there was a dead American dressed as one of the terrorists left at the site, everyone was led to believe America had committed this terrorist act, thus evoking a war between Russia and America.
     The news will tell you that this game makes it ok to be a terrorist and that it forces you and teaches you to kill innocent civilians. They also say that the "no Russian" reference means to not leave any Russians alive. The thing is, this level is completely optional. You are never forced to play it. Even when you're in the airport, you aren't forced to kill any civilians if you don't want to. Let's also not forget, this game is intended for a mature audience; Adults like me and you.
     The news never played this game. They caught word of it, saw a minute of gameplay and decided that this game trained people to be terrorists and that there is no merit to this experience. I'm telling you that I played through this game twice, I played it for an entire week and I've been playing games for a LONG time. This is not a game that shows how to effectively become a terrorist. It is an optional mission that begins the conflict of the plot within this game. Undercover operations are real. People sometimes perform duties that go against their beliefs if it means the safety of the country, or in this case, the world. This mission is merely giving perspective from a person performing their duty. Here is a video of the mission from start to end. This is violent footage so please watch at your own discretion.

Assassin's Creed for Parents

For The Parents

     The ESRB is lacking a description entailing specifics of what occurs in Assassin's Creed but let's see if I can help sort out what they refer to.

Assassin's Creed is Rated M for Mature, ages +17 for Blood, Strong Language, and Violence.

     Blood is in this game but there is an option to tone down the blood and it actually makes the game a bit more appropriate. If the blood is turned on, there'll be a sort of red mist that appears when you wound an enemy. Violence kind of goes hand in hand with blood since there is no blood without violence, right? There are depictions of violence that I'm not sure I'd ever let my kids see unless I thought they were mature enough for it. There are instances, just to name a few, where throats are slashed, torsos are stabbed multiple times, heads are jammed with blades, and much more. And as for strong language, it's just standard fare. You got your fucks, shits, and damns. Here's a clip that gives a pretty good idea of what to expect when it comes to the violence that occurs in the game:

Left 4 Dead 2 for Parents

For The Parents

Here's what the ESRB has to say:

Rated M for Mature, ages 17+

Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language

Rating summary:  
Infected zombie-like creatures roam the bayous, backwoods, streets, and parishes of a distinctly Southern United States in this first-person shooter set in the aftermath of apocalyptic pandemic. Groups of one-to-four players (i.e., the "Survivors") work cooperatively to battle the "Infected" zombies and reach safehouses at the end of each round/chapter. Player-Survivors use realistic pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, and assault rifles to kill hordes of zombies throughout the game; chainsaws, machetes, axes, and baseball bats can be used in frenetic close-quarter combat (i.e., melee attacks). In most cases, large sprays of blood shoot out of injured zombies, and they can stain the ground, walls—players' screen; for example, the "Boomer"-Infected explode in a shower of blood and bile when shot, which clouds players' view of the impending zombie swarm. 

Bladed melee weapons and direct hits from rifles, shotguns, etc., cause decapitation or dismemberment; intense depictions include: piles of the Infected in a pool of blood along the roadside; intestines spilling out of abdominal wounds; zombie gibs shooting in all directions; charred innards; and skeletal bits and unclaimed torsos. While the litany of somewhat "gruesome" depictions attests to the Mature rating, the over-the-top onslaught is, in some ways, mitigated by the exaggerated menacing evil (camp?) of the drone-like zombie horde; the genre homage (horror, zombies, . . . cricket paddle) is palpable. Consumers might also wish to know that the game includes profanity, such as "sh*t," "a*shole," and "b*tch"; however, it is the intense violence, the blood and gore that are the primary factors for the Mature rating.

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=27786

     I think the ESRB did a pretty good job on this discription. I don't even need to add in that even though it's violent, it's almost light-heartedly so with how over-the-top and campy it is. Here's a video for reference: 

 

Borderlands for Parents

FOR PARENTS

Here's what the ESRB has to say about Borderlands:


Rated M for Mature, ages 17+

Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language 

Rating summary: This is a sci-fi first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of mercenary treasure hunters on a mission to the fictional planet of Pandora. Players undertake missions/quests that increase characters' skills, eliminate an assortment of mutant creatures, and drive and collide with advanced alien vehicles. Players kill hundreds of enemies (e.g., human bandits and mercenary soldiers) over the course of the game by using a wide variety of guns (shotguns, sniper rifles), explosives, and special ammo types (fire, acid and electricity, etc.). The combat is frenetic, and enemies moan or scream when they are hit. Damage from weapons also results in large spurts of blood, dismemberment, and decapitation. When a human or creature is decapitated, an effect resembling a fountain of blood will shoot from the neck for a few seconds and stop. Some weapons cause enemies to split in half, the top being separated from the waist. During the course of the game, characters make jokes about streaking, body parts, rape, and mothers (e.g., "…more busted than my momma's girly parts"). Strong profanity (e.g., "f*cking," "sh*t," "p*ssy," and "d*ckbag") can be heard in the dialogue.

Yep, this game is definitely intended for a more mature audience. It was not intended for young kids and I'd say the ESRB did a pretty bang up job describing the content in the game. Do keep in mind though that this is more going for a graphic novel or comic book kinda vibe so it's all very over the top and not as extreme as it would be if it were represented in a more realistic manner. Here's a video for reference:

Katamari Forever for Parents

FOR PARENTS

I, personally, see nothing inappropriate about this game. It's rated E for Everyone. Here's what the ESRB  points out is in the game:

Alcohol and Tobacco Reference
Comic Mischief
Mild Fantasy Violence
Mild Language

"This is a puzzle/adventure game in which players roll a small ball around cities, collect random items (e.g., dice, beer signs, candy, smoking pipes, buckets, etc.) that stick to the ball, and make the ball grow in size. Players can eventually work their way up to rolling over cars, buildings, and even mountains. Sumo wrestlers, children, animals, and police officers can join the ride, though they sometimes cry out and wriggle around as they get stuck to the giant ball. One of the character descriptions mentions that "[h]e's trying to work out a way to fart without making a sound." The expletive "dammit" appears once on the screen."

     The "Alcohol and Tobacco Reference" is really about the items that you can roll up. There's no encouragement to smoke or drink in the game. I haven't personally run into anything about a guy making a noiseless fart and I can't recall anyone saying "dammit" in the game and I've put maybe 30+ hours into the game. It just shows that you could play for quite a while and never run into certain things. The ESRB also, to me, makes it sound like you're harming people in katamari when you're not. I've provided a clip of the game to show what the game looks like. I think this game would be appropriate for anyone of any age and the ESRB agrees.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Parents

Parents


ESRB rates this game as M for Mature ages +17 for the following:
Blood and Gore
Intense Violence
Strong Language

That's about all there is on their site. I would say it's one of the more tame games that are out there. It has it's moments but I've seen much MUCH worse in videogames. There are events when the game puts you into the shoes of someone who's going to die. One of the characters gets caught in a nuclear explosion; You see the death of someone being executed from their perspective. There was a remake of this game for the Wii. It's not exactly the same as Call of Duty 4 on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it may or may not share all of the same content, but they're VERY similar. Here's the ESRB descriptor for the Wii version and a clip of the game in motion:

This is a first-person shooter, set in the modern day, in which players join an elite army squadron on missions to hunt down terrorists. Players navigate battlefields in the Middle East and Russia; use machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, and missiles to kill enemy soldiers; and attempt to disable the launch of nuclear warheads aimed at the United States. Realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain are heard during the frequent and fast-paced combat. Soldiers emit large puffs of blood when they are shot and killed; there is blood pooling around corpses in some levels. In one sequence, players' successful sniping attack results in an enemy's arm becoming dismembered. One of the more dramatic sequences involves a depiction of a prisoner of war who is tied to chair, then shot in the head by a teammate. Strong profanity (e.g., "f**k" and "sh*t") can be heard in the dialogue.

Just to clarify about the last bit mentioned, the prisoner in the chair was executed by your side, the good guys, after your squad interrogates him for information.

Bioshock For Parents

From the ESRB:

This game is rated M for mature, ages 17+ for the following:
Blood and Gore
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Sexual Themes
Strong Language

     Unfortunately that's all that was there. To embellish a bit, this is an extreme game. The sound effects, coupled with the visuals deliver some high level violence. There are a lot of corpses in this game shown crucified, disemboweled, electrocuted, tortured, the list goes on. The whole premise of this game is about a community driven horribly insane from a dependence on newly invented drugs called "plasmids". Plasmids allowed people to reconstruct dna to grant themselves abilities such as controlling electricity, fire, telekinesis, etc. It demonstrates a philosophical view that when mankind is left to it's own devices without regulation and order, the worst is bound to happen. There isn't a curse word left off of the table. Prostitution is present theme in the game, none that you can partake in or view, but it is there in the form of an abandoned bar, dead bodies and it's referred in audio diaries. This is one of those games where it offers a very great story with a deep message for you to walk away with but it only has adults in mind. Bioshock should NOT be played by minors. In my own personal opinion, I'd be more afraid if my kids played this game way before fearing them getting a hold of Grand Theft Auto or Call Of Duty simply because of all the violence in the game and the amount of fear it can cause. Here's a couple video's displaying violence. Some of it can be pretty gory so I'd warn anyone a with weak stomach to prepare themselves before viewing.

Here's the opening for the game that demonstrates a bit of what the game entails:



And here's the actual game in motion:

For the Parents

Why Aegis Reviews?

     I'm an employee of a game retail outlet and everyday I hear parents tell their kids they're not allowed to play whatever game is in question just because they don't really understand what the ESRB states is in the game or even try to see what might be in the game their child wants. A lot of parents I talk to tend to think that "Partial Nudity" means sexual encounters in a game. Some parents just look at the cover of a game and come to the conclusion that there's no benefit to playing a game that looks extremely violent when it's not.

     Sometimes the news makes a goal to scare the public when there's nothing to be frightened of. The last incident I can recall was when a kid was bought an xbox for Christmas along with a copy of Halo 3. He got really into it and started playing it night and day. He wouldn't sleep, he wouldn't go to school, he'd just play and play. The parents didn't know how to handle the situation so they took the Xbox away. The kid rebelled and ran away from home. They didn't hear from him for days and ended up finding their child dead. And it's at that point in the story that the news shows how harmful videogames are to society.

     Another example is when Grand Theft Auto 4 was released. Gaming isn't just for kids and this is a good example of it. It's an "M" rated game which means it's for a mature audience which the ESRB feels are kids that are the age of 17 and up. KIDS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY THIS GAME. It holds a lot of mature themes; strippers, dating, assassinations, crime. For an older audience, this is a rather deep game story-wise where it shows a man who's done many bad deeds in his life and he's trying to get away from trouble and be a better person. Unfortunately, he's forced into many situations he doesn't want to be in, and so on and so forth. The news said that you're rewarded points for smashing hookers into rocks and that the more you kill, the more you're rewarded with. They also stated that this game shows kids how to drive drunk. All in all, The news has stated from every angle that this game will turn your child into a cold killer.

     Now, I am not a parent. I do not have a degree in Psychology, I am not a doctor, but I can't sit back anymore and let these horror stories ruin the image of my hobby. There have been countless studies on the effects of videogames on children. None of them have conclusive evidence that videogames have either a good or bad result in the long run. The reason being because not everyone is a copy of someone else. Believe it or not, it depends on how we're raised and what ideas we're introduced to which leads us to be different than one another. And because we're all different, it's impossible for videogames to affect us in only one way.

     Was it really the Xbox's fault a kid ran away from home leading to a terrible fate? I personally don't think so. It was a terrible case and there are some cases much worse. There are, however, more factors to these situations. Was the child mentally stable, how much were the parents involved in that child's life, how was that child brought up, did he or she grow up in a positive environment? Most of the time, there's more than just one thing to blame. From my experience, people I've conversed with, and the way I was brought up, sometimes all you need to do is just check in with your kid, making sure that what they're doing is something you approve of. If it is, let them know. And if you don't approve, put down some rules. If those rules aren't followed, it's punishment time. Your Xbox, Playstation, DS, PSP, no videogame system is a babysitter and should never be used as one. Videogames exist for entertainment purposes and are occasionally used for education. Now, even some consoles have parental settings. You can set what games they can play based on ESRB rating, you can set how long they're allowed to play per day, there are a good number of ways to help you, as a parent, to supervise what your kids do on their system.

     Now, about GTA4 (Grand Theft Auto 4). A VERY large group of people actually believe what the news states about this game. People don't even realize that the people reporting about it have never even played the game, let alone even ever TOUCHING a controller. In GTA4, choices are given to you. As the player, you can do whatever your imagination allows within the guidelines of that game. There is no "score" or "points" in the overall game of Grand Theft Auto. GTA4 never encourages ramming a hooker against a rock for points. You can do it if you want, but you'd only do it because you thought to do so. And if you do, have fun while you can because a TON of police are going to be trying to take you down and put you in jail. You can try to lose the cops but then you're "Wanted Rating" will climb higher, especially if you kill people in your getaway attempt, which leads to it being harder to get away and stay alive.

     GTA allows you to drive drunk. If you do, the cops will pull you over because it's more than likely you're going to hit another car or swerve into some other object. When you are drunk, you'll most likely have a friend of your character with you encouraging you to NOT drive drunk and to call a cab to get home. The game does not reward you for driving drunk, it does not simulate real drunk driving, you can only do it because the developers of the game did not want to restrict your imagination. They wanted to create a world that encourages you to try things you would never do in real life since in the real world, there are so many heavy consequences for some of these acts. Most of what the news has reported on concerning that game, and many other games as well, has been based on complete farces coming from people that have never played a single game in their life.

     Videogames have been devices for great stories, stimulating entertainment and a fun way to learn new things. I finally got around to building this site because I want to help parents become more informed in this section of life because videogames are a constantly growing trend and it's more than likely here to stay. I want to help you understand that videogames are not evil, they're not focused on making your kids into hoodlums. They're primary goal is to entertain, give you an experience you could never have in real life, challenge your mind, and offer a brief moment of escapism. Try thinking of games having more in common with movies. Would you let them see the movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre, an R rated movie? If not, you probably shouldn't let them play Dead Space, a M rated game. Base what your kid plays on how mature you think they are. Sometimes it's the more mature games that hold a greater sense of morals and really teaches the difference between right and wrong and that could be an invaluable lesson that your child keeps with them for life.

     I don't have too much more to say than just a couple things I couldn't get to in my little soapbox speech. Some games that are rated M are now coming out with features that disable gore and expletives. Fat Princess is a game on the PSN that has a very kiddy look to it but is pretty gratuitous with blood and gore. There is however a feature to turn that mature stuff off. Then, when you defeat another player, candy confetti comes out of them instead of blood and body parts. Not only is it less violent, it's actually a lot more funny.

     On this site I want to inform you on everything an experienced gamer knows, which is a whole LOT more than the news, the esrb, or the box of a game can tell you. I want to help you learn about the console you have in your home. Kids are tricky and they can easily lie to you about something you know nothing about. I'm sure some of you have wanted to restrict game time only for their kid to taunt that there isn't any way to do that, or some other similar issue. Just come here for information and if you have any questions about something that isn't on the site, just contact us and we'll answer you directly. If we get a lot of the same questions, we'll just post the answers on the site so EVERYONE knows. I hope you guys get a lot out of this site and I hope you enjoy being knowledgeable about something that may be very foreign to you. Good luck everybody!

Ashton
Site Moderator, Reviewer

Welcome to the site!

     Hello, and welcome to Aegis Reviews. My name's Ashton Adams and for the time being, I'll be the sole contributor to the site. Before I let you know about me, let's talk about the site's ambitious goals.

     As gamers, we're really tired of the news butchering our favored hobby. When Grand Theft Auto 4 was released, not only was there LOTS of excitement among the gaming community, there were even more groans as we all watched every news network talking about how it trains your children to be killers and encourages irresponsible or violent behavior.

     I tend to also think that most of us are having trouble with reviews now-a-days. There are a couple of fears or problems that seem common; Game reviews don't really help parents find out what kind of content is really in the game. They also don't tell you if it's worth all the cash you'd be shelling out for it. And then there's the fear that's been growing in gamers as of late that is if our favorite review companies are being paid off for better review scores on games.

Here's why Aegis Reviews exists:

Parents

• There are plenty of ways now to advise what games your children are playing and also how long. I have a job at a gaming retail outlet and I'm shocked at how many parents don't take the time to know about what they're getting their kids and how to control it. Games are really moving in as an entertainment staple, it's likely they'll never go away. Now, I know that there isn't enough time in the day to supervise EVERYTHING your kids are doing but that's part of what this site is for. We're going to take all of your problems and make them easier to deal with helping you be the best parent you can be when it comes to your kid's gaming hobby.

• Do you want to know what "Suggestive Themes" or "Partial Nudity" means on the ESRB ratings? Did you know they don't mean the same thing for every game? Sometimes words aren't enough or words can't describe as well as pictures and videos. We'll have those here for you. You don't have to search, you don't have to think about the stress of looking around the vast internet. Just come here, it'll be there just for you. And if you don't find what you're looking for, all it takes is an email - "I heard there was a lot of violence, blood, skimpy outfits, etc. in this game but I don't see anything about it on your site." - Since this is important to you, we'll do our best to research it and put it on the site. Right now, since I'm the only one contributing to the site, I'll get to the ones that are more in demand. Otherwise, it's first come, first served.

• We'll also have guides on how to set your parental controls on systems that you own. These controls include how long your child is allowed to play, what game ratings they're allowed to play, how they can access online gameplay and more.

My Fellow Gamers

• We want you to have good reviews to look at. When I go to gaming sites, there are a lot of reviews I tend to disagree with. We're also tired of the numerical scores, aren't you? Don't you just want to know if the game is fun, or an experience to remember and if you should buy it? That's what we want to do. We want to play the game, tell you how everything came together within that game,what overlasting experience we walked away with, and if it's worth your money because, let's face it, this is an expensive hobby.

• When I look at reviews, I want to know if I'd like it, not if the person reviewing it liked it. For me, nothing sucks more when I want to know how great Ninja Gaiden is only to find out that the person playing it hates that kind of genre and thus gave it a lower score or they just didn't understand the content so it didn't score as high as it could. The goal right now is to get a good number of gamers with different gaming backgrounds with a biography for you to read on each gamer. We want you to look at the bios, find someone who games like you and read THEIR reviews. And if they haven't reviewed that game, you can email for an opinion from your favorite reviewer guaranteeing you always get an opinion from the one gamer you trust.
  

• Something else that's been going on is gaming companies are giving money and the right to post an early review to reviewers who give it a higher score so it scores better. How do you know who you can trust? Trust US! We're doing this for YOU! For FREE! Use it! Be a part of it! Start spending money on games you know you'll love and enjoy for a long time instead of spending money on a game you'll play once and put away.

•  Now, let's get this straight, we might end up adding this somewhere down the road but we have no current plans to make guides or walkthroughs. But hey, we all get stuck. I'm sure we can add parts at the end of reviews for tips on how to get past general difficult parts of games. We'll see...

  Alright, now that you know about the site, the next few posts will be a message to parents, directions on how to get through your system's interface (for parents), and a bio on myself. Which one comes first, we'll wait and see. Thanks for taking time to read our goals and we hope that you'll use Aegis Reviews as your hub to see what's worth your money and what's best for your kids. See you soon.

Ashton