GamerDad to ESRB: Why is Halo 3 Rated M-Mature?
Posted on September 25th, 2007 by
In the four years since I launched GamerDad.com, we’ve only disagreed with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board a handful to times. We felt that The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion deserved an M-Mature ( the ESRB actually changed the rating soon after, but not because of us) and we’ve always felt that Microsoft’s best selling Halo series was far more PG-13 than Rated R - or to put it in ESRB speak, T-Teen versus M-Mature. Despite the purple and blue alien blood, Halo has always seemed so… tame to those of us actually familiar with M-rated fare. Well, Halo 3 comes out today and it’s sure to be a massive hit, but once again the ESRB has rated it M-Mature. I received my copy on Friday and I’ve played through most of the short single player campaign and I keep asking myself the same question, over and over again: Why is this game rated M-Mature?
Don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe in the ESRB and support its mission. I know how hard their job is. GamerDad is built to go beyond what they do and speculate why a game gets the rating it gets but as I mention, we very rarely disagree with them. They do a fantastic job. But what exactly are they protecting teenagers from in Halo 3? BioShock, another Xbox 360 first-person shooter with an M-rating earns that rating by challenging the player with horror, creepiness, audio logs delivered by insane people, harsh language, and blood covered zombies being dispatched with crude weaponry, including a wrench. And that’s not even mentioning the 8-year old genetically modified little girls and your upsetting option to Harvest (read: kill) them or save them from their weird and twisted fate. BioShock is fantastic because it’s mature in the truest sense. It’s made for adults, not kids. The rating is appropriate.
Grand Theft Auto is a series that lets players indulge in fantasies of lawlessness. They present the player with an open playground where they can hijack an ambulance and rescue people, a taxi and earn money from fares, or, more likely, a backdrop where they can kill innocent people and police in an effort to get to 5 stars and the inevitable Army tanks. If that gets old, there are plenty of missions based on popular adult films like Scarface, Boyz in the Hood, and Goodfellas (depending on the edition you buy). Clearly mature content for an adult audience.
But what is Halo? Halo is the story of Master Chief, a guy in powered armor, who fights alien monsters through a series of mostly clichéd backdrops and missions. It’s a simple, non-challenging storyline. Basic sci-fi. Nothing upsetting or inappropriate here.
The ESRB descriptors mention:
VIOLENCE: Combat is constant - you’re always trying to kill, or being killed by, aliens ranging from wicked to silly. But there aren’t gratuitous blood spatters on the walls and ceiling. The graphics are sensational, but little time is spent on making bodies fall in twisted heaps. There are friendly soldiers and they can die, but they never lose limbs or die gasping in excruciating pain. The alien blood is about the most violent thing present and it’s the only difference between Halo and the similarly sci-fi Metroid series on the Nintendo Wii. A game rated T-Teen.
LANGUAGE: I heard the occasional “bastard”, “hell” and “damn” - meanwhile at the local playground I heard: “Sh*t”, “F*ck”, and “Motherf*cker”
BLOOD & GORE: I’m playing the game in HD on a 32” screen and I sit about 5 feet away from it and… where’s the blood and gore? There’s alien blood, but it’s bright blue or purple alien blood, and it looks like someone cut into one of those carnival glow sticks and shook it all about. I can vaguely remember maybe a hint of red blood but in the heat of combat I can’t swear I actually saw that.
———————-
So there you have it. Halo 3 has been rated M-Mature, that is to say it’s been brought on par with games like BioShock, Grand Theft Auto: Whatever, Manhunt, and several other truly mature or boundary-pushing games for reasons that seem primarily limited to fluorescent alien blood and the word “damn.”
For the sake of contrast lets look at a PG-13 film like, I dunno, the latest James Bond flick (several brutal murders, truly harsh language and the hero gets tortured by having his testicles repeatedly struck by a knotted rope) and Aliens vs. Predator (which had fluorescent blood plus lots of red blood spatters, people murdered by monsters, harsh language, and horror).
Now lets look at television rated for teenagers. Heroes is a pretty good example to start with, sorry for the spoilers but on Heroes your teen saw several people get the backs of their heads removed so a villain to consume their brains, the shooting of several characters, and all the unnerving “readjustments” the cheerleader would make after surviving death (her superpower is self-healing and we get to see her move her spine back into place, or remove a giant piece of glass from her chest). Heroes also featured a heroine addict. This is material deemed appropriate for 13-year olds in TV land.
Look, I understand that these are different ratings systems and the ESRB isn’t beholden to the ones for TV and movies, but shouldn’t some sense of parity be maintained? For the sake of parents, I mean? Is a 14 year old – that is to say a High School student – really going to be shocked by the brightly colored glowstick blood in Halo and baseline combat violence in Halo 3?
I don’t think so. I think this rating misleads parents and is unfair to Bungie and Microsoft.
That’s why GamerDad strongly urges parents to seek as much information as they can about the games they let their kids buy. Truly Mature games like Grand Theft Auto and BioShock should be given to kids reluctantly and carefully, if at all. The rating is accurate for those games. But to lump Halo 3’s Star Wars-esque gameplay and violence on par with those more mature titles only muddies the waters, confuses well-intentioned parents. And makes them not trust a ratings system that 9 times out of 10 is exactly right. M-Mature needs to mean something substantial and my argument is that Halo 3 isn’t substantially mature enough to warrant this kind of warning and scrutiny. Nobody needs to be carded for Halo 3, except those under 13.
Halo 3 has one heck of a co-op system in place. If you’re the parent of a teenager, why not pick it up as a rental and have a grand time blasting aliens in an effort to protect future Earth together. It really is the right kind of militaristic sci-fi action game that’s appropriate for most of today’s teenagers. It’s time for the ESRB to get with the program and rate games based on criterion that makes sense to today’s media saturated teens and parents.
GamerDad maintains that video games are no worse than other media. It’s time for them to be rated in at least a remotely similar way other media is rated. For the sake of the parents - and the children.
Thanks for reading and note that this isn’t a full review of the game, it doesn’t take into account the incredibly offensive and rude multiplayer community this game typically attracts.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:42 am
It wouldn’t surprise me if Microsoft submits footage of the most violent scenes in the game, thus ensuring ESRB’s high rating, thus ensuring the game as popular amongst kids looking to play something taboo.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:45 am
That is one of the reasons I have wondered about managing the launch last night. Here is a game franchise that has appeal down to tweens, with parents playing it alongside of their kids, and yet it is M while Call of Duty or Medal of Honor Airborne are T? That really makes no sense to me - those Germans were bleeding red, which is different than the sci-fi ‘blood’ I saw in the PC Halo games.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:37 am
As someone who has submitted games to the ESRB, my guess would be that two factors primarily led to the game receiving an M-rating.
1) During single and multiplayer games, shooting humans can result in long-lasting blood and gore.
2) During the single-player campaign, you can kill marines without consequences.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Once again, Gamer Dad comes through. Thanks for your insights, and hopefully the various media ratings systems will get coordinated some day.
September 25th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Good statement of the issues, Andrew. This one’s had me scratching my head for years, as you well know.
September 26th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Even though “the rating may change during online play”, perhaps the ESRB had enough experience with the — erm, jerks? (this is a “family” blog, right?) — that saturate the online mode that they knew the end result would be for “Mature” audiences only. Or maybe #1 is right and Microsoft just wanted them to give it an M to increase its appeal to tweens.
All I know is that a rating system that puts BioShock and Halo in the same category is a failed system. I used the Halo/Star Wars analogy when discussing with my wife whether or not it was OK to play the H3 beta with my 2-year-old in the room — we decided not, because unlike Star Wars, in Halo you’re shooting people all the time, instead of for a minute or two once or twice an hour. BioShock actually made *me* feel a little uneasy with all the gore, etc., and I generally don’t even notice. If Halo isn’t a “T” game, then they need another category between “T” and “M”.
September 26th, 2007 at 7:15 am
I agree with the T vs. M thing.
Regarding online play - if what you say is true, *every* game with an online mode, particularly any one that supports voice chat, would need to be rated M … or perhaps AO!!!
September 26th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Except for Maplestory which has a real-time filtering system in it’s screenchat, that’s pretty much how I roll, Mike. Unless you block voice chat and manage their Friends lists pretty intensely you are just letting them jump into a mosh pit of smackmonkeys.
And James, you have a good point. Or at least a set of descriptors that make the difference clear. There’s a whole lot of room between 13 and 17.
September 26th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
The rating has nothing to do with online play.
My concern is that it makes Halo 3, an incredibly popular game, look like a “dangerous” or “controversial” game. That makes reasonable parents withold a mild title and makes Gamerparents not trust the ESRB. Either way, compared to other media, it makes the ESRB look completely out of touch with the culture.
I wish this was getting more attention ’round the web but it doesn’t seem to be. I know parents care about it because Halo’s rating is one of the #1 complaints about the ESRB I get from parents.
September 27th, 2007 at 7:43 am
I honestly don’t think Oblivion deserved the M rating because it(from my understanding, correct me if I’m wrong) was due to a nude player-mod. That’s equivalent to say, writing an erotic fan fiction of a book and it was something that they had no control over. World of Warcraft also has nude mods, but it’s still rated T-Teen. Anyway, yeah you’re right about Halo. I see no reason for them to be rated M instead of T. (by the way, these are the opinions of a 15 year old, dismiss them if you’d like, but they’re just as valid as anyone elses.)
September 27th, 2007 at 8:20 am
You are wrong.
Though most people thought so and still think it was changed because of that.
We gave Oblivion our Adult Seal because of the searchable hanging corpses, the ways you could be evil in the game, and other reasons like the prostitution etc.,. To be fair I never played the game and am simply backing up my reviewers here. You can go to GamerDad, or the search field to the right, and find out why in our Kid Factor. Bethesda even expressed surprise at the T-Teen rating when we asked them about it. They thought they were making an M-rated game. The ESRB made the ratings change about a week or two before the nude mod thing came to light. One reason they did so, according to rumor, was because of “parental complaint.” Now, is Oblivion okay for a 15-year old? Sure. We don’t make that judgement, only that recommendation. And all we’re calling for here is a little more consistency from the ESRB.
And yes, a 15-year old’s opinions are definitely as valid as anyone elses. Thanks for sharing yours!
September 27th, 2007 at 8:27 am
“I honestly don’t think Oblivion deserved the M rating because it(from my understanding, correct me if I’m wrong) was due to a nude player-mod.”
Although that was noted in the ESRB rerating of Oblivion, it never was a part of the GamerDad rating. See http://gamerdad.com/detail.cfm?itemID=3218 for their review for the PC. In particular, Mike wrote
“I was happily exploring a happy town with my kids watching when I met
someone and had a chat that resulted in them getting furious and running
off to confront the guards, which resulted in the person getting brutally
struck down. My kids were shocked, and so was I – and I gravely regretted
letting them watch me play. This isn’t a game for kids to play – or even to
watch. The game earns its M rating and Adult seal because the situations
are unpredictably adult, but invariably realistically presented with very good
voice acting.”
as part of his judgement regarding the GamerDad “Adult” rating.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Thank God you made this. I was just convincing my dad to get halo 3 since he is unsure cause it is M for Mature (btw I am 13). I
September 27th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Oblivion did NOT get re-rated for the nudie mod. It got re-rated because of the content Dave pointed out.
We already said it all at http://www.gamerdad.com/detail.cfm?itemID=3211, complete with links to the relevent press and other information.
September 27th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
croaker - I remember that moment well. There are many moments we all remember as gamers, and many I also remember as a Gamer Parent. I remember learning that seeing Phantom Menace didn’t prepare my younger son for the opening of Jedi Knight … and amon others I vividly remember this.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Arthur, note in the review we say 14+.
But those are just details. If you’re watching TV aimed at teens and PG-13 movies, Halo 3 comes off like a light war movie where the good and bad guys are clearly separated. Have your parents read http://www.gamerdad.com and know that we’re considered a credible resource by a lot of media. I also write for Disney and CommonSense Media.
Just remember to accept your dad’s ruling. He’s the dad and you should respect that. You’ll get to play whatever you want in just a few years anyway.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Thank You Gamer Dad,
I to am 15, today I got Halo 3 and got a big lecture from my Dad because it was mature, but I showed him your article and he saw really what Halo 3 was. I mean I think that Oblivion should be M rated because nudity even if a mod is still Adult content. But in Halo 3 the worst you could do is to whack soem one who is dead, and I nor anyone I know takes time to do that. So again thanks Gamer Dad!
October 7th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Dear Gamer Dad, Thank you for this information. Our 13 year old son has many friends who play H3, but we have said no due to the rating. This has caused many discussions about the “unfair” world of our house. It is difficult to go to a friend’s house where 4 boys are playing Halo 3, but you are not allowed to do so. We don’t want to be unreasonable, but won’t comprise just because “everyone else gets to do it.” I am so glad we have found your blog - and i think our son will be glad, too. My husband will suggest they play together first so we can see first hand, and assuming it is what you and others descirbe here, i think he will be able to play the game. Here is a game that probably should be rated T, but then there is World of Warcraft that is rated T and i read that it includes sexual induendo and drinking. This does not seem consistent and makes it hard for a parent to make the right choices. Thanks again!
October 14th, 2007 at 9:40 am
thanks now maybe my parents will let me get halo is basically star wars with blood and i have a game republic camando for xbox it has the same stuff as halo but it is rated teen.
October 17th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
GamerDad:
I can’t thank you enough for your post. I have tried on Bungie.net and Xbox.com and wrote to the ESRB to get a real discussion of the rating system. Almost no response. However, one individual had a good idea. Why not a sliding scale (1-5 or 1-10) to give a better idea of the content of a game, versus the T or M rating. Or, come up with an in-between.
Do you think it would be possible to get an open letter, signed by anyone online, that would address these issues to the ESRB?
As the saying goes:”there is strength in numbers.”
Sincerely,
Jason F
October 19th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
gamerdad or anyone else that will be willing to help,
ok im 13 years old and i really want h3. ive played all 3 halo games many times at friends houses and i had alot of fun.(just to tell u, im not a video game nerd, i play football). i havent told my parents that i want halo 3 yet. when i first got into video games, i was like 5 with my moms old super nintendo and mario. then i got a gamecube when i was 8 because of the mario games. now i have a ps2, and a wii, and i really want a 360, halo 3, and xbox live for christmas. when i do tell my parents that i want h3, they will probly say no, but i will have them read the gamerdad review, and watch some videos on youtube. now, heres my question: h3 on xbox live might be the best part of halo, but my parents could be uncomfortable with xbox live because of “some” people. could anyone help me explain to the parents that h3, and xbox live are not bad.
thank you!
October 19th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
i also got my first james bond game at age 10, just for some background.
October 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I couldn’t agree more. I think a game like Call of Duty 3 that received a T rating by the ESRB deserves to be rated M much more that any of the Halo titles. I realize there isn’t any blood in CoD3, but it is people shooting people in a historically realistic environment. Not that I disagree with the T rating on the game, but I think the argument could be made that Halo is much less realistic in its content.
Good thoughts on the game.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I have your answer. The Flood. Did you forget watching the marine get disfigured in front of your eyes on the fifth level(Floodgate)? I feel that the flood are the sole reason for an M rating, and have been for all 3 games. The flood get nastier and more detailed in each game. And there’s the Cortana level. The flood-ified High Charity could be disturbing to some.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Jeff, that is how the ESRB rates it. One of Bungie’s updates a while ago actually talked about bringing clips of the most violent material specifically for the rating systems.
I do agree with the opinions here, though. As compared to many M-rated games, it stands out as quite tame. I mean, compare it to Gears of War. Halo’s violence has blood, and amounts of it perhaps even less than there normally are. Gears of War boasts one of its major features as the “chainsaw bayonet”, which is gratuitously violent, what with chunks of flesh and copious amounts of blood flying everywhere.
Another thing to think about is the significant lack of sexual content. The closest you get is Cortana, and compared to many other games (*coughGrandTheftAutocough*) rated M, it is quite tame. Great article, GamerDad.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Lack of sexual content, minimal blood, and less language then what is heard on a playground, it seems as though this game should be rated nothing more then T, but alas, along with all the other halo games it has the infamous M. Obviously some parents take the game off the shelf, look at the back and to the lower left hand corner in search of the M and once this M has been found an instant “No” creeps from behind the parents lips. Ha this similar situation happened to one of my best friends. Its a very touchy subject on whether or not to let your child play an M rated game because everyone else is or because you feel like you are being to strict, but I believe there is no way for one to have a concrete opinion without sampling the game for oneself. Granted this could be a seemingly costly method, a definate yes or no can be derived from playing the game yourself.
One thing I found that could be considered “violent” in some sense is the film save/screenshot feature where you can watch multiplayer matches and campaign levels in slow-mo then pause and rewind, just like a movie (hence the in game name lobby of “Theater”). My buddies and I would take screenshots of insane fragging where a couple grenades go off and corpses fly, or you get sniped clean through the visor on your mask and you zoom in to get extreme detail then take the photo.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:39 am
Charles, you touch on a possibly important issue: human disfigurement. Infected marines transform into Flood before your eyes. This reanimation probably counts as a horror theme. However, I agree with GamerDad: Halo 3 doesn’t belong in the same class as games like GTA. It’s practically a cartoon.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:48 am
Wow Gamerdad, while i’ve never visited your site before, i must say i am extremely impressed. I was redirected here from an article on Halo.bungie.org, and i must say that it is refreshing to see a well thought out, well written and reasonable article on the internet. Everything you wrote about Halo i completely agree with. More power to you!
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:56 am
Forgot to add, i completely agree with Flashman and Charles, the Flood would have to be the reason behind the M rating. I remember being easily freaked out by the very first meeting of the Flood in Halo PC a few years back, and that was when i was 15, which would fit into the mature category wouldn’t it?
Also, does suspense fit into the rating of games, because some games while not graphically violent can be pants-wettingly frightening based just on suspense alone. I know this was the case especially with the first introduction to the flood in PC. While they arent expecially graphic, the instances where you were walking along a very dark passage and then a Flood would leap out of nowhere and slash you was absolutely terrifying.
November 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Yes I do agree with the fact that the flood are kind of scary from what ive seen on youtube, but when you do shoot one the is red blood and a kind of yellow smear. The blood is just like call of duty 2, and the yellow stuff looks like when you squish a bee.
still, if you go up about 10 comments youll find my other post.
if you could read it please reply!
thanks!
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Hey Bills fan, if this article and the review linked to it don’t convince your parents there’s really no other way we can help. Every parent needs to make the call on their own. And hey, I like football too. Go Pack!
November 4th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
I think M. Russell has a good point, regarding the killing of your own marines without consequences. I do get the impression that the feel of the game is meant to be for Teens, but there are subtle things that may make some parents squirm but not necessarily their kids.
I had read your review on gamerdad.com and it made me wonder how you address what changes with difficulty and the skulls that are found throughout the game? I have noticed changes in dialog on Legendary, most notably a few more swear words than you had listed. So, I’m just curious what you do in regards to that.
November 6th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
You mentioned swear words and I was just wondering how many their were. I mean are they constantly say them or just rarely like on call of duty 2. I just want to know because my parents are pretty strict about that type of thing.
November 8th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Thanks Gamerdad
Thanks for helping me with this. Now I feel confident that since you replied and said that this article is the most convinving thing that I can show my parents. Still, what about Xbox Live?
Thanks again!
P.S. I Like Brett Farve! Poor Bills I was at the Bills vs Cowboys Monday night game. They had won that!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
@Ben77 I’d say swears are moderate but you won’t hear anything worse than “damn” really.
@Billsfan “What about Xbox Live?”
Well, it can’t be policed or controlled. The upshot is that 90% of the foul-mouthed jerks you’ll play against are teenagers themselves. Teens being teens. I usually play the game without the headset so it isn’t so much of a problem.
November 11th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Dear GamerDad And the Community,
I recently disucssed with my parents getting an Xbox 360 for Christmas, and have hopefully convinced them. But on the topic of Halo, they seemed very reluctant to consider this my “starting game” for the holidays (I would enjoy this game most becasue it is played most by ALL of my friends on Live) I was wondering what you think I should talk to them about in order for them to allow me to receive this title. I will direct them to this site as well.
Thanks!
November 11th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Hello Again,
BTW, my parents disagree with FPS games by nature. Any tips in this department as well?
Thanks Again!
November 23rd, 2007 at 6:07 pm
To H3 4 Me
My parents are the same way. They let me play games like james bond and Call of Duty but of course not games like GTA. I read the Gamerdad article and it looked very convincing to parents that it is not violent and that it is appropriate for a person like me(12 years old). I also do want a 360, Live and H3 for Christmas, but I have not told my parents this. I saved this and a video I found on YouTube to my favorites. Type in Halo 3 Parental Review on YouTube and it gives a very good review on the content of this game.
Reply back and we can chat about our problems together.
November 25th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I’m trying to convince my parents to get me halo 3. I already have a game called Assassin’s Creed which by ESRB is worse than Halo. I’m 13 and i know ur seal is 14+ but i think its fine if i get a game that isnt as bad as Assassin’s Creed. what do you think?
November 26th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Well if you can pla a game like Assassins Creed which has blood,strong language, and lots of violence, Halo 3 is appropriate for you. There is blue alien blood,basic gun violence and minimal languge. Im 13 too but i bet my parents would not let me play Assassians Creed.
Lucky You!
November 26th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I just have 1 other question Gamerdad. Are you planning on having a review for Assassins Creed? because i would like to know what you think of it.
December 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
I’m also 13 and am trying to get H3 and Live for the holidays and I just thought of an idea.
If your parents dont like the idea of being able to talk with complete srangers, let them change the parental controls and dont use the headset. If you dont like that, remember that it could be a choice between parental control and not playing Halo at all.
December 9th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
can completely agree! wow its like you read my mind. i was debating letting my child get this game and hes 8. its perfectly fine for him. if they took out the occasional cuss word and the every once in a while small spray of human blood that you can olny see when you enter “theater” (a option to take snapshots of all of your missions). and ITS NOT DISTURBING AT ALL. why they rated it m ill never know. thank you!
December 10th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Now the comment above me is one to show parents!
December 16th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I Just read your article and Halo 3 seems pretty convincing to give to my 13 year old son. He really wants an Xbox 360, Xbox Live, and Halo 3 for Christmas. My son seems kind of nervous to bring up the topic of this game though. I know he has played it at friends houses many times but I did not know what Halo was until now. I let him play games like Call of Duty but not games like GTA. He gets great grades at school, has many friends and loves to play sports like football, basketball, golf, soccer, and skiing. Recently the other day I saw him playing 007 Agent Under Fire and started laughing because my daughter was beating him. Do you think if I can let my 13 year old son and 10 year old daughter play a game like 007, can they play the Halo 3 story mode and multiplayer online. If you could reply back right here, that would be great!
Thank You!
February 25th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I must correct you about killing marines with no consequence. You may kill a limited amount in case you were to, for instance, throw a grenade & it bounces off a wall and kills a marine on accident, but kill a certain amount (3 or 4 I think) and they turn and kill you. I’d call that a consequence.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Metroid Prime 2 has something similar to the Flood, the Ing, that also infect humans, and it got a T rating, and while it may not be as gruesome as the flood (which isn’t really all that bad for a 13 year old) you can shoot the bodies of dead marines, and some aliens explode & splatter guts on your visor. I wouldn’t give either games an M rating, especially considering how many rated- T games are worse.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I forgot to add, there is human blood in multiplayer, but it’s not graphic and it comes straight from the armor, you can’t see them bleeding, just a quick small “spray” from the armor that’s mainly for confirming a kill than anything. It’s very annoying to think you’ve killed another player only to find out that they barely survived and then killed you, so the blood is just there for that, once again nothing graphic, I actually didn’t notice it for a while.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I was messing around in campaign mode and was searching for a sniper when I heard two marines talking, one was complaining about something and the other said “quit your b**ching”. So apparently there is more language than I thought, although I had to wait in one area for over ten minutes to hear it. I had the IWHBYD Skull activated, which unlocks hidden dialouge, that may have something to do with it, though most of the hidden dialouge is stuff like a marine yelling “this is Sparta!”
April 15th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Gamerdad- i’m 13, I have live and a 360 and I really want Halo 3. My parents just hate the fact that you are killing things and that you can kill marines, any tips?
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Hi. I’m a 13 year old, and I play Halo 3 a lot. I agree with you on every point. However, I remember thinking around launch time, “If it’s rated T, then it’ll suck.” I still believe that. Not because there’s anything wrong with T games, but because if they made it dumbed down enough to get a T rating, then it just wouldn’t compare to Halo 1 and 2. They had some scary scenes (the Flood, anybody?) but I still slept fine. The movie I Am Legend had similar zombie creatures, similar scary dark areas, but it’s PG-13. Cloverfield had a scene with someone’s chest burst open, and another person popping behind a tarp, as well as an extremely high death toll. But? PG-13. I’ve see BioShock played before. It was much darker, much scarier, and much more intense. I want to thank you for clarifying this for those confused parents.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Owen, while i think that I agree with most of what you are saying, the choice of phrase ‘dumbed down’ doesn’t work. The implication that M games are ’smarter’ than T games is completely wrong - indeed, many of the ’smartest’ games ever are rated T or below. Saying ’stripped out mature content’ would work, though.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Hey gamerdad,
My parents are convinced about buying me halo 3 (i dont have 1 M rated video game in my collection) after your great review! I am 13 after all. Anyways, ure the best. Back to my question. Well, I am just wondering… Are there any extremely scary parts. I don’t mean like blood spartering i can handle that. But scenes where the violence is so intense.(like a Saw movie,not a i am legend movie) thx again. Hope you get back to me soon.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:35 pm
In response to SouljaGrl07, no there aren’t any really scary scenes. Some are a little creepy, but none of them are anything equal to horror. Even when people get stabbed in cutscenes there’s not even blood.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
thanks slot 4 this review. It finally got the idea that just because a game is M dosent mean I have 2 b 17 to play it through to mi parents. Also LuckyNumbaSIXX is mi gamercard and any1. Who wantsto add me asna friend feel free
July 7th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Nothing like Saw.
Lots of stuff like I AM LEGEND - only less intense than the movie.