Just thought I’d add that COD5 does have a very good content filter, one of the best I’ve seen in a game. Blood and Language are completely removed from gameplay, including bodies falling apart. The cinematic cut-scenes blur out the nasty bits, including real WW2 footage. In-game cinematic moments are panned away from nasty bits like the first scene when you are a POW for example.

The filter works for every aspect of the game EXCEPT multiplayer, and in essence brings the game down to a T rating, although the themes are more mature than most T games, and you are only 11…

And also Gamerdad, what you say about parent’s decision being THE decision is right, but I think that when kids write to you, they are not asking you to argue against their parents (or at least they shouldn’t) but more likely asking for your opinion to be presented to parents as information to help them make an informed final decision.

Not trying to be critical, just maybe another way to look at it, the way I’d look at it, or at least the reason I’d be writing to you in their situation. I love your writings, one of the few sensible voices out there since ESRB can’t seem to handle the fact that yes, better graphics is going to mean more realistic games, but that shouldn’t mean everything that verges on mature gets an M slapped onto it. As the technology progresses there are fewer and fewer games with the T rating and more and more with M ratings. So thank you and keep it up!

P.S. Long time reader, first time poster!

First of all, this isn’t a review per se, like other websites. This is a blog. I write about games with as much or as little detail as I like. There’s no score. What I try to do here is give parents the sense of what – and how fun – their kids and families might have with the game. And who, if anyone is going to like the game.

3/4 of my family is giving it a pass based on, as you say, first impressions. That doesn’t mean I didn’t play further personally – but in the end I realized for all its charm it wasn’t for me.

GAMERDAD said: “There’s also too much text and I’d like to skip the boat crew entirely, but maybe some people like that part of the sim.”

Personally, and I do know story thank you, I didn’t find the story or the writing engaging at all. It was preachy and shallow, poorly translated from French. It does a GREAT job of removing you from any positive moment the game has created. The educational value is there but nowhere near presented in a way that’s entertaining in itself.

Yes, I should have given more of a sign of the environment varieties – the ship in particular – and the range of features, but you know what? I covered that part of the game by not criticizing the environments and only complaining about how pretty the graphics would have been on an HD system. I said nothing about the game being boring. I talked about “petting and feeding” the fish – and yes, you can do more , but I certainly didn’t imply there wasn’t anything else to do. There’s a feature list on the box.

GAMERDAD: “If you’re the type of gamer, or nongamer, who longs to scuba dive virtually or just spend some meditative calming time with a game – Endless Ocean and this sequel Blue World are ideal. There aren’t a lot of games like this and I think there should be more. A lot more.”

I think you stopped reading before you got to the end Matt. I, and my family, like the idea of EO: Blue World more than you do but I want to see more games this slow paced, beautiful, education and interesting. And on top of that I note that if you scuba or if you want to virtually scuba then this IS the game for you.

You Matt, So go get your feet wet and enjoy!