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Oblivion now rated M (Mature 17+)
- Thread starter winter
- Start date
Has anyone just tried CALLING 2K and ASKING if a recall has been issued? =P
2K Games US Support
Phone: 1-866-219-9839
Email: usa@take2support.com
Canadian Support
Phone: 1-800-638-0127
Email: canada@take2support.com
2K Games US Support
Phone: 1-866-219-9839
Email: usa@take2support.com
Canadian Support
Phone: 1-800-638-0127
Email: canada@take2support.com
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
On topic, kinda, since Oblivion is the only 360 game I own, how hot is too hot? My 360 gets hot enough that when I take Oblivion out of the tray, the actual disc is hot to the touch. Not luke warm, mind you. Caliente. Is this normal? I never have massive 4+ hour sessions or anything--the longest I've played in one sitting is probably about 2 hours or so, so I'm a little worried.
Oooookay.... so I called my local Circuit City, and the woman I spoke to said she received an e-mail dated yesterday (she didn't read it until this morning) saying Oblivion has, indeed, been recalled by CC's corporate office. When I asked why, she said, "I don't know, nobody here knows. I was kind of wondering that."
So then I called Circuit City's corporate 1-800 number. The rep checked all their memos and said he couldn't find anything saying the game was recalled, noting that they still sell it. "We're actually still selling it on our Web site, though it's out of stock right now," he said. I explained to him that I'd talked to one of their stores who said it was being recalled, and he said that was odd and asked me why it was supposedly being recalled. After telling him the store didn't know, he said, "That's kind of strange because usually when we have that kind of announcement we give a reason for it."
I called up my local Best Buy store next. "We still have it on the shelf," an employee said. "If it would have been recalled, we would have pulled it off the shelves as soon as we heard about it."
Best Buy corporate hadn't heard about a recall, either.
So... maybe someone has punk'd individual Circuit City stores? I can't think of a better reason.
[EDIT:] I called up another Circuit City in my area and talked to one of the employees. "One of the guys" told him to pull all the copies of Oblivion off the shelf because their manager got an e-mail telling him so. He said the "guy" who told him to pull the game also told him it was because "they labeled it as teen when it uses mature language and it's got the use of alcohol in the game." That may have just been conjecture on the employee's part, though, especially considering I talked to someone at another Circuit City who sounded like an assistant manager or something and she said the e-mail contained no reason for the recall.
I tried calling the ESRB's press contact but he was unable to take my call and I didn't feel like leaving a message.
So then I called Circuit City's corporate 1-800 number. The rep checked all their memos and said he couldn't find anything saying the game was recalled, noting that they still sell it. "We're actually still selling it on our Web site, though it's out of stock right now," he said. I explained to him that I'd talked to one of their stores who said it was being recalled, and he said that was odd and asked me why it was supposedly being recalled. After telling him the store didn't know, he said, "That's kind of strange because usually when we have that kind of announcement we give a reason for it."
I called up my local Best Buy store next. "We still have it on the shelf," an employee said. "If it would have been recalled, we would have pulled it off the shelves as soon as we heard about it."
Best Buy corporate hadn't heard about a recall, either.
So... maybe someone has punk'd individual Circuit City stores? I can't think of a better reason.
[EDIT:] I called up another Circuit City in my area and talked to one of the employees. "One of the guys" told him to pull all the copies of Oblivion off the shelf because their manager got an e-mail telling him so. He said the "guy" who told him to pull the game also told him it was because "they labeled it as teen when it uses mature language and it's got the use of alcohol in the game." That may have just been conjecture on the employee's part, though, especially considering I talked to someone at another Circuit City who sounded like an assistant manager or something and she said the e-mail contained no reason for the recall.
I tried calling the ESRB's press contact but he was unable to take my call and I didn't feel like leaving a message.
Danthrax said:
I'm guessing the word hasn't gotten completely around yet. I'm almost positive now that the reason is because the of rating. The game has a TEEN rating when it obviously should be Mature. Combine that with the fact there are textures in the game for boobies. Once there is some sort of Action Replay for 360 and people find out about titties in a TEEN game, Jack Thompson and Hilary Clinton will be all over this shit.
penguinonapole
Member
This is too weird. Circuit city, Bethesda, or Take Two need to give an explanation soon.
DarkRage said:
Way to break the cycle.
I went in to my local Circuit City at lunch today and asked if Oblivion was still for sale. The sales rep "Jimmy" asked if I needed the 360 or PC version. I asked for the PC. He slapped me across the face and spit on my shoes. "I meant 360!", I said, holding my reddened cheek. Jimmy let loose with his other hand.
I ran out of the store, both hands pressed to my face, my hot tears streaming into the wind. Why, Bethesda? Why?
ESRB rating prob...
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating assigned to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+). The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or skin that, if accessed through a thirdparty modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters.
In line with its mission to inform consumers about the age-suitability and content of computer and video games, this ESRB Parent Advisory has been issued to ensure that parents who have purchased this game are immediately notified of the rating change. Parents should also know that a patch for the PC version of the game that disables access to the file with the topless skin will be made available shortly. It will be posted in the near future at http://www.elderscrolls.com/. If parents have questions or concerns about the change in rating, they should contact their retailer.
Parents across the country depend on ESRB ratings every day to make sensible choices about the games they bring home for their families, said ESRB president Patricia Vance. Rating changes are extraordinarily rare, but if ever one does occur, ESRB recognizes that parents must be made aware of the change as quickly as possible so they are certain to have the most current and accurate information.
The game will retain its current content descriptors for Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Language, and Use of Alcohol, and the PC version will carry an additional content descriptor for Nudity until it can be re-mastered and released with the topless skin removed. The locked-out content is inaccessible on the Xbox 360 version of the game.
It is increasingly important for parents to realize that PC games can be altered through the use of downloadable programs created by other players called mods (short for modification), which are broadly available on the Internet and can change the content of a game. Since players create them, it is impossible for ESRB or any rating service to consider them in assigning a rating. However, some mods can alter a game in ways that may not be appropriate for younger players and may be inconsistent with the ESRB rating, so parents should be aware of their existence and, as always, do their best to monitor their childs gameplay.
and
Retail Reaction Statement to Rating Change for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM)
"The pace at which the IEMA retailers reacted to the change in the ESRB rating for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM) today stands as testament to the effectiveness and commitment to the industry's self-regulatory efforts. As evidenced by the most recent FTC study, the nation's leading retailers now require identification for the purchase of Mature-rated games at approximately the same rate as the movie theatres do for R-rated film admission. When we were notified of the game's ratings change today, we alerted our member company representatives who communicated to their stores the change in the game's rating. The effective change in sales policy was immediate. In fact, several major retailers changed the cash register prompt tied to the bar code of the game (a technology which prompts cashiers to ask for ID). Of note in this matter is the speed at which retailers reacted and parents were empowered -- ultimately that is what makes any ratings system effective in the end." - Hal Halpin, pres., IEMA.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating assigned to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+). The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or skin that, if accessed through a thirdparty modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters.
In line with its mission to inform consumers about the age-suitability and content of computer and video games, this ESRB Parent Advisory has been issued to ensure that parents who have purchased this game are immediately notified of the rating change. Parents should also know that a patch for the PC version of the game that disables access to the file with the topless skin will be made available shortly. It will be posted in the near future at http://www.elderscrolls.com/. If parents have questions or concerns about the change in rating, they should contact their retailer.
Parents across the country depend on ESRB ratings every day to make sensible choices about the games they bring home for their families, said ESRB president Patricia Vance. Rating changes are extraordinarily rare, but if ever one does occur, ESRB recognizes that parents must be made aware of the change as quickly as possible so they are certain to have the most current and accurate information.
The game will retain its current content descriptors for Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Language, and Use of Alcohol, and the PC version will carry an additional content descriptor for Nudity until it can be re-mastered and released with the topless skin removed. The locked-out content is inaccessible on the Xbox 360 version of the game.
It is increasingly important for parents to realize that PC games can be altered through the use of downloadable programs created by other players called mods (short for modification), which are broadly available on the Internet and can change the content of a game. Since players create them, it is impossible for ESRB or any rating service to consider them in assigning a rating. However, some mods can alter a game in ways that may not be appropriate for younger players and may be inconsistent with the ESRB rating, so parents should be aware of their existence and, as always, do their best to monitor their childs gameplay.
and
Retail Reaction Statement to Rating Change for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM)
"The pace at which the IEMA retailers reacted to the change in the ESRB rating for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM) today stands as testament to the effectiveness and commitment to the industry's self-regulatory efforts. As evidenced by the most recent FTC study, the nation's leading retailers now require identification for the purchase of Mature-rated games at approximately the same rate as the movie theatres do for R-rated film admission. When we were notified of the game's ratings change today, we alerted our member company representatives who communicated to their stores the change in the game's rating. The effective change in sales policy was immediate. In fact, several major retailers changed the cash register prompt tied to the bar code of the game (a technology which prompts cashiers to ask for ID). Of note in this matter is the speed at which retailers reacted and parents were empowered -- ultimately that is what makes any ratings system effective in the end." - Hal Halpin, pres., IEMA.
Full info out now:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9159
In a major announcement, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating assigned to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+), following the revelation of a topless game skin contained within the game.
According to the ESRB itself: "The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or skin that, if accessed through a thirdparty modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters."
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9159
In a major announcement, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating assigned to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+), following the revelation of a topless game skin contained within the game.
According to the ESRB itself: "The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or skin that, if accessed through a thirdparty modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters."
fly high ~ayunite~
Member
urk said:
Maybe it will be coming out for Dreamcast 2009 launch?
Francias Castiglione
Banned
Wow, the ESRB really are under the thumb of the ridiculous attitude to sex in the US.
OH MY GOOD SOME BOOBS
OH MY GOOD SOME BOOBS
You know, when I was first playing it, and saw a corpse mutulated, hanging from chains, I grabbed the box and was very suprised to see the "T" on it... I hope this doesn't prove too damaging for the Elder Scrolls series (like the Hot Coffee scandal took the wind out of GTA's sails a bit).
So I already got an e-mail concerning the ratings change. It's titled, "Retail Reaction Statement to Rating Change for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM)" It contains a statement by the president of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association, or IEMA, which is a nonprofit trade group. Here's an excerpt:
Circuit City certainly did react quickly -- before the announcement was made public. Maybe Best Buy isn't a member of IEMA though, cuz they hadn't heard a thing.
Hal Halpin said:
Circuit City certainly did react quickly -- before the announcement was made public. Maybe Best Buy isn't a member of IEMA though, cuz they hadn't heard a thing.
So am I the only one that never noticed the rating wasn't M?
Looks like the ESRB is going to try and blame the "topless skin" mod, but the game is gory (naked corpses, etc) and very violent. I think it's more a reflection of the fact that they mis-rated the game based on the content than anything. Shame on them.
Looks like the ESRB is going to try and blame the "topless skin" mod, but the game is gory (naked corpses, etc) and very violent. I think it's more a reflection of the fact that they mis-rated the game based on the content than anything. Shame on them.
Francias Castiglione said:
it's not just that, I love the logic being used here. "Boob skins locked away on the disc and only available via a mod downloaded from the internet - BAD. Boob skins not on the disc but downloaded and made available via a mod from the internet - OK."
I wonder, does this mean Wal-Mart will no longer carry the game? What a joke.
MrPing1000
Member
:lol Europe is amused by this.
chaostrophy
Member
The ESRB already puts a disclaimer on online games by the rating that says something like "Game experience is subject to change online". Why don't they just put something similar on all PC games, saying "game experience may change if you download third-party mods and change game code" or something?
JoshuaJSlone
Member
The funniest thing is the folks in the first few dozen threads talking about how it was 0% true bullshit. :lol
radios shipping overview
Member
I'd been lazy about picking up a copy, but news of this spurred me to get my ass to Best Buy. They still had a bunch of copies sitting out on a table.
Matt said:
You might certainly think so if you hadn't been checking up on what's been going on at T2.
back on topic, I don't really think it's fair for a game to be rated by the ESRB based on what is possible to do to it via 3rd party mods..
I mean, since virtually anything is possible with mods, you might as well give every game an M 17+ rating..
the ESRB should rate games based on ONLY what is in the box at retail.. After that, it's the consumer's choice to mod it how they wish.
Lost Fragment
Obsessed with 4chan
Heh, when I heard about the patch that unlocks nudity contained in the actual game files, I thought to myself "Jeez...how fucking stupid can you be after that GTA BS?"
chaostrophy said:
Seriously.
I mean, they should just make every fucking game rated M+ from now on because you can either download or build your own mods for any PC game out there.
You could turn Barbie Horse adventures into some kind of sick expression of bestiality if you're so inclined so I guess every Barbie game should be rated M from now on...
Its getting ridiculous folks...