Modern Warfare 2 gets 18 rating News

Isn't this where the 'Nintendo and Sony win in Japan' article was? (Nevermind. It's back.)

Will an 18 rating impact the potentially record breaking sales potential?

No, because parents can't parent.

Interesting. I wonder why that is?
CoD WaW had a man being brutally tortured in the opening cutscene.

won't stop 8 year olds insta-killing you across the map with grenades :(

Won't impact sales - people (parents) just don't see the ratings for games the same way they see movie ratings.

Also, previews suggest a high level of "Jack Bauer" diplomacy with the terrorists in this one! Expect to see Soap torturing suspects (maybe even a beheading or two) and I think I heard something about hooking a bad guy up to a car battery! Nice, eh?

if it means just 1 less bratty american kid on xbox live, I am all for this rating

Anyone find the info on the BBFC site explaining why exactly it has an 18's rating?

I hope they can enforce that rating.
Games companies just are not bothered - Activision I'm sure is very comfortable that little kids will be playing this.

There will be parents buying this for their kids in droves. No-one pays attention to the ratings stickers, they just bitch in the Daily Mail about all the violence in games and demand that they ban this sick filth.

Even COD? They are really harsh with these damn ratings. Gamestation once wouldn't sell me motorstorm; PR because it had a 16+ rating (I was 17 at the time) but even then a racing game with a 16+ rating is bollocks.

Yup. It'll be bought for the kids and then they will see some form of violence in it and complain about it and how easy it was to get into their kids hands.

Either that or it'll have been advertised to the max so all kids have their tongues hanging out. Kid X will constantly go on at Mummy and Daddy for one because kid Y has one and if they don't then it will be the worst Christmas ever. It'll get bought for them thus reverting to the first paragragh.

Wonder if it means it will be banned in Australia. :(

if it means just 1 less bratty regardless of nationality kid on xbox live, I am all for this rating.

I fully expect this to be GOTY, besting my current favourites Uncharted 2 and ODST. Nice to see a game not getting watered down to fit a lower rating, bring on the blood splatters.

@dr_faulk

"Contains strong bloody violence."

All the BBFC site says.

It better had impact the sales figures!! Otherwise it is just more proof of lacklustre parenting adding fuel to the fire of the media vs violence debate!

"No, because parents can't parent."

Pretty much what i was going to write. It won't affect sales, but no doubt it will make a few tabloid headlines, because some people are too stupid to take responsibility for themselves.

Benno: "if it means just 1 less bratty american kid on xbox live, I am all for this rating"

Yes, because the BBFC really is an American institution....

In the eyes of teens I think you'll find an 18 rating makes this game even more desirable.

I fully expect sales to go up because of this.

Doesn't contain stealth dogging?

/cancels pre-order

I wish parents and retailers would strap on a pair and just refuse to enable under 18s play this.

Better for the portrayal of games by the media, better for the parents, better for the under 18s, better for other players online who are fed up playin with/listening to kids.

We need some sort of age verification on xbl/psn, some foolproof way of determining age, i.e. linked credit card. Then, in addition to matching player to player of equal skill - it would match with equal age. Offer options to report players who don't seem to be the age they claim they are, get it checked out, get them banned. Granted that's probably a bit far fetched, but damn would it make the online experience more pleasant.

Benno is spot on.

"Interestingly, the BBFC listing makes no mention of Call of Duty, which means Modern Warfare 2 will be the title. Finally."

The final cover art shows Modern Warfare 2 in larger letters but the Call of Duty name is still there albeit smaller and obviously intended to be less noticeable than the subtitle.

I really think it comes down to individuals really, I've grown up watching horror moves and playing violent video games and it had no affect on me because I understand it's not real even if it's similar to real world events (in some cases) but there is a limit and some kids are just too young to play games like this and even more so online.

----------------------------------------------------------
"Interestingly, the BBFC listing makes no mention of Call of Duty, which means Modern Warfare 2 will be the title. Finally."

The final cover art shows Modern Warfare 2 in larger letters but the Call of Duty name is still there albeit smaller and obviously intended to be less noticeable than the subtitle.
----------------------------------------------------------


But only on the standard version.

Hardened and Prestige only carry the Modern Warfare moniker.

Cant wait for this, the 18 rating will not make much if any impact on sales, at the end of the day gaming is still looked upon as being childish in the eyes of most people over 40. The same people who go apeshit over something a DJ has said, or a pair of breasts being shown on the telly wouldnt think twice about buying little timmy an 18 rated game.

I hope that they get rid of the Martyrdom perk and steady aim for sniper rifles, these are the only things that bother me about the original.

"No, because parents can't parent."

Think you'll find that should be:

"No, because Some parents can't parent."

Still not buying it. No dedicated servers, RRP hike, Bobby Kodick being a douchebag . . . why would I care if it's 18-rated?

@homerramone

Indeed. Thanks for the correction.
Perhaps replace some with most?

If it's an 18 title better not stop me putting Twat in my clan tag.

The rating is stupid most likely BBFC saw 1 thing and flipped. I think the overall content will be 16 apart from 1 minor thing that gave it the 18 rating

Great, that means even more sprogs begging me to buy them a game when I'm out browsing the local games shop thus making me feel old and depressed.

Hopefully they'll put lots of swearing in now for the hell of it though a 'pet a kitten' mode seems even less likely to appear, unfortunately.

This game looks pure excellent

@M_of_the_sys - This could be a generational issue. I'm a parent and 31 who has been playing video games most of my life, as such I am likely much more aware of game content and the relevant ratings that perhaps a 40 year old who didn't grow up with games. Of coure they are more likely to have kids who want this game (maybe around early teens) than mine who are 2 and 8 months.

Hopefully over time parents will become much more aware of the content contained within the games they buy their kids - simply through a better understanding and more exposure during their lifetime. We can but hope :)

This will harm sales, I know my little brother (who's 12) won't be allowed it now, and my Dad had pre-ordered it for him.

Some parents can semi-parent I think the "18" rating carries a lot more gravitas than any of the ratings below it.

I dont know so much on how rating system are applied but I never understood how World at War got away with a 15 rating. I thought it was a lot more violent than many other games that carried higher age ratings.

@GaidenZero

Agreed. Despite the comment I made, I think my main issue is parents complaining about it after having bought it for their kids. I know when I was a kid I was playing games well above my age rating and would've been pretty annoyed if I couldn't. Actually, I rememeber being annoyed whenever I got turned away when renting from Blockbuster.

"if it means just 1 less bratty american kid on xbox live, I am all for this rating "

I share the sentiment but I doubt that the British Board of Film Classification has anything to say in the US.

"The British Board of Film Classification has stamped Modern Warfare 2 with an 18 rating in the UK."

lol.
Think just heard a collective sigh of 'oh fuck' from all the German and Australian Gamers in the world.
:P

@M_of_the_sys - yeah thats the issue and it's anoys me as a young dad who will take responsibility for what my kids take in. It doesn't matter if it's film/tv/games/music - whatever it is, it's your duty as a parent to determine whether or not you expose your child to the content. If YOUR 12 year old kid says "I'd like MW2 for xmas", if you have no idea what MW2 is, it's YOUR responsibility to find out what it is and determine whether or not it is suitable for YOUR child.

It might be that your kid is 15/16 and you look up the details on MW2 and determine that it's fine for them to play - but you've done your bit - you've checked the rating, you know why it's rated as it is and you know YOUR child will not have an issue dealing with the portrayed events.

That's good parenting in my book - taking responsibility to find out what your kid wants to view/hear/play and making an informed decision based on that. These days it's easier than ever to research such details.

I find it alarming that this kind of game is all that popular with those of us who have passed into adulthood. We should all be too busy playing New Super Mario Bros. on Wii to give a toss about playing with Bobby Kotick's £60 toy soldiers.

@bratmandu >We need some sort of age verification on xbl/psn, some foolproof way of determining age, i.e. linked credit card.

"Daddy, can I borrow your credit card to pay my Live subscription to play Peggle online?"

Ah, well, I personally am only 14, but I'm fairly confident I can handle a little gore and explicit material just as well as someone a few years older than me. I often find the BBFC to be a little overzealous in their ratings, honestly. ODST got a 16. It doesn't even have Flood in.

It does feature a nasty snog though.

Anyway, young teenagers can be annoying, though I can't really make a distiction between american teens, brit teens, portugueses teens, or... generaly high-pitched over-excited little fellows. There are exceptions, fortunatly, of course.

@ beemoh

What I was suggesting was a 'report' tool, similar to what XBL already has for player dickishness, where, after enough reports of someone not being the age they say they are, MS phones the card holder to confirm.

Obviously it's never going to happen, it's just a pipe dream of mine (and probably a lot of people) to never have to deal with noisy young-uns online.

To the sub-18 year olds on this page, the subject is about more than simply whether or not you think you are mature enough for that stuff. Unrealistic as it is, if under 18s didn't drink, smoke, fuck, watch 18 rated films or play 18 rated games, don't you think the world would be a better place?

In fact, maybe they should lock all the wee bastards up till they get a bit o cop-on.

The 18 rating will do nothing. Peoples older friends will buy them it. Or their parents as it's only a game.

I was playing WAW online whilst on on annual leave, it was half term as well. All the games were full of annoying kids singing and generally annoying the fuck out of people.

WTF I got rated down for making a comment on how it might benefit us gamers? Wow you guys suck. Or can't read o_O

How about slapping an 18 certificate on 'Up' instead? Thanks to that movie / game we've already had Balloon Boy 'floating off 'and Liverpool's title chances going pop.

What does it matter, thanks to the VSC age ratings aren't legally enforceable.

I have posted this and have no point of view on the matter. I just wanted to see how far I could be rated down!

Who cares what the name is? Whether is called COD or not its still a cod game with the same old COD game play. If you like that COD gameplay you'll love it, if you dont then you still wont regardless of the name. Whats the name such a big deal for anyway? Everyone still knows it as Cod anyway