Everyone who wants Halo to be T doesn’t mind if Halo would be M. Those who want Halo to be rated M really don’t want Halo to be T. I’m not arguing for Halo to be M for gore, but rather for plot purposes. So Infinite can explore darker themes that cannot be achieved with a T rating.
Before you say Halo could have been a T back in the day, I completely disagree. It would have had to change/toned down key themes. You would not be able to have T rating with the AWOL marine in CE when the flood attacks, and starts shoots at John in the flood containment facility. It is inferred he kills himself. If CE was T one of the best gaming cinematic cutscenes of all time in my opinion, would have to be toned down: When John finds the data chip and replays the flood encounter and Marines being eaten alive turning into the flood.
In Halo 3 you have the suicidal marine who kills his entire squad because he has seen what the flood has done to them, and is about to shoot himself. Small key themes like this help with immersion into the Halo universe. In the lore we are told and shown how savage Brutes can be between eating humans, grunts, and even elites. It doesn’t have to be every cut scene with something super dark but the Halo universe is not suit for T. This is the universe that experimented on children, with over half of them having died in excruciating ways (or crippled for life) to become Spartans.
TLDR: Halo’s plot will suffer with a T rating and will not be able to explore darker themes that the Halo universe has always had.
> 2533274829432487;1:
> Everyone who wants Halo to be T doesn’t mind if Halo would be M. Those who want Halo to be rated M really don’t want Halo to be T. I’m not arguing for Halo to be M for gore, but rather for plot purposes. So Infinite can explore darker themes that cannot be achieved with a T rating.
>
> Before you say Halo could have been a T back in the day, I completely disagree. It would have had to change/toned down key themes. You would not be able to have T rating with the AWOL marine in CE when the flood attacks, and starts shoots at John in the flood containment facility. It is inferred he kills himself. If CE was T one of the best gaming cinematic cutscenes of all time in my opinion, would have to be toned down: When John finds the data chip and replays the flood encounter and Marines being eaten alive turning into the flood.
>
> In Halo 3 you have the suicidal marine who kills his entire squad because he has seen what the flood has done to them, and is about to shoot himself. Small key themes like this help with immersion into the Halo universe. In the lore we are told and shown how savage Brutes can be between eating humans, grunts, and even elites. It doesn’t have to be every cut scene with something super dark but the Halo universe is not suit for T. This is the universe that experimented on children, with over half of them having died in excruciating ways (or crippled for life) to become Spartans.
>
> TLDR: Halo’s plot will suffer with a T rating and will not be able to explore darker themes that the Halo universe has always had.
You’re really not understanding the ratings the same way:
> - T is a Teen rating and is assigned to a title that is considered appropriate for ages 13 and over. Titles with this rating may contain any combination of violence, crude humor, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent, but strong language. - M is a rating of Mature and means the content is not considered suitable for people under 17. A title with an M rating may contain suggestive themes, sexual content, blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language.
There’s absolutely no problem with exploring darker themes in a T game - it’s just a question of how explicit you make it. Halo Wars 2 managed this very well and was still rated T - and in its DLC you even saw Brutes turning into Flood etc as well as overt references to the Brutes committing basically genocide against the humans on The Ark.
Now personally I take exception to the ESRB system and think the PEGI system here in Europe is much better having the middle 16+ rating which I think is a very good middle ground.
the awol marine was a gem in the general atmosphere of ce, doubt infinite will explore such themes, and if it does i believe it ll be vague and not directly expressed.
T stands for terminating creative freedom, we cant have nice things man :’(
Or Johnson’s alternate lines for example: “…i dont care if its God’s own anti-son-of-a-yoink-machine or a giant hula hoop…” yea none of that!
I agree I love the darker stuff but at this point the game’s story is done and the game is supposedly content complete so I really doubt they’re gonna make any big changes now. We’ll just have to wait and see what they did.
> 2533274829432487;1:
> Everyone who wants Halo to be T doesn’t mind if Halo would be M. Those who want Halo to be rated M really don’t want Halo to be T. I’m not arguing for Halo to be M for gore, but rather for plot purposes. So Infinite can explore darker themes that cannot be achieved with a T rating.
>
> Before you say Halo could have been a T back in the day, I completely disagree. It would have had to change/toned down key themes. You would not be able to have T rating with the AWOL marine in CE when the flood attacks, and starts shoots at John in the flood containment facility. It is inferred he kills himself. If CE was T one of the best gaming cinematic cutscenes of all time in my opinion, would have to be toned down: When John finds the data chip and replays the flood encounter and Marines being eaten alive turning into the flood.
>
> In Halo 3 you have the suicidal marine who kills his entire squad because he has seen what the flood has done to them, and is about to shoot himself. Small key themes like this help with immersion into the Halo universe. In the lore we are told and shown how savage Brutes can be between eating humans, grunts, and even elites. It doesn’t have to be every cut scene with something super dark but the Halo universe is not suit for T. This is the universe that experimented on children, with over half of them having died in excruciating ways (or crippled for life) to become Spartans.
>
> TLDR: Halo’s plot will suffer with a T rating and will not be able to explore darker themes that the Halo universe has always had.
In complete agreement. With Halo 4 it seems like they started aiming for a younger audience or something, since suddenly the flood were gone. I feel like one of the big things I disliked about 4 and 5 was that they really lacked a horror element, or any real sense of danger, fear, etc., in favor of big exciting adventure themes. That just isn’t halo… CE is all about you running around alone trying to back up into a corner so a giant hulking wad of flesh doesn’t come up and smash you into pieces. Haven’t had that feeling since the level Cortana in H3. I’m not sure how they could expect to do a spiritual reboot without including the flood and horror elements, darker themes etc.
Halo Wars 2 was Rated T and yet also gave us the Flood-themed “Awakening the Nightmare” DLC that, far as I know, did not change the rating from T to M.
Infinite should get the rating it deserves. Doesn’t mean 343 isn’t trying to give a good experience to the fans if the ESRB rates them accordingly.
I personally don’t care either way. I would prefer M rating, but I don’t think it is necessary for a mainline halo game. Most of the older halo games would have been T rated if they came out around now and halo 5 probably would have been rated M if it came out around 2010. It would definitely open up to more blood and gore to make it M rated, but I doubt 343 would do that. A T rating doesn’t really limit the story much anymore.
Who know where 343 places the priority of the rating. I would hope that story and content come first, and the rating “is what it is”. The maturity range in games with an M rating vary wildly. Some, like previous Halos, make you wonder why it is even rated M, others I wouldn’t want my mother finding me playing (even though I’m a grown &$# man). As long as Halo Infinite doesn’t make a huge jump in mature content, then I’m fine with whatever rating it gets.
The whole rating system is a bit janky tbh, although I wouldnt worry too much off the rank alone. Many stories can be told with clear nature themes at a T rating especially with today’s standards. If the campaign is good we shouldn’t worry about it.
If 343 finds itself cutting content or toning things down to meet a T rating, then that is just as bad as them shoehorning gore or cussing in in order to reach an M rating. Just make the story that earns a rating it naturally earns is my advice.
Rating is just a recommendation this days. Uncharted 4 is way more mature than Halo yet it has always been rated T since the first game (in 2007, when Halo was still M rated). Halo was just M rated for few things, and none of them were the plot (aside from Reach). If people wont play the game just because of having the rating it deserves, they are just -Yoinking!- stupid
I wonder why people think gore and cursing and -Yoink!-= more darker themes and such.
Coraline is a movie for 13+ and it’s theme involves a little girl potentially being stuck in an alternative world of her own where her real life friends and parents lose their existence and become doll like figures controlled by who wants to be be her new “mother” that wants her to stay in said alternative world, she even goes as far to trap her in the world and also plans to replace her eyes with buttons and what not.
The movie has a haunting reputation to it and the plot to it is pretty dark without the need for gore and such. There are so many children stories that can be pretty dark without blood and guts.
I think one will be better off simply saying they want the cursing, gore and such instead of using the excuse (and I do mean excuse because that’s all I see it as when people think M rating=darker themes) that darker themes can be achieved with an M rating. I’d also bear in mind 343 are making the stories what they want it to be, if they start adding stuff for an M rating, they’re just going to force stuff in just to get said rating even if it hurts the story consistency wise.
I’m fine with a T rating so long as that rating is a result of them just making the game they want to and not specifically cutting anything out just to achieve it. For instance, if they just make the game they want to and it happens to be T, cool. No problem. But if they’ve ever had a conversation along the lines of “we need to take this out because it’s going to get us an M rating” then that’s a little worrisome. Of course, we’ll probably never know if that conversation actually did happen.
Basically I just don’t think they should be aiming for any rating at all in particular. Just try and make a good game and see what rating it comes back with.
<blockquote class=“box-quote” data-username=“DC 409871” data-postid=“6”>
<p>Halo Wars 2 was Rated T and yet also gave us the Flood-themed “Awakening the Nightmare” DLC that, far as I know, did not change the rating from T to M.</p>
<p>Infinite should get the rating it deserves. Doesn’t mean 343 isn’t trying to give a good experience to the fans if the ESRB rates them accordingly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Indeed, I’d argue game developers have a responsibility to engage with ESRB and PEGI before release - as I think the greater potential damage would be attempting to cut/alter content late in the process if you got a rating you didn’t want</p>
I can’t imagine Halo without blood splatter and marines cursing. Halo Infinite possibly being rated T is seriously worrying. I don’t want anything toned down.
> 2533274863380818;16:
> I can’t imagine Halo without blood splatter and marines cursing. Halo Infinite possibly being rated T is seriously worrying. I don’t want anything toned down.
Halo 5, Halo Wars 2, Halo Wars aren’t Halo then?
It’s not a question of toning anything down - it’s simply a question of writing things to use suggestion rather than outright explicitly exposing
To be honest, I think a lot of T games these days would’ve been rated an M 20+ years ago. I feel like the ESRB has changed their perspectives on more than a few things–and the general public hysteria over video game violence isn’t what it used to be.
Honestly, Halo 3 is totally appropriate for teens–and that’s rated an M.
Now, whether or not there’s a difference in adoption based on seeing that symbol? That is a whole other variable to consider.