As previous threads have discussed, recently Halo Infinite has been given an “M” rating through the Australian Classification. Initially, this sounds like a step in a good direction as Halo 5 moving into the “T” rating was a bit disappointing as it felt like the game was shying away from being too serious. Upon further reading, however, I have come to believe that Halo Infinite is not rated as we think it is.
After heading to the Australian Classification site to read up on the rating given for the game, I noticed a few key details that clued me into this new revelation. Namely, the following chart that lists out their different classification ratings:
Category Level of Impact
G Very mild
PG Mild
M Moderate
MA 15+ Strong
R 18+ High
RC Very High
If I am to understand this correctly, the “M” rating in this case is acceptable for audiences under the age of 15, meaning that the equivalent ESRB rating we have seen this game is receive is “T”, not actually “M” like many have believed. As the classification stated Infinite was rated for “moderate violence and mild language”, this would match to how Halo 5 was rated “T” for “blood, mild language, violence”. Having come to this realization, I am honestly disappointed that we may not be returning to the more gritty and grounded roots the series was founded on. What made the early Halo games so great was that the hopelessness of the war against the Covenant and Flood felt real because we saw evidence that people were hurt, namely from the blood on the surrounding terrain or the gore that was present in the first three titles (especially when fighting the flood). Having recently rewatched the Halo Landfall trailer (343, please reach out to Neil Blomkamp about bringing that back), I long for the darker tone that production provided us: you truly felt the dread those characters were feeling because you could physically see the impact of the weapons and the damage they could cause. Having the game at a “T” rating means that at most you see a red mist appear if you really look for it, otherwise it will look like any enemy could get back up as though they were just participating in a scrimmage match with no real consequences, removing that sense of hopelessness and struggle.
Please, 343, all I ask is for you to lean at least slightly more into the blood and violence of the universe we all have grown to know and love. It doesn’t have to be an ultra gory game like Doom or anything of that like, I just want to see the series return to the gritty roots it started with. You have done an amazing job with the art style, the music and gameplay thus far, it is truly feeling like the Halo we all know and love. The return of the blood (and maybe gore) we’ve seen before would be the perfect final touch on the incredible masterpiece the team is creating.
Needs to go back to how it was in 1,2,3.
To be honest, I find myself repeating that! But at least they’re moving in the right direction now.
Halo CE will always be my favourite, the mystery, the awe and the gameplay. At least it looks like they’re going in that direction now. Hopefully the mature direction too, but I suppose time will tell…
I just don’t buy into the notion that a “T” rating would lead to any increase in sales that would matter. Call of Duty is rated M and smashes sales with every single release. The rating system does not deter people from playing nearly as much as some people seem to assume it does.
And, preemptive strike against the same old argument, I know Halo isn’t Doom. I’m not arguing for an excessive amount of blood and guts in Halo. But the blood effects did a lot to add to the atmosphere and immersion for me. When a battle is done, I want to look at the aftermath and have it seem like an actual firefight took place. Not like all the covenant just randomly dropped dead of heart attacks.
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Insatiable bloodlust is how most of the non-gamers views the gaming world. Case in point remember Jack Thomas trying to railroad his political ideology that video games were the cause of violence? Even as modest as your request is doesn’t help abolish the notion that gamers are prone to acts of violence. People like Anita Sarkeesian are even leaning into this narrative and all she does is complain about the portrayal of women in video games. I don’t mean to go down the political path here, but there are reasons why our media censorship has lapsed s in certain areas, but have rebounded on rhetoric and lies in others (i.e. profanity is now far more common). Anyways I would love to see more blood and guts too, but unless you’re enforcing the ESRB rating system then this is always going to be a problem. Obviously there are plenty of M rates games that have quite the display of gore and violence, but the publishers usually stay in court over it too. GTA comes to mind how every time it’s mentioned there’s some boot licker right there causing a scene.
I guess what I am trying to say is that don’t be surprised if it’s “T” and we have little to no blood.
With a lower rating it will appeal to all audiences and could keep the population alive better.
I miss spilling the blood of holy worshippers in the streets of New Mombasa. Blood effects are never really something I cared about until they started removing it from the game. Makes your carnage feel severely underwhelming (in H5 especially).
H2A was perfect with its gore and blood effects.
The multiplayer is severely watered down already with the whole VR aesthetic so I’ve been really hoping they give us a more mature version of the game for the campaign we will be paying money for… Kids play GTA, they play CoD, they play Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, you name it… there’s nothing stopping sales based on age, matter of fact some people will be put off by games that aren’t mature rated. Lack of aftermath on the battlefield is really disappointing from a technical perspective aswell as it being an immersion breaking experience to see no evidence that you just engaged in a fight. I’m still on the fence about wether or not I’m going to support Halo Infinite and the campaign rating could be one thing that heavily sways my decision. I won’t be impressed at all if there is no gore or swearing.
> 2533274833656619;5:
> With a lower rating it will appeal to all audiences and could keep the population alive better.
Doesn’t appeal to me. It’s a waste of a game engine. Why am I shooting and killing things if they don’t bleed? It’s like playing with toy guns against toy soldiers… It’s like taking a shower with a raincoat on.
> 2535414944401570;4:
> Insatiable bloodlust is how most of the non-gamers views the gaming world. Case in point remember Jack Thomas trying to railroad his political ideology that video games were the cause of violence? Even as modest as your request is doesn’t help abolish the notion that gamers are prone to acts of violence. People like Anita Sarkeesian are even leaning into this narrative and all she does is complain about the portrayal of women in video games. I don’t mean to go down the political path here, but there are reasons why our media censorship has lapsed s in certain areas, but have rebounded on rhetoric and lies in others (i.e. profanity is now far more common). Anyways I would love to see more blood and guts too, but unless you’re enforcing the ESRB rating system then this is always going to be a problem. Obviously there are plenty of M rates games that have quite the display of gore and violence, but the publishers usually stay in court over it too. GTA comes to mind how every time it’s mentioned there’s some boot licker right there causing a scene.
>
> I guess what I am trying to say is that don’t be surprised if it’s “T” and we have little to no blood.
I would say it’s more messed up for a game involving guns and violence to be trying to pander to children. Kids playing with guns in situations where everything seems playful and happy and clean and fun, that’s how you create a psychopath…
Ehh. Blood doesn’t = darker tones, the story and setting itself will dictate that. If the world is threatened and people are dying in mass that’s pretty dark, blood being shown would just be more for immersion but the tone itself? Very dark.
I don’t care to much about the blood myself, it just doesn’t make or break a game because I care more about how the game plays as that’s where the player has fun. Plus the older halos bordered on the M rating, the cursing was to a minimum, and the blood was pretty rainbow like when it came to the covenant 
and that’s not to immersive to me if I was to argue my case.
> 2670661386182421;3:
> I just don’t buy into the notion that a “T” rating would lead to any increase in sales that would matter. Call of Duty is rated M and smashes sales with every single release. The rating system does not deter people from playing nearly as much as some people seem to assume it does.
I don’t buy it either. I still buy some physical games, mostly collectors editions like DOOM Eternal with the helmet, Darksiders 3 Apocalypse Edition, Cyberpunk with statue etc. Every time I go to collect I see parents queued with kids. They literally buy the game and hand it to child.
I’m a parent too, and my teenage sons enjoy slaying demons in DOOM, in fact my eldest is gravitating to more “mature” rated games like Borderlands 3, Zombie Army, Assassin’s Creed, but not Cyberpunk. He’s not comfortable with the graphic nudity the customisation has in the game… Yet.
I would like a mature rated Halo too. The books portray the Brutes as they are, the games do not. They are savage creatures that rip arms off foes and even eat them at times. I don’t see Halo Infinite being that. But somewhere down the line I would like a mature Halo game with a dark story with nothing held back and rated 18 / M / R.
> 2661949065478942;9:
> > 2535414944401570;4:
> > Insatiable bloodlust is how most of the non-gamers views the gaming world. Case in point remember Jack Thomas trying to railroad his political ideology that video games were the cause of violence? Even as modest as your request is doesn’t help abolish the notion that gamers are prone to acts of violence. People like Anita Sarkeesian are even leaning into this narrative and all she does is complain about the portrayal of women in video games. I don’t mean to go down the political path here, but there are reasons why our media censorship has lapsed s in certain areas, but have rebounded on rhetoric and lies in others (i.e. profanity is now far more common). Anyways I would love to see more blood and guts too, but unless you’re enforcing the ESRB rating system then this is always going to be a problem. Obviously there are plenty of M rates games that have quite the display of gore and violence, but the publishers usually stay in court over it too. GTA comes to mind how every time it’s mentioned there’s some boot licker right there causing a scene.
> >
> > I guess what I am trying to say is that don’t be surprised if it’s “T” and we have little to no blood.
>
> I would say it’s more messed up for a game involving guns and violence to be trying to pander to children. Kids playing with guns in situations where everything seems playful and happy and clean and fun, that’s how you create a psychopath…
I’m not disagreeing. I’m just pointing out that we have a censorship problem and it seems to only get worse as time goes on. I understand not wanting to subject children to certain imagery, but I’d wager that the news does this in spite of their own political ideology. Double standards and all. Though I would argue that games like Halo where you’re killing aliens wouldn’t have the same psychological impact as say Call of Duty where you literally shoot up and airport in MW2. There again though that’s what the ESRB is there for is to help educate parents on what their child is playing. Do they pay attention to it? Very few do. I used to work at Gamestop and I had arguments with parents that were there to buy GTA for their 10 and 11 year old child. I would tell them what it was rated M and why it was rated M. Some would get offended and question why I was even wasting my breath. A lot can be said about the state of parenting, but that a whole different topic.
> 2661949065478942;9:
> > 2535414944401570;4:
> > I guess what I am trying to say is that don’t be surprised if it’s “T” and we have little to no blood.
>
> I would say it’s more messed up for a game involving guns and violence to be trying to pander to children. Kids playing with guns in situations where everything seems playful and happy and clean and fun, that’s how you create a psychopath…
I guess Fortnite created an army of sociopaths then, you can literally dance on people after spraying them down with a scar.
I don’t see why there can’t be some blood in the game. In Halo 5 warzone ff the covenant leave some blood stains after they die but there’s no spartan blood. That could be that’s why it’s T, but Halo CE is similar and is rated M. The covenant bodies can leave pools of blood but the marines don’t even leave stains in anniversary. I don’t see why Halo Infinite can’t have blood and gore for the flood if the blood is green or boogerish like in 3.
> 2533274816212438;2:
> Needs to go back to how it was in 1,2,3.
>
> To be honest, I find myself repeating that! But at least they’re moving in the right direction now.
>
> Halo CE will always be my favourite, the mystery, the awe and the gameplay. At least it looks like they’re going in that direction now. Hopefully the mature direction too, but I suppose time will tell…
1-3 would not be rated m by todays standards
People need to set their expectations correctly. If we use todays standards for m, Halo should have always been rated T. Its gore was mild at all times, its use of profanity was miled, you didnt kill humans (possible by accident but not the focus) etc.
I just don’t understand the need to try for a T rating. It’s not going to attract more players. I miss the horror aspect of the game that the flood provided. We need that back again.
I also don’t understand the need for a T rating to appeal to a large audience. MP is F2P so anyone can download it anyways…
At least have the campaign rated M. If they ever bring the flood back with a T rating, I’ll be disappointed.
I will be disappointed in a T rating is that usually indicates that they had to censor themselves and leave things to be desired in the campaign. What made Halo 1,2, & 3 desirable was the grittiness of the campaign…
Gritty, btw.
In all seriousness, Halo Infinite was developed with specifically positive themes since H4 and 5 were focusing more on Chief’s struggle so it isn’t all that surprising these darker tones would be absent. One of the cues in development was “hope”, not hopelessness as you mentioned.
Also, I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed.
I’m worried this may be an early indicator that we aren’t going to see the flood on zeta halo?
> 2535414944401570;12:
> > 2661949065478942;9:
> > > 2535414944401570;4:
> > > Insatiable bloodlust is how most of the non-gamers views the gaming world. Case in point remember Jack Thomas trying to railroad his political ideology that video games were the cause of violence? Even as modest as your request is doesn’t help abolish the notion that gamers are prone to acts of violence. People like Anita Sarkeesian are even leaning into this narrative and all she does is complain about the portrayal of women in video games. I don’t mean to go down the political path here, but there are reasons why our media censorship has lapsed s in certain areas, but have rebounded on rhetoric and lies in others (i.e. profanity is now far more common). Anyways I would love to see more blood and guts too, but unless you’re enforcing the ESRB rating system then this is always going to be a problem. Obviously there are plenty of M rates games that have quite the display of gore and violence, but the publishers usually stay in court over it too. GTA comes to mind how every time it’s mentioned there’s some boot licker right there causing a scene.
> > >
> > > I guess what I am trying to say is that don’t be surprised if it’s “T” and we have little to no blood.
> >
> > I would say it’s more messed up for a game involving guns and violence to be trying to pander to children. Kids playing with guns in situations where everything seems playful and happy and clean and fun, that’s how you create a psychopath…
>
> I’m not disagreeing. I’m just pointing out that we have a censorship problem and it seems to only get worse as time goes on. I understand not wanting to subject children to certain imagery, but I’d wager that the news does this in spite of their own political ideology. Double standards and all. Though I would argue that games like Halo where you’re killing aliens wouldn’t have the same psychological impact as say Call of Duty where you literally shoot up and airport in MW2. There again though that’s what the ESRB is there for is to help educate parents on what their child is playing. Do they pay attention to it? Very few do. I used to work at Gamestop and I had arguments with parents that were there to buy GTA for their 10 and 11 year old child. I would tell them what it was rated M and why it was rated M. Some would get offended and question why I was even wasting my breath. A lot can be said about the state of parenting, but that a whole different topic.
It shouldn’t be up to anyone to raise someone elses kid, if I was your boss I’d have fired you for that behaviour… A lot can be said about the state of everything. And making violent games less violent for an arbitrary age rating that does nothing except let people know your game is lame if it gets lower than an M rating… What is the point in that? Why waste your time making a violent game? Why not just make a puzzle game? Or a platformer…