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The ESRB gives it...

Ooze33Ooze33
edited August 2007 in Sam & Max
For anyone who is curious, the retail version of Sam & Max: Season One was rated by the ESRB:
T
Cartoon Violence
Crude Humor
Mild Language
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco


I found it out in this article:http://www.gamerdad.com/detail.cfm?itemID=3810
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Comments

  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited August 2007
    Gosh, those qualifiers make it sound so much worse than it is.
  • Ooze33Ooze33
    edited August 2007
    Well, if you go to the article, at the bottom it says they thought it should've been E10+.
  • NatsFanNatsFan
    edited August 2007
    The ESRB probably didn't take to jokes like Max's dating video having a "Viewer Discretion is Advised" message, or the dialog from an exorcism.

    (I thought those jokes were hilarious!)
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited August 2007
    Ah well, a "Teen" rating isn't that bad. If someone who is under that age wants it, I'm sure they'll just get someone else to buy it. :p
  • Cyberlink420Cyberlink420
    edited August 2007
    I've seen 7-year-olds play Halo. the rating won't be an issue, trust me.
  • BadwolfBadwolf
    edited August 2007
    Where's the tobacco usage come from? Did Featherly have a pipe or something (He's the only character who I can picture using a pipe at any point in the game).

    EDIT: Oh, now I remember. There's the cigarette butts in the ahtrays in episode 3.
  • patterspatters
    edited August 2007
    Cyberlink420 wrote: »
    I've seen 7-year-olds play Halo. the rating won't be an issue, trust me.

    i have seen parents buying kids younger than ten GTA games despite the big red 18 on the front of the box (bad parenting). at that age i was playing mario and other apparent children's games
  • BadwolfBadwolf
    edited August 2007
    I'm 17, and I still rarely play anything above a 12+ =P

    As soon as certain games start being mature in ways other than "OMG BLOOD SWEARZ AND HOOKAZ", I might play something a bit closer to my age.
    Highest rated game I've played in ages was Final Fantasy XII (16+) but even then it didn't deserve such a high age rating, and it was rubbish.

    As for GTA, I've barely played it myself, don't like it from what I have seen and played, and would DEFINITELY not let my kids (if I ever get lucky) touch it.
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited August 2007
    It's hard to find any game that doesn't have "Cartoon Violence" in it. Even the Mario games get that one.
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited August 2007
    LuigiHann wrote: »
    It's hard to find any game that doesn't have "Cartoon Violence" in it. Even the Mario games get that one.

    Cartoon Violence is funny, especially in the Roadrunner sketches in Looney Tunes! :D
  • tobartobar
    edited August 2007
    Guybrush Threepwood wrote: »
    Cartoon Violence is funny, especially in the Roadrunner sketches in Looney Tunes! :D

    Poor Wile E. never gets any recognition. :(
  • Ooze33Ooze33
    edited August 2007
    If you select the article it says what parts of the game earned that descriptor.
  • ChristovskyChristovsky
    edited August 2007
    Parents may not blindly buy their children games if they're tagged as 'inappropriate', however - this only happens in some cases. I think the only bit of that list that could be considered a put-off for some people is 'crude humor' [sic ;)] and, while there's not a huge amount of it, it's still there, so unfortunately the list is perfectly fair, even if it implies worse.

    Judging by the example given, they seem to have missed a lot of the language, actually. I mean, I know it's never very bad, but it certainly tops 'ass'.
  • CombustibillionCombustibillion
    edited August 2007
    Truthfully, I think game ratings are a little too harsh (I mean c'mon, a 16 year old can't play Halo without parental consent?) but Sam and Max has never been a children's game so to market it for children could bring about the backlash the cartoon brought.
  • KedriKedri
    edited August 2007
    Cyberlink420 wrote: »
    I've seen 7-year-olds play Halo. the rating won't be an issue, trust me.

    I've only seen 7 year olds play Halo...


    That Vodka is baad. Trrrusteth me! Trrrusteth me!

    But wait, where was the tobacco in the game?
  • ShaggEShaggE
    edited August 2007
    http://telltalegames.com/forums/member.php?u=1

    Is that close enough?
  • KedriKedri
    edited August 2007
    Hahah, I asked him about his name some time ago, and he said it has nothing to do with the drug.
  • Ooze33Ooze33
    edited August 2007
    Kedri wrote: »
    I've only seen 7 year olds play Halo...


    That Vodka is baad. Trrrusteth me! Trrrusteth me!

    But wait, where was the tobacco in the game?

    It was in Episode 3, cigarettes were seen
  • ShaggEShaggE
    edited August 2007
    Kedri wrote: »
    Hahah, I asked him about his name some time ago, and he said it has nothing to do with the drug.

    Maybe it has to do with the main character of Killer Klowns From Outer Space? (Mike Tabacco) :P
  • ZeekZeek
    edited August 2007
    Christovsky wrote: »
    Judging by the example given, they seem to have missed a lot of the language, actually. I mean, I know it's never very bad, but it cetainly tops 'ass'.
    I guess bleeping out Lincon saying "F-bomb Democracy" doesn't count, as it isn't audible swearing. Then again, the dad probably never saw the whole Myra-Specs interview where she asks if Specs wants to "bleep" his own brother.:D
  • KedriKedri
    edited August 2007
    *Wakes from slumber with sudden realization*

    I GOT IT!!

    The tobacco reference is in Ted E. Bear's casino, in the rubber duck ash trays!! :D

    *Notices that Ooze33 pointed this out a few posts ago*

    ...dangit. :\
  • Ooze33Ooze33
    edited August 2007
    I don't think that one scene should of garnered the game rating a tobacco use descriptor. I've seen E games with dozens of characters smoking without that descriptor.
  • KedriKedri
    edited August 2007
    Ratings are getting tougher. The adventure game Voyage got a T rating with "Tabacco use", which was a pipe on a couch.
  • azza29azza29
    edited August 2007
    In Australia it's got a 'PG' rating, which is, I think, similar to Teen. It is so rare to see a G-rated (the lowest rating) game these days, most of them are racing or tycoon games. Just looking at my shelf, the only G-rated games I have are Railroads!, Trackmania United and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. Even The Sims 2, which has a huge market for kids, is rated 'M' (slightly lower than the US 'R' rating).
  • MaratanosMaratanos
    edited August 2007
    Even The Sims 2, which has a huge market for kids, is rated 'M' (slightly lower than the US 'R' rating).

    Whoa!


    Well, I suppose it DOES have a significant amount of sex...
  • BadwolfBadwolf
    edited August 2007
    The Sims was a 15+ over here, but when the new classifications board came in, it dropped to a 7+.
    I know how strict Australia is though with age ratings though, wasn't Spiderman 2 (the film) rated M / 17+ over there?
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited August 2007
    Sims 2 is a 12+ over here because of 'violence' and 'sex'.
  • Guybrush_ThreepwoodGuybrush_Threepwood
    edited August 2007
    That's not necessarily a bad thing. It means you guys at Telltale totally caught S&M's spirit and their crazy world (again congratulations), which isn't something for children, but anyway I think that Season 1 is pure and clean, so anybody should be allowed to play it.
  • KedriKedri
    edited August 2007
    azza29 wrote: »
    In Australia it's got a 'PG' rating, which is, I think, similar to Teen. It is so rare to see a G-rated (the lowest rating) game these days, most of them are racing or tycoon games. Just looking at my shelf, the only G-rated games I have are Railroads!, Trackmania United and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. Even The Sims 2, which has a huge market for kids, is rated 'M' (slightly lower than the US 'R' rating).
    Actually, it's "T"...
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited August 2007
    Society's view of smoking has changed a ton in the past few decades. 50 years ago, even if you didn't smoke, you had cigarettes in your house to offer to guests (I heard that from an aunt, no clue if it's true), and every film's protagonist smoked, but today, smoking only appears in R-rated movies.
  • MolokovMolokov
    edited August 2007
    Badwolf wrote: »
    The Sims was a 15+ over here, but when the new classifications board came in, it dropped to a 7+.
    I know how strict Australia is though with age ratings though, wasn't Spiderman 2 (the film) rated M / 17+ over there?

    Can't remember Spiderman 2's rating - but M is probably right. Harry Potter 5 was also M rated!

    but that's not 17+.

    Australian film & video games ratings are at www.oflc.gov.au, but in short:

    G (General)
    PG (Parental Guidance Recommended)
    M (Parental Guidanced recommended for those under 15)
    MA15+ (Restricted to 15+)
    R18+ (Restricted to 18+)

    Note also that R18+ rated video games are NOT permitted to be sold, and thus are effectively banned. This is a big hole in the ratings thing, IMO... why can't there be adult only games like there are adult only movies?
  • azza29azza29
    edited August 2007
    Badwolf wrote: »
    The Sims was a 15+ over here, but when the new classifications board came in, it dropped to a 7+.
    I know how strict Australia is though with age ratings though, wasn't Spiderman 2 (the film) rated M / 17+ over there?

    Spiderman was rated M (15+) over here. We have two higher ratings MA (15+), e.g. Band of Brothers, CSI, Deadwood, and then there's R (18+), for example the TV series Rome.

    MA and R are both age-restricted, i.e. you have to be at least 15 to go see an MA movie. Wtih M-rated material, its just a guide, legally a six year old could go seen an M movie.

    Oh, and one interesting point: R-rated video games are banned.
  • ShaggEShaggE
    edited August 2007
    Molokov wrote: »
    Note also that R18+ rated video games are NOT permitted to be sold, and thus are effectively banned. This is a big hole in the ratings thing, IMO... why can't there be adult only games like there are adult only movies?

    Likely because the stuffed shirts are still convinced that gaming is for children, and game consoles are expensive toys for little Timmy.
  • BadwolfBadwolf
    edited August 2007
    Molokov wrote: »
    but that's not 17+.

    Ah, I thought I was a bit off with 17.

    I just remembered getting the Spiderman 2 UMD (it was a free offer, I didn't actually pay for it D: ) and it having age ratings for different regions, with everything being around PG except for Australia's which I could only remember as being around mid-teenish.

    That about the age rating Harry Potter film was a bit of a surprise, but the age rating's been creeping up for the series over here too though. What was the age rating for Harry Potter 1, out of interest?
  • MolokovMolokov
    edited August 2007
    If you compare stuff with the US, it's kind of like...
    G = G
    PG = PG
    PG13 = M
    R = MA15+
    NC17 = R18+

    or at least, that's how DVD Profiler interprets things :) it's mostly the same, but having different ratings/censorship laws in different countries may sometimes mean different cuts (eg no headbutts or ninja stars in UK cuts of movies) and probably doesn't help with simultaneous world wide releases...
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited August 2007
    Molokov wrote: »
    If you compare stuff with the US, it's kind of like...
    G = G
    PG = PG
    PG13 = M
    R = MA15+
    NC17 = R18+

    or at least, that's how DVD Profiler interprets things :) it's mostly the same, but having different ratings/censorship laws in different countries may sometimes mean different cuts (eg no headbutts or ninja stars in UK cuts of movies) and probably doesn't help with simultaneous world wide releases...

    Our UK film ratings are: U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 and 18.
  • Harald BHarald B
    edited August 2007
    In the Netherlands the ratings are AL (all ages), 6, 12 and 16. But there are also 6 extra symbols that are added where applicable: violence, fear, sex, discrimination, alcohol/drugs, coarse language. "Fear" tends to get added a bit often, but the ratings are mostly very reasonable.
    After some looking-up I see the Spider-Man movies getting 12, violence (with #2 getting fear as well). Ratings for the Harry Potter movies range from 6 to 12, with Prisoner of Azkaban getting the "unofficial" rating 9. All of them get the fear tag and all except Prisoner of Azkaban get the violence tag. The tv-series Heroes is rated 12, violence, fear.
  • patterspatters
    edited August 2007
    Guybrush Threepwood wrote: »
    Our UK film ratings are: U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 and 18.

    ours seem so much easier to understand i believe 12 is only for physical releases
    and 12a is the cinema equivalent (where you are supposed to be over 12 unless you are with an adult)

    EDIT: and for games we also have pegi age restrictions as well as bbfc which are

    3+
    12+
    16+
    18+
  • BadwolfBadwolf
    edited August 2007
    patters wrote: »
    ours seem so much easier to understand i believe 12 is EDIT: and for games we also have pegi age restrictions as well as bbfc which are

    3+
    12+
    16+
    18+

    And 7+. I've never seen the point of that age rating though, I can't see there being anything gamewise I'd put in front of a 7 year old and not a 3 year old.
  • patterspatters
    edited August 2007
    does elspa still exist

    if so they had
    3+
    11+
    18+

    cant remember the other ones though
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