Arkham Knight rated M

[StormRacer872]

 YES. I'M HAPPY ABOUT THIS. 

 

 The Arkham series has obviously been pretty dark and gritty right from the beginning, but it's never merited a Mature rating from the ESRB; that is, until now. A couple quotes from the IGN interview (http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/02/24/batman-arkham-knight-shows-bruce-wayne-at-his-darkest) with Sefton Hill, game director of Arkham Knight:

 

"From our point of view, we never wrote it or made it with a rating in mind. We never did that in the previous two games... We just felt that this is the story that we really wanted to tell.

 

"We're not including gratuitous blood or swearing. We want to deliver a true end with no compromises, and it takes us to some dark places."

 

 Frankly, I'm happy about this. I loved the past Batman games, but as dark and gritty as they were, I still wanted them to be even more so. Looks like Rocksteady is delivering on that, and now I'm even more excited to see what happens! Really glad that they aren't compromising on the story to get a rating on par with their past games.

 

 Also, I'm curious as to what merits the M rating in this game... games like inFAMOUS and Uncharted manage to get a T rating, despite blood, various profanities, and running around and killing people left and right. The Arkham series isn't known for having much of any of those things (it is a Batman game after all - can't just run around killing people), so I'm interested to see what happens. 

 

 So what do you guys think of Arkham Knight being M rated, and why do you think it got that rating?

 

 EDIT: A new trailer has revealed that the game is rated M for Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes and Violence. Now look at the rating descriptor for Arkham City, taken from the ESRB website:

 

Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence

 

Now here's Asylum:

 

Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence 

 

*Note* On the ESRB website, "mild language" is no longer listed as a content descriptor on the ratings guide; instead, language is, and is defined as mild to moderate use of profanity, basically equating to mild language.

 

 In all 3 cases, Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence are content descriptors used. However, Asylum and City also mention Alcohol and Drugs, while Knight doesn't, and yet somehow Knight merits an M rating. However, what's interesting to me is that the descriptors for Knight AREN'T enough to merit the next level of their respective descriptors (ie. Strong Language instead of Language, Intense Violence instead of Violence). This makes it seem to me like Arkham Knight is a borderline M rated game, seeing as its T rated predecessors not only used the same descriptors as Knight, but additionally alcohol and drug related descriptors. 

 

 To be fair though, Arkham games have been bordering T/M rated games right from the beginning, so I'm not surprised that the finale drove it over that point where it could still be rated T.

Edited February 25, 2015 by StormRacer872

[Masamune]

If it has more violence or blood in it, I'm fine with that. Honestly, after seeing what Fish did with that spoon last night on Gotham, I'm not surprised a game that's based on the same series is rated M.

Edited February 24, 2015 by Masamune_316

[funboy1246]

i'll admit. im even more intrigued now than i already was.

[ShadowStar83x]

Glad Rocksteady refused to compromise on their vision to get a lower rating.

[Berryjammy5]

I'm not upset about it, but i don't get why M rated games make people happier than E or T. Violenter doesn't mean better to me.

[Juzota]

I'm not upset about it, but i don't get why M rated games make people happier than E or T. Violenter doesn't mean better to me.

 

Rating isn't always just about violence.

[Tomato]

I honestly think most of it is because of the language that will be used, I always found very strange how those supposedly 'scary' inmates never swore once and only said 'its the bat'. 

[funboy1246]

lol right just once id like to hear an inmate "oh shit its the bat!" "fuck fuck fuck, don't drop me man." "I saw the bat once. nearly shit my pants." etc etc. would be hilarious tome.

[Happy]

I'm completely fine with a M rating, makes me hopeful that we'll get to see some really scary shit now that Scarecrow's our main bad guy.

[diskdocx]

 Also, I'm curious as to what merits the M rating in this game... games like inFAMOUS and Uncharted manage to get a T rating, despite blood, various profanities, and running around and killing people left and right. The Arkham series isn't known for having much of any of those things (it is a Batman game after all - can't just run around killing people), so I'm interested to see what happens. 

 

 So what do you guys think of Arkham Knight being M rated, and why do you think it got that rating?

 

Almost certainly it is language and/or some sexual/drug related content.

 

Shooting dozens of people with guns is child approved. But no boobies please.

 

Edit - Not unhappy with the rating. Batman has always been a darker character when at his best. I just hope the game WON'T have multiplayer. Still haven't played Origins, although I have the other 2 plats.

Edited February 24, 2015 by diskdocx

[StormRacer872]

I'm not upset about it, but i don't get why M rated games make people happier than E or T. Violenter doesn't mean better to me.

 The reasoning for the M rating hasn't been disclosed, so it may not be violence. But even if it is, it's not the violence that makes me more excited for the game; it's the darker tones associated with it. The gameplay is still likely going to be the same for the most part, so any excessive violence will come from characters other than Batman, likely meaning they're a darker character, which I'm quite fond of.

 

 I'm indifferent to the extremity of the violence of gameplay in Arkham Knight, but I'll gladly take more extreme violence if it's used to create a more daunting character.

[Xxleonardo97xX]

I think it's about the language and the graphical content, maybe more blood? broken bones?

[StormRacer872]

Almost certainly it is language and/or some sexual/drug related content.

 

Shooting dozens of people with guns is child approved. But no boobies please.

 

Edit - Not unhappy with the rating. Batman has always been a darker character when at his best. I just hope the game WON'T have multiplayer. Still haven't played Origins, although I have the other 2 plats.

 They already said it's not swearing (as I mentioned in my original post). Drugs appear in T rated games (inFAMOUS Second Son comes to mind), but I suppose it could depend on how heavily it is used and in what way. Sexual content could justify the M rating, but that'd make me curious as to WHAT sexual content they could possibly put in and make it feel relevant to the plot. 

 

I'm completely fine with a M rating, makes me hopeful that we'll get to see some really scary shit now that Scarecrow's our main bad guy.

 Totally with you on that. Scarecrow was terrifying in Asylum, and he looks fantastic in Knight. There's a lot of potential to make him incredibly dark, so here's hoping they utilize some of that potential. 

 

I think it's about the language and the graphical content, maybe more blood? broken bones?

 As I said in my original post, it isn't swearing, and there won't be gratuitous blood; if there is more of it, it'll only be when appropriate, perhaps in intense cutscenes. If that is the case, depending on how much blood they use in these cases, I suppose it could contribute to the rating.

I honestly think most of it is because of the language that will be used, I always found very strange how those supposedly 'scary' inmates never swore once and only said 'its the bat'. 

 Again, as mentioned in my original post, it isn't because of swearing. Any profanity which may be used likely didn't contribute to the rating, and the quote seems to re-enforce this. Profanity may be expected, as it was used in Arkham City, but Hill doesn't mention the use of more extreme profanity.

 

 Of course, now that they have the rating, they can go back and add more vulgar words, but seeing as the rating wasn't their concern in the first place, I'm sure they would've used more vulgar language if they had wanted to.

lol right just once id like to hear an inmate "oh shit its the bat!" "fuck fuck fuck, don't drop me man." "I saw the bat once. nearly shit my pants." etc etc. would be hilarious tome.

 I imagine they could get away with saying "shit" and still maintaining a T rating; after all, other games have. Fuck would probably put it in M territory though, but judging from the quote, language that extreme won't be used.

Edited February 24, 2015 by StormRacer872

[funboy1246]

 They already said it's not swearing (as I mentioned in my original post). Drugs appear in T rated games (inFAMOUS Second Son comes to mind), but I suppose it could depend on how heavily it is used and in what way. Sexual content could justify the M rating, but that'd make me curious as to WHAT sexual content they could possibly put in and make it feel relevant to the plot. 

 

 Totally with you on that. Scarecrow was terrifying in Asylum, and he looks fantastic in Knight. There's a lot of potential to make him incredibly dark, so here's hoping they utilize some of that potential. 

 

 As I said in my original post, it isn't swearing, and there won't be gratuitous blood; if there is more of it, it'll only be when appropriate, perhaps in intense cutscenes. If that is the case, depending on how much blood they use in these cases, I suppose it could contribute to the rating.

 Again, as mentioned in my original post, it isn't because of swearing. Any profanity which may be used likely didn't contribute to the rating, and the quote seems to re-enforce this. Profanity may be expected, as it was used in Arkham City, but Hill doesn't mention the use of more extreme profanity.

 

 Of course, now that they have the rating, they can go back and add more vulgar words, but seeing as the rating wasn't their concern in the first place, I'm sure they would've used more vulgar language if they had wanted to.

 I imagine they could get away with saying "shit" and still maintaining a T rating; after all, other games have. Fuck would probably put it in M territory though, but judging from the quote, language that extreme won't be used.

oh i know it wont but tell me that wouldn't make your day though.

[Wolvie_181]

Batman has always been a dark character.

The M Rating isn't going to ruin my enjoyment of the game.

Plus,I always wanted to play an M rated Batman game( it helped X-Men Origins:Wolverine )

[Grunking1212]

It's too bad that they never made Mortal Kombat vs Dc rated M, but the rating doesn't matter. This game looks good no matter if it's T, M or even E+10

[ryan18792]

http://kotaku.com/update-the-esrb-confirmed-the-games-m-rating-to-me-no-1687827323 But Kotaku contradicts what IGN has stated about why the game is rated M. Who should we trust now? ;/

[StormRacer872]

oh i know it wont but tell me that wouldn't make your day though.

 Oh it'd absolutely be great I'd love to fly in and uppercut someone going "oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck run bitch RUN IT'S BATMAN"

[starcrunch061]

I'm not upset about it, but i don't get why M rated games make people happier than E or T. Violenter doesn't mean better to me.

 

Agreed.

 

In fact, often, developers often use the "M" rating (and this notion of "artistic integrity") to cover up immense flaws in the game. Hopefully, we're not getting a dose of that nonsense.

[StormRacer872]

Agreed.

 

In fact, often, developers often use the "M" rating (and this notion of "artistic integrity") to cover up immense flaws in the game. Hopefully, we're not getting a dose of that nonsense.

 M rated game... artistic justification for said violence... so, Ken Levine in regards to Bioshock Infinite, right?

 

 In the case of Infinite, I wouldn't call the violence an "immense flaw"; sure, some people may not like it, but that's just the type of game it is. It's not a flaw, it's just part of the game.

 

 But anyways, regardless of which game you were talking about, I'm sure Knight won't end up like how you described those other games. Rocksteady never aimed for a certain rating; they had a story in mind, and set out to create the story regardless of the rating. Hopefully, now that it has been rated, they carry on as they were before, simply creating the game that they want to create.

 

 And besides, I don't think a guy who says (on behalf of the development team) that they never aimed for a specific rating can use the rating to justify anything about their game

I'm not upset about it, but i don't get why M rated games make people happier than E or T. Violenter doesn't mean better to me.

 To me, it's not SPECIFICALLY about it being more violent; it's about having a darker, grittier, more mature Batman game. If more violence contributes to that, then by all means, I'm fine with it.

Edited February 25, 2015 by StormRacer872

[starcrunch061]

 M rated game... artistic justification for said violence... so, Ken Levine in regards to Bioshock Infinite, right?

 

 In the case of Infinite, I wouldn't call the violence an "immense flaw"; sure, some people may not like it, but that's just the type of game it is. It's not a flaw, it's just part of the game.

 

 But anyways, regardless of which game you were talking about, I'm sure Knight won't end up like how you described those other games. Rocksteady never aimed for a certain rating; they had a story in mind, and set out to create the story regardless of the rating. Hopefully, now that it has been rated, they carry on as they were before, simply creating the game that they want to create.

 

 And besides, I don't think a guy who says (on behalf of the development team) that they never aimed for a specific rating can use the rating to justify anything about their game

 

 

Rocksteady has certainly not failed me yet in this series, and I don't expect they will now. But the M rating doesn't get me any more excited. Maybe it's because I own so many Batman comics (golden age, silver age - you name it, and I've got it in some form or another), and I've never felt the need to hear swearing, or see boobies to make the reading better. The movies didn't need R-ratings to be great (or crappy in some cases).

 

But if they feel that the rating is necessary, I'm willing to trust their judgment.

[Dantes_994]

That's good news in my book, now can we see some HQ gameplay?

[MarcusTheShadow]

I hope this M rating will affect positively the game and let the developers make a better batman-style atmosphere

[Redgrave]

I would assume it's M because of the Red Hood add-on since he uses guns. But that's an add-on and to my understanding they don't rate those right? It would be interesting to see teeth and blood fly out of enemies mouths when you punch them, though. 

[Lilseb93]

I'm all for it since a M rating gives them more freedom.