Gears 2 To Bring Language, Blood Filters

[Sir_Brizz]

Parental video game information site, What They Play, has apparently learned that Gears of War 2 will include swear and gore filters presumably in an attempt to increase the audience for the game. As if 5 million copies in a few months isn't enough? :) Here's the dirt:

However, a new point of negotiation will become a factor this year; Gears of War 2 includes filters for both the violence, and the language. Microsoft informs us that the violence filter "turns the blood into sparks," while the language filter "takes out all the swear words."

Maybe we'll see this functionality operational once again in the next UT game.

[hal]

What the?

Originally Posted by Sir_Brizz

Maybe we'll see this functionality operational once again in the next UT game.

It already is, in UT3. "Ef yeah!"

[Interbellum]

Microsoft informs us that the violence filter "turns brutal beatings into hugs," while the language filter "replaces swear words with compliments."

[Mr. UglyPants]

Lol, this is one feature i will NEVER use.

[UBerserker]

wat

[Wormbo]

Sparks, right. UT200x anyone?

[Mr. UglyPants]

OMG, the Locust are really robots who only want LOVE!

[Grobut]

You know, if such a purely optional feature is all it takes to get the crazy fundies off their backs, then i'm all for it.

[-Jes-]

Green blood, Mk III.

[8-4-7-2]

As long as it's optional and the real version is still in there, this is really nothing to get worked up over.

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

lolz

[nELsOn]

'dead' oppononents sitting down and shaking there heads, anyone?
or nuts and bolts instead of blood?
(if you've played the german version of half life you know what i'm talking about...)

this really looks like an attempt to be able to publish GoW 2 in, say, germany
well, i'm all for that but i'm still getting the english/uncut version. the one big plus i see in a 'filtered' version is that this might enable us german players to download possible bonus maps. i'm still kind of pissed that i'd have to buy the gears 1 refresh in order to play the dlc maps on my 360

[Brain]

If they get swear and gore filters, can we also get swear and gore amplifiers?

[SirTahngarth]

google "gibalicious"

[Interbellum]

Originally Posted by nELsOn

'dead' oppononents sitting down and shaking there heads, anyone?
or nuts and bolts instead of blood?
(if you've played the german version of half life you know what i'm talking about...)

How did the Germans become such ^%$#@* pussies? They were a proud and warlike people once...

[JaFO]

At least all the sex-scenes will still be in there ...

or is there a filter for that part as well ?

Because we all know that killing and swearing is ok provided that you don't see a nipple

The ff-ing game is rated "M" for "Mature".
Might as well rate it "T" of ***** at the rate this is going.

//
At least the Germans have an excuse.

[Anuban]

Originally Posted by nELsOn

'dead' oppononents sitting down and shaking there heads, anyone?
or nuts and bolts instead of blood?
(if you've played the german version of half life you know what i'm talking about...)

this really looks like an attempt to be able to publish GoW 2 in, say, germany

I agree with that statement 100% ... since we know the game will still carry an M rating here and in England you know this is just to make sure that places like Thailand, Australia, Germany (as you point out) and other such areas that are tired of violent games and really I can't blame them. I have been giving this alot of thought lately with these deaths connected to GTA IV and other violent games and as much as I absolutely love these gore fun games because I can handle cartoon violence I am all for the absolute end of all violent games. If even one human life is being lost because of a game (no matter how small the connection may be) its just not worth it. After playing SCIV and really enjoying seeing how my friends and family who don't even like to game really love it and appreciate it just being fun without being bloody, having foul language, etc. I see it all very clearly now. There was a time when we all played games and loved them and you never heard of any murder being caused because someone got the notion from playing games.

I think it is more than possible to make great games that are not full of realistic violence and real life weapons ... just look at how many people love Portal and stuff like WoW. So yeah it could be done and after seeing what Thailand did when the cab driver got murdered it really made me think ... that is a responsible society. They are doing what they can (banning all sales of GTA IV) so that at least if there are any more murders at least people can see they are trying and taking LIFE as seriously as it should be taken.

I mean what's wrong with Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Pinball, Asteroids, even 2D fighting games ... these always brought (and still do) much joy and yet the society is now getting increasingly more violent and wondering why its the mess is it. I hate to sound preachy ... especially when I consider how much I love UT2K4, Gears, R6V, CoD4, Dark Sector, etc. but maybe it is time the gaming industry take a harder look at itself and that artists starting being more responsible. Sometimes a society just isn't mature enough to handle something so you have to wait.

Sorry to go off on this line of thought but this move by Epic reflects the mood felt by many folks. I wonder why we have gotten like this anyway ... where we really want to see such goriness in games that is so close to being realistic (not cartoon or fantasy anymore) ... why have we as a gaming culture become so bloodthirsty? Is it even possible to shake that stuff off and say Portal is great, SCIV is great, we can make great T rated games that adults can still enjoy but we don't have to be so violent. It is something to think about ... I can't help but look back at when I was gaming all the time as a teen and twentysomething and how it was unimaginable that violence would become a key selling point for a game.

That is one reason I think Halo was accepted by so many folks. Sure its violence but its so far removed from any sort of reality (not the just weapons but lack of blood, no body parts flying all other the place and almost NO blood at all) ... but then the issue becomes what type of violence is acceptable and what is not ... and that is where all the studies come in.

But sometimes you don't need a study to know that realistic blood and gore games are definitely having a negative effect on certain individuals who are very susceptible to becoming violent themselves. Anyway its one of these issues that will be debated for a while over here and meanwhile someone will die needlessly because game makers lack the kind of clever imagination they once had and now fall back on using violence as the primary vehicle in their games (and I admit I do love 'em and have my share of these games in my collection ... and I don't plan on parting with them anytime soon ... its a real dilemma at times, just because I can handle something if lives are being lost because others can't then what is really the wisest and most responsible course of action to take?).

[Grobut]

The lack of smilies is throwing me off here Anuban, that was pure sarcasm right? please, tell me that was sarcasm..

[JaFO]

I'm hoping that was sarcasm as well ...

IMHO the lack of blood & gore in the average violent game is what will cause more issues ... not the other way around. The lack of it will make people think that violence is easy and does not cause any problems like blood stains on your clothes.

I also think that the media is making a ff-ing mount Everest out of a few grains of sand when it comes to reporting violent crimes and their possible relation to games.

Like the witch-hunt against dungeons&dragons in the nineteen-eighties which sought to blame them for suicides amongst teenagers. In the end statistics have proven that rpg-fans were less likely to commit suicide compared to those who didn't. And the few incidents that were highlighted by the media proved to be the result of JackT-like hysteria (none of which had anything to do with rpg's in the end).

How many crimes were the actual result of games ?
How many criminals merely blamed games to get an insanity-defense instead of the punishment they deserved ?