Any games with an "A" rating? (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kim]

Does anyone know of any game for the PS2 that carries the "A", or adults only rating?
I'm currently playing GTA3, which I very much enjoy. However, I'm surprised that this wasn't labelled an "A". I'd like to know what a game needs to portray to get the A.
According to the ESRB, an "A" rated game is restricted to 18 and up (unlike an "M" rating, which is "suitable" for 17 and up). An "A" rating is usually reserved for games with sexual content; mainstream retailers generally decline to carry them.
So...does anyone wanna help me determine what game I might buy next?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I don't think any games have gotten A ratings, simply because it would be stupid to release them. If a game gets an A rating, no retailers would sell it, and the only way to get it would be through a website, which would require a credit card, which would require being 18, which means the person would be able to buy it anyway. There are porn games, but I don't think they have been rated by the ESRB and are sold anyway.

 

[David Head]

Peter,

I agree that GTA3 should have been given an A rating from what I've read (I haven't played the game). Any game that includes picking up prostitutes, shooting cops and smoking crack seems like it should be rated A.

David

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Like NC-17, an "A" rating is commercial suicide. Wal-Mart and other big chains won't carry it. Porn titles usually sell through different outlets, and don't even bother with the ratings board

 

[Morgan Jolley]

To tell the truth, knowing someone is having sex and seeing it are two totally different things, and thats probably what separates this game from being an A rating (actually, its AO, adults only). Violence can only go so far, so that won't bring it above an M, and you don't actually see anything too controversial (like having sex with prostitutes, but you don't see it), so this game is borderline M/AO, but falls just short of AO. I can understand why it would be M and not AO.

 

[Peter Kim]

I'm not debating the rating assigned to GTA3. Nor am I theorizing the calamitous sales an "A" game would face.
Goddamit, I just wanna know if an "A" game exists so that I might buy it. That is, if I wanted to. Yeah, for a friend of mine.
I'm not so sure an "A" game, chock full of interactive sex, great storyline, and wonderful gameplay wouldn't enjoy some amount of success. As much as people like blowing people away and carjacking in GTA3, why wouldn't more graphic depiction of sex sell just as well?

 

[BrianB]

As much as people like blowing people away and carjacking in GTA3, why wouldn't more graphic depiction of sex sell just as well?

Because a huge chunk of the retail space out there wouldn't stock it. The rental places that won't stock NC17 rated films won't stock AO rated games. etc etc etc.

Not to mention the backlash from the media, as well as giving a LOT more weight to the likes of Leiberman.

There ARE "adult" games out there featuring sex etc, sold through 'marginal' outlets like Adult video stores etc. Heck, there's been 'sex games' since the Atari2600...

 

[Ike]

And you don't "smoke crack." There are pills floating around that just slow the action down. Really over hyped as "taking drugs, oh my!".

And you don't see the prostitues having sex. The car just rocks.

And the blood level is the same as most any game. So, unless they wanted to say it's different to shoot an innocent woman on the street than a cop (ala Max Payne), it's really not bad in violence.

Grand Theft, in my opinon, is a strong M title.

And my local Hastings has carried a few AO titles before. Mostly porn games. Never really looked at them, just long enough to see they were in fact AO.

 

[Ike]

And straight from the horse's mouth. There you go.

 

[Peter Kim]

Thanks Ike. Doesn't look like there's anything out for the PS2.

Just wondered if there was a really raunchy version of Tomb Raider or an x-rated Final Fantasy. Not something strictly sexual.

 

[BrianB]

Just wondered if there was a really raunchy version of Tomb Raider or an x-rated Final Fantasy. Not something strictly sexual.

Nope, purely porn. The only 'game' in that list is Thrill Kill by Virgin - which was ditched when EA bought out their development arm. It was too strong a title - it was AO for violence. There's leaked 'betas' of it on the warez scene. The engine was reused for a bland fighting game.

There's no incentive for developers/publishers to push for 'adult only' games - the current mainstream retail chains won't accept such games, cutting off a *huge* percentage of the market.

 

[Marshall W. Carter]

In comparison to some of the games in later years, Thril Kill is actually pretty bland. I never quite understood what the big deal about it was, but it probably has something to do with Lieberman...heh
At any rate, I doubt there are any games rated "A" on the PS2 market here in the US. I'm sure there are probably some in Japan (hentai) that would get it if released here, but they wouldn't be. Cultural differences, ya' know
And from what I've seen from some of the so-called 'adult console games' (remember the 3DO?), if you're that hard up to see some nudity, you've got bigger fish to fry. Everyone knows that there's a certain market that's going to purchase these just because of the, ahem, content, so why bother putting too much into the game around it. In other words, even if these games existed, I'd avoid them like the plague :alien:

 

[Morgan Jolley]

For PC, there are mods and patches for games to make people nakey (like in Tomb Raider) but no actualy XXX versions of regular games exist.

I actually know someone who got the illegal beta of Thrill Kill. They said it is beyond violent and disturbing, but VERY fun.

I think the TK engine was used for Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style.

 

[Ted Robinson]

I would have to also say that thrill kill is the only game out there with the AO rating. I have this game for PS1 and it should have been produced. Its not that bad at all compared to some of the games now, and it is a good 4 player fighting game to boot.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

If you look at that list, all the games (besides two) were made for PC. So there are no AO games for consoles.

 

[Ike]

What was so terrible about Thrill Kill?

And what are the two non-PC games?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Thrill Kill was one, and The Joy of Sex for CD-i was the other.

Thrill Kill was extremely violent. The characters were also very questionable (like a dominatrix, contortionist, mad scientist, and others). The moves in the game and the fatalities were also quite....questionable. I can't really describe it, but they game definitely earned that AO rating.