Ginger Posted April 1, 2008 Best reviews ever Don't be put off by the fact that they are on the daily mail website these reviews are awesome, Ann perfectly captures the souls of the games, condenses them into words and then spews them all over the interweb. I recommend we try to recruit Ann for our thumbs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted April 1, 2008 "Anne Diamond stabbed to death with pitchfork amidst fountains of her own blood" "This kind of violence can only be bad for you" It almost beats Al Menconi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vimes Posted April 1, 2008 There are so many things that are wrong in this picture... or I didn't get the point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted April 1, 2008 you could even say that photo was edited Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toblix Posted April 1, 2008 Only game nerds, obsessed with the shapes of each and every game would notice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vimes Posted April 1, 2008 I mean, she's got half dead rising going through her right shoulder! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toblix Posted April 1, 2008 Who doesn't these days? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted April 1, 2008 I'll bet you anything that Anne Diamond got pissed off that her face wasn't prominent enough. All this "moral guardian" shit is just publicity for a soulless person who thrives on the adoration of strangers. It looks like her 12 year old son Photoshopped it for her! Still, I AM shocked that CoD4 doesn't have a BBFC certificate (not even a 15!). That game is pretty damn violent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ginger Posted April 2, 2008 Still, I AM shocked that CoD4 doesn't have a BBFC certificate (not even a 15!). That game is pretty damn violent. Like it'd make a difference, hardly any parents pay attention to those things, I know we've gotten into the whole merits of arbitrary age determining whether you are mature enough to handle certain content debate many times before, but even I was shocked when a reasonably (lower-)middle* class friend was telling me the funny( ) story of how her 6 year old always shouts out "Look mummy I’m bashing the hookers head in" while playing GTA. He'll probably turn out fine but still... *to anyone that thinks it's classist to be more shocked as it was a middle class family check out the Shannon Mathews coverage (I advise against looking at the pictures) it's ok to be openly classist again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted April 2, 2008 Who let you out of the other forum? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted April 3, 2008 wait a minute... let's say those games where edited in, then wtf was he holding in the first place!? if she was actually holding those games, then why did they bring back part of her outfit by cutting off part of the games... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ginger Posted April 3, 2008 Who let you out of the other forum? I am a gamer, honest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
werd123 Posted April 6, 2008 Well that's wierd, I didn't know that in the UK games didn't have to be rated to be put on the shelf. In Australia, the title has to be rated, otherwise it is stopped from being sold by the Government. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted April 6, 2008 They do have to be rated if they have content worthy of a label for 15 or over (when they are rated by the British Board of Film Classification). And ratings under that are voluntary. Hence it is surprising that COD4 is not rated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wrestlevania Posted April 8, 2008 On 360 at least, CoD4 has one of those shite '16+' black and white badges, hidden in plain site amongst a morass of other similarly designed - and ultimately meaningless - swatches. But I agree, it definitely should have been rated by the BBFC. PS: Anne Diamond's a willing media sock-puppet and therefore irrevocably a cunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted April 8, 2008 The PEGI system only a guideline for buyers and not enforceable by law... so any 9 year old can merrily go and buy it. I was actually so surprised that I wrote a letter to PC Gamer about it: Hi there, I don’t usually write into magazines, but I feel compelled to for one of the least “cool” reasons imaginable: Support of censorship. (Boo, hiss, etc.) I understand that this is the sort of thing we, as sensible, well-adjusted gamers, do not like. Most of us would love to see Manhunt 2 released, for example, so we could make our own minds up about how corrupting it is. My particular problem though, comes from the release of Call of Duty 4. “It’s not even that violent”, I hear you cry, and I agree with you. However, I do feel it’s rather inappropriate for, say, an eight year old, to watch an opening sequence through the eyes of a terrorist captive. Being beaten and threatened in a sadistic manner, driven through a war-torn city, witnessing civilians lined against walls and executed in cold blood (all wonderfully graphically realised, of course), only then to be tied to a post and shot in the face a point-blank range. (Remember this is all seen through the “eyes” of the gamer, so the gun is pointed towards the screen.) I agree that we’ve seen worse in terms of violence in games, but I do have difficulty with the thought of a ten-year-old being encouraged to shoot and kill unarmed civilians while they sleep, during the first mission. (You’re the good guys!) Or perhaps the effect it might have on a young mind when, later in the game, your Captain brutally and sadistically executes a confined prisoner. Say nothing of the casual racism and xenophobia that is tossed around within the game. Of course, this is why we have ratings, except, for some odd reason, even though all the previous Call of Duties were rated ‘15’, even though a completely fantasy driven game like Oblivion received a ‘12’, and even though this is the most graphically realistic presentation of war (with admittedly, no blood) ever to be presented as a game, it is on your local shops shelves without a BBFC certificate, making it the legal equivalent of a ‘U’. Yes. I’m baffled. I’m more than happy to see this game in the hands of a 15 year old or above, but I’m a little shocked that the proper warnings are not being provided to shops and retailers in this instance. Guitar Hero III is rated a ‘12’, for Pete’s sake (I don’t understand why), and came out around the same time, but the most realistic presentation of war ever made playable is a ‘U’? Surely some comment or explanation from the BBFC is due. Perhaps PC Gamer could investigate? I’m sorry to offend any readers younger than 15 who feel I’m insulting their intelligence, I can only hope they’ll agree that some safe-guards are put in place for a reason, and that they too agree that everything shouldn’t be available to everyone, regardless of their age. Yours sincerely, a very “un-cool” Johnny Walker, London PS – Please note, I am aware that Call of Duty 4 comes with a PEGI rating of ‘16+’, but the PEGI rating is generally seen as a guide and is not enforceable by law, meaning that a child of any age many legally purchase it for themselves. It’s also an unfamiliar system for parents and shop assistants, which is one of the reasons why they have not replaced the much more recognisable (and legally enforceable) BBFC ratings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted April 8, 2008 I thought that sounded wrong, but turns out PEGI is legally enforceable in Finland and a couple more countries, but not in the UK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites