Has the ESRB lost their mind?  For me at least, a certain level of expectation comes to mind when I see an "M" in black and white letters on the box. 

Here are some examples:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MFkSJMvTU 

...And... here is an example of Diablo 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XgOQDKLtjA

... another E-rated game with an M just randomly stamped on the box, just like Halo.

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

Originally posted by zymurgeist

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

The way I figure it, there are 3 possibilities here:

#1 You have a modded version of D3.

#2 You do not see things correctly:  hallucinations, drugs, bad vision.

#3 You were talking about another game, not Diablo 3.

If you can show me a version of diablo 3 with severed heads constantly on screen, I'd buy it.  Since even the few guillotines the game has are turned away from players, I doubt you can find one.  The game does have a few splats of blood, but considering how utterly juvenile the story is, I think it's safe to say that those aren't enough to warrant an M-rating.

Originally posted by Souldrainer

Originally posted by zymurgeist

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

how utterly juvenile the story is, I think it's safe to say that those aren't enough to warrant an M-rating.

Story doesn't affect the rating that much. 

There are hanged corpses and quite a bit of blood.

Originally posted by Souldrainer

Originally posted by zymurgeist

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

The way I figure it, there are 3 possibilities here:

#1 You have a modded version of D3.

#2 You do not see things correctly:  hallucinations, drugs, bad vision.

#3 You were talking about another game, not Diablo 3.

 

If you can show me a version of diablo 3 with severed heads constantly on screen, I'd buy it.  Since even the few guillotines the game has are turned away from players, I doubt you can find one.  The game does have a few splats of blood, but considering how utterly juvenile the story is, I think it's safe to say that those aren't enough to warrant an M-rating.

It certainly isnt hardcore gore by any means, but to say there is a few splats of blood is an understatement. There is constant blood and body parts flying across the screen. It may not be as freakishly detailed as you would like ... but it is still there. There are also hung bodies and corpses scattered throughout Diablo 3 ... that isnt going to get under an M rating by any standard.

You also have to understand that the plotline is about "hell", the esrb is most likely full of religous nuts and this is why it would get an M rating. Also the blood and gore and all around setting.

The problem is with your expectation, rather than the reality. There is more than enough blood and gore going on this game to warrant the M.

You wanted nudity and were disappointed. Are you old enough to be here?

I'm very happy it doesn't fit "top 5 most violent games". I would probably stay the fuck away if it did.

Originally posted by Souldrainer

Originally posted by zymurgeist

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

The way I figure it, there are 3 possibilities here:

#1 You have a modded version of D3.

#2 You do not see things correctly:  hallucinations, drugs, bad vision.

#3 You were talking about another game, not Diablo 3.

If you can show me a version of diablo 3 with severed heads constantly on screen, I'd buy it.  Since even the few guillotines the game has are turned away from players, I doubt you can find one.  The game does have a few splats of blood, but considering how utterly juvenile the story is, I think it's safe to say that those aren't enough to warrant an M-rating.

Not sure what game you're playing. When I wander through the Cathedral, I'm constantly stepping on dead villager/adventurers/soldiers. Then there're the section where a few townmembers are speared to the wall and all.

/shrug

Deserves an M rating. Is it the goriest thing there is? No...not even close. But plenty there to deserve an M.

I don't think the American agency who rates games and such look at how cartoony it looks or how adult it feels or even how much the focus is on brutality (see your first video with the zoomed in murder)

They just tick boxes and look at how much (volume) and what kind of brutality there is.

That's how you end up with Left 4 Dead and Manhunt getting the same rating as cartoony Diablo 3.

Diablo 3 is full of blood, dismemberment, decapitations, and dead bodies. It's not quite as "in your face" because of the view distance and the art style but it's obviously there.

OP I really doubt if you've even played the game based on what your saying...

Originally posted by Souldrainer

Originally posted by zymurgeist

I think the severed heads flying across the screen constantly pretty much clenched it an M rating. It's a better reason than tits anyway.

The way I figure it, there are 3 possibilities here:

#1 You have a modded version of D3.

#2 You do not see things correctly:  hallucinations, drugs, bad vision.

#3 You were talking about another game, not Diablo 3.

 

If you can show me a version of diablo 3 with severed heads constantly on screen, I'd buy it.  Since even the few guillotines the game has are turned away from players, I doubt you can find one.  The game does have a few splats of blood, but considering how utterly juvenile the story is, I think it's safe to say that those aren't enough to warrant an M-rating.

 Every critical hit kill is a decapitation. You may think it's safe to sa ybut I'm pretty sure the people who actually matter, the esrb, disagree.

There are a few blood smears here and there, but not that much.  Most of the dead bodies you come across could just as easily be sleeping bodies. No blood or other signs of violence, though there are a few, minor exceptions.  Compared to Diablo 1, this seems pretty mild.  In that game there were naked, mutilated boddies all over the place, and the Butcher's chambers was completely covered in blood from floor to ceiling. You knew why he was called the Butcher.  In D3, the Butcher's chamber is  a nearly pristine room with fire instead of blood.  It does seem pretty mild in comparison.

The "gore" people are talking about is not very impressive to me.  Maybe if I hadn't played God of War or Manhunt, it would be impressive.  Moreover, the 2008 alpha footage was FAR more impressive, where body parts flew into the air instead of going across the ground, and with death animations which were removed out of sheer laziness.

***Possible Spoilers***

Moreover, the most annoying part is that the story is not mature, at all.  Characters like Magda should go back to Power Rangers, or wherever they came from.  Every time we kill the Butcher, we are reminded that this is now geared toward's that audience, not the core fans of Diablo.  It was so bad, that I didn't even buy the death of Deckard Kain.  When he died, I remembered thinking that there was alpha story content which we saw in 2008, and he'd be back for it.  I also felt detached, as if they somehow got the character wrong and didn't portray him correctly this time around.  This is a character I had known for 16 years, and when he died, I felt like "meh."  Now, when Dom Santiago died, I cried.  That was an emotional investment. Nevermind that Tyreal went from being a major badass to being a whiny idiot. D3 just does not have an emotionally investing, mature story.

I guess it's as much of a thing of dropped mature content/features as it is about the rating itself.  But I digress, these two videos are far more mature than all of the M-rated content in Diablo 3 put together:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwUAv-SSZqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeYAaGKOhzI

---

Originally posted by Merdur You also have to understand that the plotline is about "hell", the esrb is most likely full of religous nuts and this is why it would get an M rating.

---

Sadly, you are probably correct.

---

Originally posted by Irus I'm very happy it doesn't fit "top 5 most violent games". I would probably stay the fuck away if it did.

---

If you would rather see a company change an IP than use violence, then you are part of the problem. Diablo is supposed to have mature content, anti-religion themes, horrror, and gore. It's part of the series. Err, it was for the first two games, anyway.

---

Originally posted by kiern There are a few blood smears here and there, but not that much. Most of the dead bodies you come across could just as easily be sleeping bodies. No blood or other signs of violence, though there are a few, minor exceptions. Compared to Diablo 1, this seems pretty mild. In that game there were naked, mutilated boddies all over the place, and the Butcher's chambers was completely covered in blood from floor to ceiling. You knew why he was called the Butcher. In D3, the Butcher's chamber is a nearly pristine room with fire instead of blood. It does seem pretty mild in comparison.

---

Exactly. The Butcher is about the best example. See, Doom 3 was a proper example of a sequel.  Doom 1 scared people and had hellish themes.  Doom 3 did too. We should be SCARED of Diablo on the first go around... not "There's the crook, let's get him."  This was supposed to be a horror game!

What?

When my wizard uses one of her abilities, ememies are diced into 5 pieces and their limbs and heads go flying all over.

When my monk does a strong punch he literely punches the skin off the enemy and a bloody skeleton goes flying off the screen.

Right before you kill the butcher there's torturing devices where a fat corpse gets grinded up in a wheel and there's buckets of heads that you can hit that cause little heads to go flying all over the place.

In the beginning of act 2 there's dozens of impaled bodies all over the screen and in general THERE'S DEAD BLOODY CORPSES ALL OVER THE WHOLE DAMN GAME.

Go watch some snuff films or something man cause you seem to need a bigger fix.

Either that or quit playing gogogogogogo Inferno 16 hours a day and slow down to look at the screen for a few minutes.

Originally posted by loeslein

What?

When my wizard uses one of her abilities, ememies are diced into 5 pieces and their limbs and heads go flying all over.

When my monk does a strong punch he literely punches the skin off the enemy and a bloody skeleton goes flying off the screen.

Right before you kill the butcher there's torturing devices where a fat corpse gets grinded up in a wheel and there's buckets of heads that you can hit that cause little heads to go flying all over the place.

In the beginning of act 2 there's dozens of impaled bodies all over the screen and in general THERE'S DEAD BLOODY CORPSES ALL OVER THE WHOLE DAMN GAME.

 

 

Go watch some snuff films or something man cause you seem to need a bigger fix.

 

Either that or quit playing gogogogogogo Inferno 16 hours a day and slow down to look at the screen for a few minutes.

 

In the halls of agony there is a dead body on some crazy grinding thing and when you hit it it literally grinds the lower half of the body.  It's pretty cool.

Originally posted by Arawulf

In the halls of agony there is a dead body on some crazy grinding thing and when you hit it it literally grinds the lower half of the body.  It's pretty cool.

go play manhunt or mad world if slaughtering demons into little pieces is not enough for your blood lust