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Halo 2 for Vista delayed due to "partial nudity"
Leo Chan - Friday, May 25th, 2007 | 10:40AM (PT)


"Obscure content error" translates into hidden nudity depicting one's bare backside

Say what you will about the media overhyping of GTA's hidden Hot Coffee event, but the event left its mark on the industry and its developers. Perhaps we can see shades of this in Microsoft's decision to delay the release of Halo 2 for Vista PC platforms due to "obscure" hidden nudity. Microsoft notes the content in question not normally accessible during regular play, but is potentially viewable from the map editor tool. The Vista version of Halo 2 is now scheduled for a May 31st release in North America; this delay will allow the ESRB to accomodate for the content with additional notification warning users of potential nudity. The notifications will only apply to initial shipments of Halo 2 for Vista, as Microsoft intends on removing the offending content from future runs of the game. The ESRB itself comments:
"After the M (Mature 17+) rating assignment was issued for Halo 2 for Vista and just prior to the shipment of the game to retail, Microsoft notified ESRB about pertinent content found in a map editor tool that is being bundled with the game. The content in question, although likely to be inaccessible to the vast majority of users, displays a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs, and thus warrants a 'Partial Nudity' content descriptor in order to alert consumers to its presence in the product. Microsoft has therefore applied stickers with correct ESRB rating information to the packaging of virtually all copies that will ship to retail in the U.S. and Canada. We have been advised by Microsoft that future runs of the game will be produced without the content in question, thus negating the need for the descriptor to be displayed on those versions.

"ESRB's job is to ensure that games are appropriately labeled, and that is precisely what we did in this case. We greatly appreciate Microsoft's cooperation in this matter."

Alternate Source: GameDaily BIZ

Section: PC Games

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Comments:

May 25th, 2007 12:35PM(PT)
jmicahg
What, the covenant hordes don't wear any pants?
That's alien nudity, and not really an issue. Besides, doesn't the covenant reproduce with spores?
Or is it the virtual AI of Grotanna (the hologram babe that tells master chief what's up). Yeah, digital boobies are offensive.
Honestly, people and parents should be less concerned with female figures in video games and more concerned with what kids can scavange off the interweb, draw from television (HBO is a prime example), what's presented to them in pop (poop) culture with the likes of Britney "I'm crazy" Spears, and what's avaliable in magazines.

Or do we get to see what's under master chiefs cyborg pants? "Ewwww, gross! I just saw his extension cord dangling in the breeze."
May 25th, 2007 2:06PM(PT)
Raijin1999
"The content in question, although likely to be inaccessible to the vast majority of users, displays a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs, and thus warrants a 'Partial Nudity' content descriptor in order to alert consumers to its presence in the product."


It's a frackin' (Yes, I watch it religiously) joke. The developers mooned each other while passing around the dev code from team to team. Big frackin' deal.

Jack Thompson can burn in Hell. Even if he don't know about this'n yet.
May 25th, 2007 2:42PM(PT)
jmicahg
They're scared about some dudes butt that actually isn't in game, but can only be seen if your system/game is hacked and suffers a fatal exception error.

That's it, I'm gonna program a game where the focus of it is to offend the ESRB. You get to walk around their offices and flash them, oh double points for scaring the hell out of some secretary when you mooned her. There's the ESRB chief, quick, bust out the inflatable sex doll and bucket of blood and you've won!

The ending credits sequence would be the ESRB with a big stick up their you know what.
May 25th, 2007 2:42PM(PT)
DG
Er, it clearly states no boobies. Just some guy's ass. OH NO. AN ASS. This is majorly offensive and shocking? Doesn't everyone on the planet HAVE an ass? Its not like girls looking at it would be shocked and warped.
May 25th, 2007 3:05PM(PT)
Chronic Apathy
Yeah, and I've seen ass on a damn SUN TAN LOTION BOTTLE.

The ESRB sucks donkey balls!
May 25th, 2007 3:20PM(PT)
The Knowledge
Wow a ass, we all have one whats the big deal?
May 28th, 2007 7:00PM(PT)
Chaos Swordsman
Once again, GTA takes the video game industry down a road that probably would have never existed. Thank you, hot coffee!
May 29th, 2007 11:39AM(PT)
jmicahg
Though the ESRB doesn't know it, they're actually helping to boost video game sales by publicly bashing these titles that have questionable content.

Just think about it; if you were some 14 year old little boy, spending countless hours mashing buttons and blasting the digital baddies, wouldn't you do whatever it takes to get a copy of some game rated 'R' because the ESRB said that there was a two second clip somewhere in it that showed a partially exposed wireframe breast of the lead femle character in that game? What little boy wouldn't dream about that?

Kids, buy all the games you want, for PC. Then, download the nude patches for 'Laura Croft: Tomb Raider' and 'The Sims'. They're easy to install and your parents will never know. Okay, your dad might, but he'd probably be cool with it. Just don't tell mom!
June 14th, 2007 8:50AM(PT)
Mastix
What on earth? What kind of nudity could possibly be of harm in this game? Oh noes! Naked AI woman! Can't have that. Good lord ESRB. Seriously, there's more exposure in a Spongebob game...
June 20th, 2007 7:35PM(PT)
fightbite55
lol pretty funny.
June 22nd, 2007 10:48PM(PT)
Hellfire29
Next thing you know we won't be able to have dogs and cats as we can see there asses. (and other bits) Put on some pants, Rover!!
June 23rd, 2007 1:15AM(PT)
jmicahg
Mickey Mouse wears pants but no shirt.
Donald Duck wears a shirt with no pants.
Goofey is compleatly clothed and he's the stupid one.
And Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck are going commando.

The ESRB is full of idiots who think they're the moral light for each and every consumer in the world, and they actually cause more harm than they do good. If I owned a game production studio, I would have my team develop the most offensive game ever, promote the hell out of it, and then let the ESRB choke on all of the violence and sex and nudity in it.

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