The ESRB rated Battlefield 3 last week, giving it an M-rating and revealing that players will end up shooting cops in one section of the game. While this brings up thoughts of Modern Warfare 2 and its infamous “No Russian” level, Electronic Arts has argued its case with an amazing amount of passion.
“I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation,” EA told Eurogamer. “For God’s sake, there is a nuke in Paris! Millions of lives are at stake!!”
Now, whatever one may think of EA, I don’t think any of us can deny that’s probably the best statement a videogame publisher has ever officially made. They certainly make a good point, too!
The cop-killing level sounds like it will be portrayed in a very different light to the “No Russian” level, especially since DICE has already gone on record as saying it didn’t want to give players the option to “do bad things.” They’re going to need to really work it to justify this. In any case, you can read the full ESRB description below.
This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a U.S. Marine soldier who is on trial for treason. Players engage in fictitious military conflicts as the soldier’s story is told from a variety of perspectives (e.g., fighter pilots, tank commanders, Special Forces operatives).
Players use sniper rifles, machines guns, grenades, and rocket launchers to kill enemy soldiers in frenetic firefights. The frequent combat is highlighted by realistic gunfire and large explosions; characters sometimes scream and emit large splashes of blood when shot. Players can also engage in hand-to-hand combat: repeatedly punching enemies in the face; stabbing soldiers to death with knives.In one sequence, a restrained character’s throat is slit (off-screen); in another, players shoot police officers to complete a mission objective.
The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard frequently in the dialogue.
