An US group named National Institute on Media and the Family thought to use the mad shopping season as a means to gain some media attention. As games tend to be a hot item nowadays, what better way to accomplish your goal than bashing games (and their guardian dog, the ESRB) a bit?
To make a long press release short, the NIMF seem to think that parents tend to overlook and big Mature rating on the box of the game and, therefore, came up with a list of ten of the most “not suitable for kids” games list. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed is right on the top, followed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and muscle-man Conan. Most surprisingly, the more-than-controversial Manhunt 2 is buried down, just when everyone expected it to be the be the headline.
Assassin’s Creed
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Conan
The Darkness
Clive Barker’s Jericho
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Manhunt 2
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
John Woo Presents Stranglehold
Timeshift
In response, ESRB’s president Patricia Vance sent the usual message: we’re doing our job fine, why don’t you mind your own business:
"At a time of year when parents are looking for helpful guidance about video games, this year’s report card does little more than sow unwarranted doubt about effective tools like ESRB ratings."