Gears of War 2 Filters Replace Blood with Sparks, Remove Swearing for Younger Players
Said to feature more brutal violence than its predecessor, Gears of War 2's optional filters "turns the blood into sparks" and "takes out all the swear words," Microsoft informed parental gaming resource What They Play.
In addition to series mainstays such as the chainsaw-equipped Lancer rifle, the game was recently revealed to feature new gameplay elements including deathblows to crush downed enemies and the ability to use wounded foes for use as meat shields.
It remains to be seen whether any of these elements will be modified or removed in the presence of an applied gore filter, or if the option is limited strictly to replacing blood with sparks.
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Sturm08
replyI think this is brilliant -- every M game should do this. I don't think this is an excuse for parents to play Gears of War or GTA type games in front of their 2 year olds, but I think it helps for parents. Plus, it's a good step towards getting anti-game politicians to back off.
Great job Epic.-
But that means even more mic-equipped 8 year-old online. Are you sure you thought this through?
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True, but I think it kinda misses the point. Even if sparks are flying instead of blood, would you really want a nine- or ten-year-old kid sawing a Locust in half with a lancer?
I played violent games all the time when I was wee -- or, y'know, games which were violent for the time, anyway. And I turned out okay, yadda yadda, the usual. But for violence filters to really make a solid impact, they need to go farther than just replacing the blood with sparks.-
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That would make the game more fun.
Alternatively, all the weapons could be replaced by Walkie Talkies.-
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I think it also helps in a situation where someone who has kids can play with the sound on and not have to worry about their kids hearing the language if they happen to walk by the tv room or what not. I know I tend to play games in the computer room with headphones on so that my kids don't hear the language in a lot of the games I play even if they are not in the same room.
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Really though? Is it really any better to chainsaw a dude in half and have yellow sparks come gushing out instead of red "blood"?
To me, it sounds like the equivalent of blurring the nipples on a woman during a sex scene, but leaving in the sex scene.-
Yes, what you said.
Stop saying things better than I could, Vincent.-
better than I CAN...
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I hate all of you. :(
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I'm saying it's a nice compromise. I don't think this makes it go away. I'm just saying it's easier to do things around little kids, position it to anti-game enthusiasts...hell, now they can ship the same game in Germany, just change the default setting.
A change like this doesn't require a massive amount of work. It's a nice option to put in for people.
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Of course it is. but maybe, just maybe, politicians will see this as a step forward for us, so they can take a step back.
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Not a step forward at all because first and foremost it's still a violent video game. Nothing has changed. Just because they offer the option doesn't mean people will utilize it and options have rarely if ever mattered. This isn't the first game to try this.
Given the nature of Gears of War in which you can cut someone in half with a chainsaw, I don't think changing the blood to sparks is going to make any politician notice. I sure as hell wouldn't. It doesn't prevent those under the M-rating age from playing the game which is their biggest concern.
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