US And Europe Video Game Rating System, Are They So Different?

Nowhere is the cultural difference more evident between US and Europe then in the field of entertainment. Typically US shys away from obvious descriptions of sexuality while having a tolerance level for violence in entertainment. While in Europe it is just the opposite, the ban hammer is dropped on violence and sensuality flows freely. This article depicts these differences in the rating system with the US and Europe with the rating given to the Xbox 360 game Mass Effect.

The latest example of this division is seen in two ratings of the forthcoming Xbox 360 role-playing game Mass Effect. In the US, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board or ESRB gave the game a M for Mature rating for "Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, [and] Violence" this means no one under 17 should buy or rent the game without parent approval.

While the British Board of Film Classification BBFC known in the news for its recently banned Manhunt 2 explained that American reason for the M rating comes from a single sequence depicting a risque encounter.

"The single sex scene is brief and un-detailed, although there is breast nudity in one version of the scene,". "The sex scene is triggered by the player making a series of choices about becoming more than friends with a colleague. If playing as a male character the scene can take place between him and a human woman or a humanoid female alien. If playing as a female character the scene can take place between her and a male human or a female humanoid alien."

The mention of extraterrestrial bisexuals raises the eyes of an outer space version of the "Hot Coffee" scandal from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas two years ago which by providing a code in the game you unlock a mini sex game. However, any controversy will likely be waved by the fact that the BBFC gave Mass Effect a "12" rating basically saying it is okay for preteens to be able to play the game unsupervised.

Mass Effect isn't the first BioWare game to involve bisexual characters. The PC and Xbox title Jade Empire had several non-graphic cross-gender love subplots,"including one storyline which leads to an implied three-way liaison between a male hero and two non-player characters, Silk Fox and Dawn Star". Depending on the choice of being a male or female character can also "lead to some same-sex crushes in the Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic games".

The Europe and US rating comparison is interesting to me because Europe easily bans games such as Manhunt 2 for its violence but will slap a soft rating on games with strong sexual content in them such as Mass Effect. You decide is this just?

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8 Money Saving Tips For Xbox Shopping

Do you want to buy an Xbox console but don't have a fortune to spend? Do you want to know where to shop to save money? And what to buy with the console to get the most out of your investment? Below are 8 tips to help save you money buy shopping for an Xbox console.

1. Buy the Xbox Used: Xbox's are not longer being manufactured so you pay a higher price for a new console. Buy a used system that has been cleaned and tested. A used console will usually work just as well, but will save you about $50.

2. Buy Online: The best prices on Xbox consoles are online. You might have to shop around to find the best prices, but they are out there. Price comparison websites are great place to start the search. Plus, when you shop online you usually won't have to pay sales tax. But watch out for high shipping! It can eat into a lot of the savings if you aren't careful.

3. Bundle Games and Accessories: Buy games and accessories at the same time you buy the Xbox. Many retailers give discounts on bundled items. And Shipping is almost always less than if you bought everything separately. This makes a big difference when it comes to the controllers and other heavy items.

4. Buy Used Games: Buying used games is a great way to save money. They will usually be at least 50 percent less than the game was new and with many games the discounts are more than 75 percent! Be sure to buy games that are in good condition though. If the game has a bunch of scratches it might not load, or might break later in the game. Be sure you see a clear description of the game's condition before you buy it.

5. Read Game Reviews: There are a lot of games and to be honest many of them are no good. Do a little bit of research into the games before you buy them. What are critics saying? Or better yet actual gamers? Many websites like gamerankings.com and gamestats.com give overall rankings for Xbox games. Some good video games to start with are: Halo, Halo 2, Project Gotham Racing, Ghost Recon, and Medal of Honor.

6. Buy Games that Interest You: Reviews can only take you so far because the critics might have different opinions than you. If you love skateboarding, you will probably enjoy a skateboarding game. If you son is obsessed with Spiderman, he will probably enjoy a Spiderman game. Even if the reviews aren't very good.

7. Buy Microsoft Accessories: You will probably want an extra controller, or memory card, or some other accessory to go along with your console. When at all possible, but accessories made by Microsoft. They will be more expensive initially but many third party accessories (especially controllers) will break on you. Microsoft's controllers and other accessories will last much longer and be worth the extra money up front.

8. Buy Useful Accessories: There are lots of accessories made for the Xbox, but many of them are not worth your money. The most important extra accessory to buy is a controller. Each console comes with one controller but if you want to play with friends, you will need an extra (or three if you really want to have a good time). Memory cards are not as important as other systems because the Xbox has a built in hard drive. You will only need a memory card if you want to bring saved data to another Xbox.

Follow these 8 tips and you will save money and start enjoying your Xbox console, games, and accessories.

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