Family Media Guide Pinpoints '10 Most Violent' Games

The Family Media Guide, a subscription-based website that produces what it considers "objective ratings" of video games, movies, and other media, has officially released a list of "2005's Top 10 Ultra-Violent Video Games", based on its PSVratings system. In releasing the list, the for-profit firm, which has extremely detailed descriptions of the profane, sexual, and violent content for each game, such as this one for Resident Evil 4, has released a statement insisting that its own ratings are "superior to the existing ESRB (Electronic Software Ratings Board) industry association-based review approach, which assigns ratings based upon the subjective opinions of three individuals who may not even play the game." Ironically, the games that the Family Media Guide singles out include some of the ESRB M-rated titles (not buyable by those under the age of 17)which have been most critically acclaimed so far this year, including Capcom's Resident Evil 4 (of which the site notes: "it's possible to find the corpse of a woman pinned up on a wall -- by a pitchfork through her face", Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ("Player can wreak as much havoc as he likes without progressing through the game's storyline"), and Sony's God of War ("Prisoners are burned alive and player can use "finishing moves" to kill opponents, like tearing a victim in half.") Other titles singled out include Narc, Killer 7, The Warriors, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, Crime Life: Gang Wars, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and True Crime: New York City, and the Family Media Guide notes of the M-rated titles: "At the start of this year's holiday shopping frenzy, parents should be prepared to check their kids' gift lists very carefully."