14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like the ESRB is still in the digging-up-the-dead business, having sent 3D Realms a letter in which the board advises them to be more careful with their content, as some of it (30 instances to be precise), doesn't comply with the board's Terms and Conditions Agreement. Here's one of them: "old pixilated" rating icons.
From my knowledge, the developer's site offers oldies, so of course their rating icons are old too. It's hilarious. What, they need to be updated for people to know exactly what they're getting themselves into? Does any of the developer's titles even compare with the sadistic, cruel and pornography-filled games today? Anyway, here's what ShackNews.com reports:
"Last week, the developer received a letter from the ESRB, which it forwarded to Shacknews, listing over 30 instances of its website violating the ESRB's Terms and Conditions Agreement. Most of the violations stemmed from 3D Realms' use of "old pixilated" rating icons and the lack of content descriptors, such as "Blood" and "Nudity." Steps to obtain the proper rating icons and content labels were not provided, though the letter contained contact information for an ESRB representative.
The ESRB specified that 3D Realms had only 10 days to comply before facing penalties. Actions available to the ESRB, as described in the letter, depend on the severity and the frequency of the infractions, but can range from mere warnings and the "temporary suspension of all ESRB rating services for any other of [the] company's products" to fines of $10,000 for repeat infractions."
All this for a bunch of old games. Let's face it, as much as we love the developer for introducing us to the world of 3 dimensional shooting, their games are antiquities. Miller, of course expressed a degree of disappointment with the ESRB's manner of approaching the issue, as the same site reports. "I think they came off like a school yard bully, rather than an industry partner," he told Shacknews. "Why all the threats right off the bat? If the ESRB people know what was being said about them in underground channels, so to speak, they'd see that their antics have caused them much loss of faith as an industry leader."
So true...! Yes - ESRB sometimes makes mistakes. No - the ESRB is not that dispensable. Yes - the board should lighten up a bit. Jeez...!