Common Sense Media’s 10 Games to Avoid for the Holidays

Um.. can't you shoot people with guns in Mirror's Edge? Also Assassin's Creed's superior storyline and surprising educational value means nothing then? I would say Oblivion is a better substitution for Dragon Age, but alas its also rated M, even though it's what I would call a "soft" M. 

Here is a better list, try to put in games that are ok, and don't talk about games that you don't want parents to buy.

Because if they don't know the bad games, then the parents will only follow by the list they recive.

Honestly I don't think Common Sense Media has a clue as to what video games are good for kids even if they don't know what T rated games are good for the kids or not.

"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry

I also have to question their alternative choices. Uncharted 2, Infamous, and Bad Company 2?  Not that they are bad games but really? One of their problems with Borderlands was "human enemies used as target practice". How is that any different from those other games?

Just saying it would be nice if they explained why they chose those alternatives.

I can't believe I actually agree with them on one thing. If someone says they want DLC for GTA 4, Batman: AA is a WAY better gift. That game is freaking awesome. 

Are you shitting me?  REALLY?

"

• Assassin’s Creed (Mirror’s Edge)
• Borderlands (Infamous)
• Brutal Legend (Ghostbusters)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Battlefield: Bad Company)
• Dead Space: Extraction (Deadly Creatures)
• Dragon Age: Origins (Braid)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Batman: Arkham Asylum)
• Demon’s Souls (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Overlord II)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (C.O.P.: The Recruit)

"

So, one should switch Assassin's Creed ( I assume they mean Assassin's Creed II) With Mirror's Edge?  That game where, while on the run from enemies intent on hindering your movements, you jump from roof to roof and steal firearms to shoot them with?  Genius.

Switching Borderlands for InFamous?  REALLY???

Switching Brutal Legends (which, in my opinion, has one of the best parental controls I've seen for a game, forcing you to decide if you want to hear the swearing and see the 'gore' during the intro video, aside from being one of my favorite games this year) for Ghostbusters?  They're really not that different.

Switching MW2 for Battlefield: Bad Company?  Did they even PLAY Bad Company?  Not only was the game mediocre, but it's about as violent as MW2.

I don't know anything about DS:E or Deadly Creatures.

Switching Dragon Age for Braid, an interesting mix between time control and Super Mario gameplay?  That's like switching a 50$ cheeseburger for a taco.  Two COMPLETELY dissimilar games.

Switching the Ballad of Gay Tony (which I haven't played, though I have downloaded) for Arkham Asylum?  Really?  Do these people just make shit up on the spot?  There's no way they've done research on Arkham Asylm.  That game had one of the most kick-assedly violent hand to hand fighting systems I've seen in years.  You know, breaking arms, ribs, etc.  Yeah, that's so much better than a GTA game.

Demon's Souls for Uncharted 2?  Is shooting foreigners that much better than an RPG where you can die, but regain your life and your lost health by killing the right demon?

Left 4 Dead 2 for Overlord II?  Aside from the obvious fact that Overlord II sucked horrendously, they're not all that different, violence-wise. 

And I've never played these last two, so, you know, whatever.

Honestly, I think Common Sense just has a vendetta against good games.  Maybe it's jealousy concering their lack of success.

If stupid came in different flavors, these people would be Baskin Robbins.

Yeah, I found some of those alternatives surprising too.  Until I read the actual article:

"In choosing our alternatives, we stuck with T-rated titles geared for ages 12-15, and we matched gaming systems -- so if you nix an M-rated PS3 game, you can replace it with a similar T-rated PS3 game."

Andrew Eisen

I admire their goal here, but their research could use work.  Some of their suggestions make sense (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company), but most have little to do with the original game.

Mirror's Edge and Assassin's Creed both feature free running, but that's where the similarities end.

GTA is a gun-based sandbox crime spree while Arkham Asylum is a Metroidvania game focused on fist to fist brawling and exploration.

The real "WTF" moment for me, though, is Dragon Age and Braid.  I'd be hard put to find two less similar games. (Well, I guess they could replace it with Rock Band or DDR)

I cannot help but snerk:

Dragon Age: Origins  This is a masterly crafted but combat-heavy game featuring decapitations and swords plunged deeply into monsters' chests.

...and also the bits where you can seduce the dishy, snarky male assassin regardless of your PC's external genitalia.

Nearly every alternative game they offer is a title I would not let children play either.  This list might take the cake as the most idiotic "evil games" list ever- even moreso than that zombie=cannibalism nonsense or even the list that had unreleased and obscure japan-only games on it. 

"Common Sense" is one of those terms that immediately make me stop listening- right alongside "truth", "moral", or "racist".

It saddens me that groups like CSM and the PTC still exist but relatively reasonable groups like NIMF are dead.

Hey, on the bright side, at least they aren't encouraging parents to burn games and protect thier children from the evils of video gaming.In fact, they ARE suggesting other games, and still encouraging parents to buy video games for their kids, just not the "bad" ones.. Overall, this isn't too bad.

What the heck? Infamous? Bad Company? Batman Arkham Asylum? Uncharted 2? Overlord 2?

Not bad games in the slightest (well, C.O.P I've never heard of, so I can't voice an opinion on that) but obviously they haven't been looking at anything apart from the ESRB rating on the front. Mind you, it seems that they run on a binary opinion, seeing as the titles I mentioned are barely skirting the M rating.