List of Top 10 Games Not for Kids

Here is the story:

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/23/technology/personaltech/videogames/index.htm?cnn=yes

I personally haven't played Prince of Persia, but I have seen Thomas play it. I thought that I recall seeing violence in that game but it is actually listed as games for kids. I think I remember seeing people flinging swords and such.

This may be just me, but Pikmin 2 scares me. I feel terrified whenever the big monster chow down on my poor pikmins. The defenseless pikmins are massacred. It's not bloody, but violence against cute little characters is recommended for kids?

I'm baffled.

What do you think of the listed games on both the TOP 10 nono list and recommended list?

 

In terms of technical violence levels you would be hard pressed to find something worse than a Mario game; but this list isn't about violence, it is the effect of violence that results in this criticism.
Thus cartoon style violence with little to no physical conseqence seems to be ok, but that which shows the effect of throwing large knives at people is derided as not suitable for younger people...

Take the Mortal Kombat game on the list: that series established iteslf with more blood and gore than it's rivals coupled with more realistic looking character models, mainly because its gameplay was lacking. So these people are basically bring attention to a game based on its biggest marketing asset.

The issue in the US is the stupid classification system in use: by sticking M at almost the same level as the AO version then no-one uses the latter as it doesn't mean much is different, but it will be treated worse by retailers.
What the system needs is for M to be dragged down to a Mid-teen level, so as to set a sensible tiering system for things.
AO should be renamed: Adult Only suggests soft porn rather than gratuitous violence.

 

Should the fact that the sequel to the Prince of Persia is bloody violent affect the original game's recommendation to kids?

I saw the trailer of the second game yesterday and it is bloody. Body parts are cut in pieces, kind of bloody. O_O It reminded me of the overly violent Berserk game for the PS2 that Thomas has been playing.

I wonder why they suddenly made the sequel more bloody.