Top 10 Games the ESRB Has Rated Most Incorrectly

The original Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64 was rated E. Its sequels, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (this, obviously), are both rated T, despite having less violence than the original (no blood, no gore, only characters getting punched around and sent flying). However, all of the sound effects in the first game were replaced with cartoon ones when the game was released outside of Japan. The high rating was because the graphics of Melee and Brawl were real unlike the original. For the fourth game, the rating drops to E10+ (Melee would have gotten E10+ as well, had that rating existed at the time).

What? This game isn't even the slightest amount of inappropriateness. Ok, the most inappropriate thing in it is wario farting while flying, which had me cracking up laughing when I was a kid. The most violent thing is attacking an opponent with a red plasma sword. No blood either. Frankly, even if there were any blood, it would be NOTHING compared to Mortal Kombat games and Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty

What's so inappropriate? I was like 5 and my brothers were like 10 when we got this game. Our parents bought it. I played it, expecting mature stuff, and there was NOTHING bad about it. It should be at least E10. I think it was because Solid Snake is in the game.

Goldeneye: shoot guns, a graphic death scene and references to genocide. Rated Teen
Super Smash Bros Brawl: fight Nintendo and 3rd party characters in a cartoony style without blood or deaths. Rated Teen.

E10+ for Language isn't too uneasonable. Anything with damn, hell, or bastard (and aren't used properly) gets the E10+ rating automatically.

I actually disagree. Just because it has a bad word on the title doesn't mean it should be rated M.

They should up the rating or change the title on all consoles to "Bombing Busters".

I think it could possibly get away with an E-rating, since in many countries, words like "damn", "hell", "bitch", "bastard", "ass" are considered so mild that they aren't even profanity, just impolite slang words. But I sort of understand the E10+ for it being in the title.

Should have been rated E, the reason given for the T rating was Giga Bowser but you had things like the evil piano in Super Mario 64, the demon resident minecart (and the catacombs before) in Donkey Kong 64, and some of the jokes in the Banjo series. All of those got an E rating.

Melee's rating isn't that far off if you know that E10+ didn't exist in 2001. It was either E or T, and the ESRB decided to play it safe (Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS are both rated E10)

Should have been rated E, the reason given for the T rating was Giga Bowser but there were a lot darker things in E-rated games than that.

This was back when the E10+ rating didn't exist, so the ESRB probably thought it was a little too much for an E game.

Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were way more graphic and had blood. Heck, even some parts from Skyward Sword were worse such as the Koloktos fight whereyou pick up these gigantic swords, chop off all of his limbs, and stab him in the heart until he dies while red specks fly out (by worst I mean more violence not worse gameplay because Koloktos fight = awesome). Anyway, ESRB screwed up. E10+ is a better rating.

This game should be rated E10, or even E. It's actually less dark and gritty than Wind Waker despite the art style.

Again, does not deserve a T rating.

This should be an E or E10+

The sole content descriptor is Mild Cartoon Violence and 3D World is rated E for the same reason.

This game should be rated E. England rated it for 3+. Maybe the 3D graphics pulled tge ESRB toward E10+

No, but Dreamy Luigis fall off the screen! That's too graphic for kids! /s

E10 for no reason lol

The sequel was worse, it should be E10+. maybe it is because it came packaged with 4 M rated games and had blood

I agree, it should be E.

t for pretty much no reason

What the heck is up with this game, it's a educational game about learning how to type, but it has blood and scary stuff! Who was this made for?

Is this game about zombies showing you how to type? What the heck is this?!

I think all adults know how to type...

Why is this not rated e

A Tom and Jerry game got rated T. enough said.

Get that higher on the list! that's nothing compared to the incredibles!

How is this the same rating as The Dark Knight?

I could play this at 3

The very first game rated E10+? Wouldn't that go to a Harry Potter game or something

Why E10+? Shadow The Hedgehog should've been the first game to have an E10+!

A cruel, oppressive dictatorship run by the clone of your former disciple, robots getting killed rather brutally, and your original body gone evil who literally claims that he's the messiah...Y'know for kids!

This game and it's sequels all should've been rated T for Teen instead because they are a bit too dark and bloody even for E-rated game standards.

Rated T for Teen. COME ON RATERS! Harry Potter is appropriate and they rate the series T and PG-13?!?!

T for a PG movie? There's no blood. It should've been re-rated to E10+ for the Greatest Hits release.

A game based off of The Incredibles was given a T rating. enough said.

Just like Meelee, this was when the E10+ rating didn't exist.

A pg movie turned into a t game hows that happpen?

E10+ for a SpongeBob game is weird, unless you are making a game based on Sailor Mouth lol.

I agree, there's no need at all for an E10+ for this game.

THE E10+ RATING IS THE MOST USELESS THINGS ON THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!

This should be a Teen, it's strange how in early development it was going to uncensor the F word but they changed it to censor both the F word (which was the case in the N64) and the S word.

This game should be rated T. The swearing is censored, the difficulty was dumbed down, come on. The Simpsons is a PG rated show and Conker Live and Reloaded has NOTHING that hasn't been seen in the Simpsons.

No, there is still adult humor, violence and everything else you don't want your kids watching, sure, the cussing is beeped, but it's still there!

Should be E10+ or pegi 11 because just because there is an little bit of hell,damn,ass does not mean only teens should play this game.

I can understand the Japanese version being rated M: do you know how much they censored this game before it was released in the USA?

The ESRB rates it T for Teen for blood? Other than a tiny bit coming out of one of the enemies mouths, there is no blood. E10+ at most

I played earthbound when I wasn't even 10. it's got fantasy violence but not really much of anything else

At first I thought this was E but I found out it was T.

Should be rated AO.

Should be E10+ or T. I haven't played it, so I don't know which

Anything South Park should be m rated

DUMB! I've seen worse

IT'S SOUTH PARK, OF COURSE IT GETS AN M RATING

Rated T for Teen for Bad Lyrics. Who cares? It's just a stupid song.

It's because the E10+ rating didn't exist until 2005.

Its Donkey Kong, he ain't violent