Ben-DutkaWe've already given you our Nier preview but sometimes, the ESRB's detailed description that accompanies a rating offers even more insight into the look and feel of the game.
Not surprisingly, Square-Enix's adult-oriented action/RPG has received an "M-Mature" rating from the ESRB, and according to the full explanation , there are plenty of reasons to hide the kiddies in this one. Square-Enix isn't exactly well known for controversial depictions of violence and other questionable content, but after seeing and hearing more about Nier , it seems clear their "Westward push" won't include moogles. At least, not here. The ESRB talks about how the game is played and what the characters do – as you can see – and then gets into the nitty-gritty:
"The dense fountain-like cascades of blood (along with the language) factor highly into the Mature rating: blood will spray, cascading and arching—sometimes in slow-motion—across the battlefield when creatures are attacked; blood also stains the ground, covers characters (one in a white dress), fills up a sink, spurts. The aforementioned language is strong, often employed for comedic effect rather than profane slur: "f**ks, "a*sholes," "bullsh*ts," and "sh*t hogs" (a comrade questions the validity of the word) get sprinkled in the dialogue. And throughout the quest, a hermaphrodite character (female traits emphasized) wears a revealing outfit that exposes most of the buttocks, in most of his/her scenes; depictions of jiggling breasts and deep cleavage are applied to various female characters as well."
There's that hermaphrodite reference again and we already knew about the strong language. The copious amounts of blood is a tad surprising, just because we still have difficulty equating that feature to Square-Enix. I know they're no longer Squaresoft and I know they also have Eidos and a new direction under their belt these days, but…aren't these the same people that gave us the relatively wholesome Final Fantasy titles? Yeah, there was some cleavage but this is little shocking, ya know?
Related Game(s): Nier
This sounds like a game for low-lifes. The ESRB makes it sound that way anyway…
Wow the way I see things square enix should move their headquarters to a western country. It would be the next step for them since all their endevours point to their desire for westernisation. They should also force all their employes to have their names legally changed to western ones. Let's see, Tetsuya gets to be called Max- yes that's a fitting name for such a talented artist. Nobou gets to be called… oh wait! he has his own company now, he can stay Japanese. And then after that they can build Mcdonalds and KFC inside their headqaurters- to complete the transition you know.
But none of this can be done before they stop making beautiful games (which admittedly was some time ago) and start pumping loads of gore and violence into their new games.
All they need to do is hire some space inside the Redmond HQ of a certain large software company…
@Highlander,
Would that be Microsoft, or Roto-Rooter????
Oh snap….they're both company's that immerse themselves in shit!
So either way, it's still the same ole shiiiiit.
I think we're sharing a mind on this issue….
I'm anxious to see how this game turns out.
What makes a game mature? To me is an incredible story and great gameplay along with a few other things. It doesn't really matter if it has excessive blood, extreme violence or anything else; just look at MGS4's Raiden and Vamp fight… it was epic.
M rated games are the section of games that have done the best in the recession.
So, it's no surprise to see devs jumping on the bandwagon in trying to secure their own piece of the lucrative pie.
This post is about an ESRB rating. This is saying what is in the game which parents and the like may not want their children to see, or whatever. It is NOT an explanation of the game as a whole. Stop bashing it for what it has in it. There are copious amounts of blood in the movie 300, and it was absolutely amazing. Would it have been as amazing without the blood and graphic detail? No. When used correctly, these mature aspects of a game can enhance the gameplay, just as a movie's mature content can enhance the viewer's excitement and enjoyment. When I chop a 50 foot monster in half and there isn't blood flying everywhere, I ask myself, "Where is all the blood? Did they just censor this? Lame." Realism is key. When you chop something apart, blood flies everywhere. That's what happens.
As for the hermaphrodite, well, I am assuming it is put in for comedic value. When people these days laugh at stuff like Borat, South Park, Family Guy, etc., I'm pretty sure the presence of a hermaphrodite in a video game won't offend your delicate sensibilities. As for the breasts… Men like them, women like having them because men like them, and if neither of those are true, then you are either homosexual or asexual. The majority of us aren't. That's why advertising uses them, that's why girls pick having bigger breasts when creating avatars than picking smaller breasts, and that's why whole genres of pornography are dedicated to them. Is it a necessary addition to a video game? No. Will a large amount of people enjoy it? Yes. That's all that matters.
Please go read a review of the game before picking it apart. Or better yet, play it first. Even Mario could sound bad from an ESRB rating.
– Sean Casey
P.S. This is targeted at the people making comments here, not the author of the original post. I enjoyed the read, Ben. 😛
Last edited by Vagnor on 1/18/2010 2:43:48 PM