ESRB Explains Mature Rating for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

Marking the first Mature-rated Final Fantasy title, the ESRB published their full report for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD over the weekend, revealing its content descriptors as blood, drug reference, suggestive themes, and violence.

For further explanation on why the game is Mature, here’s the full rating summary for Type-0 HD:

This is an action game in which players assume the role of students fighting to protect their nation from invaders. Players traverse fantasy environments and battle enemy soldiers and other creatures in melee-style combat. Players use swords, bows, firearms, and magic spells to kill various enemies (e.g., robots, blobs, mechanical beasts). Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and large blood-splatter effects; some sequences depict blood stains on players’ screen and corpses lying in pools of blood. Cut-scenes depict additional acts of violence: a man stabbing himself with a sword; a girl shot by a sniper; a character shot close-up. During the course of the game, some female characters are depicted in outfits that expose large amounts of cleavage and jiggling breasts. In one sequence, players can use a spy camera to zoom in on a female character wearing a bikini. The game includes event scenes in which a character sedates/drugs players’ character and performs unknown acts on them; it is implied that some of these acts may be of a sexual nature.

Elsewhere, the ESRB also handed out an unsurprising Mature rating to the upcoming Battlefield Hardline:

This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Nick Mendoza, a police officer investigating a drug-trading ring. Players use a variety of firearms and tactical gear (e.g., pistols, shotguns, rifles, machine guns, grenades, tasers) to take down and/or kill enemies in frenetic combat. Several sequences require stealth tactics in which players take down enemies by using attacks such as chokeholds. Combat is highlighted by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and blood-splatter effects. Cut-scenes depict more intense acts of violence: a man shot in the head at close range; an unarmed character shot in the chest. In one sequence, a corpse is depicted with its legs chewed off. During the course of the game, a handful of enemies are depicted snorting cocaine or smoking marijuana; several missions involve destroying/infiltrating illegal drug operations (e.g., seizing packages of cocaine, destroying meth labs). The words “f**k” and “sh*t” appear in the dialogue.

Both Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and Battlefield Hardline launch on March 17 in North America and March 20 in Europe.

Based on the summary, do you think the Mature rating is justified?

[Source: ESRB (1), (2)]

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