The ESRB is slappingBorderlandswith an “M for Mature” rating. If you’re familiarwith the cover art— or, hell, even glimpsed at whatwe’ve written about the substance of the sci-fi shooter— this shouldn’t be a surprise. The rating as a whole isn’t interesting, but what is hip about all of this is the ESRB’s summary, the place where a poor soul at the organization breaks down the game’s naughty bits.
The summary mentions that players will “kill hundreds of enemies” ranging from human bandits to the “mercenary soldiers with a “wide variety” (read: millions) of guns. As the targeted are reamed with bullets, players will hear a “moan” or a “scream” emitted from their mouths and the damage “results in large spurts of blood, dismemberment, and decapitation.”
Basically, the ESRB is saying thatBorderlandsistotally f’ing metal.
The full listing is available after the break and there’s plenty more to see, including references to numerous swear words like, say, d–kbag as well as references to other kinds of metal, uh, we mean adult-specific, slayings.
Rating summary:This is a sci-fi first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of mercenary treasure hunters on a mission to the fictional planet of Pandora. Players undertake missions/quests that increase characters’ skills, eliminate an assortment of mutant creatures, and drive and collide with advanced alien vehicles. Players kill hundreds of enemies (e.g., human bandits and mercenary soldiers) over the course of the game by using a wide variety of guns (shotguns, sniper rifles), explosives, and special ammo types (fire, acid and electricity, etc.). The combat is frenetic, and enemies moan or scream when they are hit. Damage from weapons also results in large spurts of blood, dismemberment, and decapitation. When a human or creature is decapitated, an effect resembling a fountain of blood will shoot from the neck for a few seconds and stop. Some weapons cause enemies to split in half, the top being separated from the waist. During the course of the game, characters make jokes about streaking, body parts, rape, and mothers (e.g., “…more busted than my momma’s girly parts”). Strong profanity (e.g., “fcking,” “sht,” “pssy,” and “dckbag”) can be heard in the dialogue.
