The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) has published its rating for Ubisoft’s upcoming South Park game. South Park: The Fractured But Whole will receive a M for Mature rating and while this isn’t surprising, the content description certainly is. Combined with the fact that this game will be releasing uncensored in Australia, this is certainly worth a read.
The game has the following Content Descriptors: Blood and Gore, Mature Humor, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
None of this is particularly surprising. We are talking about a South Park game after all. The surprising and entertaining bit comes in a moment.
The “Rating Summary” for the game describes a classic turn-based combat RPG. Players control the new kid in the town and they go on an adventure. However, the summary quickly spirals downhill. It starts with the mention of dismemberment and decapitation then descends into what can only be described as classic South Park madness.
Here’s what the summary says:
“The game includes several instances of mature humor, racial humor, and sexual material: characters are depicted urinating and defecating; one extended sequence (in a strip club) depicts a character performing a lap dance while emitting flatulence; one scene depicts a towel character performing an obscured sex act on a man in an alley; another scene shows a man watching security monitors and repeatedly reaching for lubrication behind his desk—all sequences are depicted in a cartoony and over-the-top manner. Characters are sometimes depicted nude (e.g,, breasts, buttocks, male genitalia). During the course of the game, players can observe characters snorting lines of cocaine, and in one level, players must complete a quest to bring a marijuana prescription to a character. The words “f**k,” “c*nt,” and “sh*t,” and racial epithets (e.g., “n**ga,” “sp*ok”) are heard in the dialogue.”
You can read the full rating Summary on the ESRB website here. Clearly then this game has a lot of ‘questionable’ content. So it’s surprising to see that the Australian board has deemed that the game doesn’t need to be censored. It’s certainly a good thing but the release of the game in Australia will probably be surrounded by controversy as a result.
Are you surprised by the rating summary? Let us know!