Keeping things nearly spoiler free, the ESRB revealed their decision behind the Teen rating for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which features blood, language, use of alcohol and tobacco, and violence:
This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of Nathan Drake as he searches for a long-lost treasure. As players explore ancient ruins, they use pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades to kill enemy thugs, soldiers, and mercenaries. Players can also use stealth takedowns and melee attacks (e.g., choking, neck snapping, fist fighting) to incapacitate enemies. Firefights are highlighted by realistic gunfire, large explosions, and blood-splatter effects. A handful of sequences depict characters getting stabbed or beaten with clubs. During the course of the game, characters can be seen smoking cigarettes or cigars; a handful of scenes depict characters drinking bottles of beer or glasses of scotch. The words “sh*t” and “a*shole” appear in the dialogue.
Hitman, meanwhile, is rated Mature for blood, drug reference, intense violence, strong language, and suggestive themes:
This is a stealth action game in which players control Agent 47, an assassin tasked with eliminating targets throughout various missions. From a third-person perspective, players use pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, and various tools (e.g., poisons, cleavers, explosives) to assassinate human characters. Players can also use stealth attacks (e.g., strangling characters with wires) to eliminate targets and guards at close range. Players have the ability to kill non-adversary characters (e.g., striking them with an ax, shooting them in plain sight), though this may negatively affect players’ progress and points. Large blood-splatter effects often occur, and pools of blood appear under victims’ bodies. During the course of the game, some female characters are seen unconscious and dragged by players’ character; their underwear and portions of their buttocks are sometimes depicted. The dialogue also contains suggestive material (e.g., “Go get yourself laid or something,” “I’m a wh*re,” and “…move your pelvis back and forth and in and out.”). There are also brief references to drugs in dialogue (e.g., “He’s probably coked out of his mind” and “You don’t have any coke, do you?”). The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “c*ck” are heard in dialogue.
Both of these games are holding tests this weekend on PlayStation 4: Hitman gets a PlayStation Plus exclusive beta, while Uncharted 4 is holding an open multiplayer test where they want as many players as possible.
Hitman launches on March 11, with Uncharted 4 newly delayed to May 10 worldwide.
