14 DAY TRIAL // While the ESRB has a very valid existence in today's society, where media accessibility makes everything available to everyone, it does seem to have a habit of delivering some of the most entertaining reading materials possible. In order to properly inform the public about the content of a game so as to protect ”'ye little ones,” publishers must submit a pre-release copy of their game to the ESRB in order for it to have a proper look at it and rate it. These ratings come with a rather detailed description of the title, and try to use a pedagogic approach to describing scenes that were not meant to be taught in school.
As such, hilarity ensues, as we saw with Assassin's Creed II and its mini-game description and the Dante's Inferno rating attachment. As an “interactive drama,” the themes and content of the PlayStation 3 exclusive, Heavy Rain, are aimed at a mature audience, and as such, as one can expect, the game received an M for Mature rating. The ESRB description of the game was made public, and, just like the previous ones released for mature games, this one is a laughing marathon. While some may consider this statement, in the context of the following information, psychotic, do not forget the fact that someone tried its best to avoid using foul language when writing this.
A spoiler warning should be issued around here somewhere, but seriously, you need to read this. The first thing the ESRB tackles is violence, and it believes the highlights of it can be found in these scenes: “More direct depictions of violence include the following: a woman squirming and screaming as she catches on fire; a man impaled in the chest with a power drill; a female attacked in her own home by masked male assailants (the scene is prolonged); and a man shot (shown in slow-motion) by police officers. Blood sometimes accompanies the acts of violence-whether triggered or viewed passively.” We can bet whoever wrote this didn't get to see Final Destination in 3D.
The rating description also reveals a bit of creative genius from the developers of Heavy Rain as far as multiple-choices go. “Ethan, is forced to cut off a segment of his own finger to save his son's life: Several instruments (saw, scissors, knife, etc.) can be used to remove the finger;” the ESRB rating reads. “[...] And though the camera pans away from the actual dismemberment-instead the blade, the blood, the scream-the scene's poring focus on Ethan's psychological tenor/terror (the dread deliberation before the cut) may be unnerving for some.” Aside from Final Destination, we can tell he, or to be politically correct, she, isn't a fan of Saw either.
The rating description continues by detailing scenes of nudity and sexual connotations, as well as the use of drugs and the game's representation of its effects on the human body, but we don't want to ruin everything for you. The rating comes to confirm what Quantic Dream, HR's developer, promised for us, a powerful, emotional video-game experience, just like it delivered with its Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit\Indigo Prophecy.