ESRB Rates Shank As Mature

Lost in the bedlam of E3, 2D side-scroller action title Shank got a new trailer. Don’t worry, we missed it too, but here it is now for your viewing pleasure. Better late than shanked we say.

Hailing from Klei Entertainment and written by God of War co-creator Marianne Krawczyk, the ESRB have rated the game “Mature.” From the gratuitous blood-letting on display below and some of the concerns the ratings board has with the title, we can kinda see why.

The ESRB goes on to describe some of the game’s more colourful moments. You can put a grenade in someone’s mouth before blowing them away, while “players can lunge at enemies in slow motion and propel them into the air with a chainsaw.” Always a fan favourite.

Things get a bit uncomfortable when Shank’s sexual content is highlighted, including a scene where “a screaming female stripper is forcibly held down and overpowered by a man (e.g., “Denny likes it when you fight back, b*tch . . . Denny knows you want it. No one can help you.”).

That said, the game does promote a strong safe-sex message, with the all-important and wise “Remember: No glove, no love” motto appearing in the game’s dialogue. It’s good advice everyone should consider. Especially if you’re having sex with screaming female strippers.

Shank hits the PSN, XBL and the PC toward the end of this year.

Sources: ESRB & GameTrailers