The US ratings board, ESRB, has rated Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and given it a mature rating. Among the standard reasons such as blood and gore, intense violence and strong language sits another ratings category that hasn’t been used often, if at all, for games.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes contains sexual violence, and the reason why the game has this category applied is as follows.
” The game includes an audio file in which a female character is sexually assaulted by male characters; while there is no visual depiction, sounds of ripped clothing and struggle can be heard. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the dialogue.”
Games have had the sexual themes category put on them before but it’s difficult to think of games that have broached the subject of sexual violence seriously. I can only think of one title where the subject was raised, and that was in Metro: Last Light. There’s a moment in that where you can hear a woman begging for mercy as two guys taunt her, and it was quite harrowing to hear in already dark setting.
None of us can judge the file until we’ve heard it and seen how it is used in the game, but it has to expressed properly as to trivialise a very serious issue.
Source: ESRB
3shirts
From the limited description of the context there it does sound like it’s being used in a dramatic way. Metal Gear has never exactly been light on the drama.
Cron_13
Still dont know if I care about this game or not… the limited stuff ive seen on it means its likely not to be a pre order and ill wait for the reviews!
3shirts
Not a fan of the brack friday bunduruu then?
Unterred
Just started a walkthrough of all the metal gear games for the first time. Done metal gear 1 & 2 and now onto mgs1. Should be up to date by the time this comes out hopefully!
C_S15
Kojima has already said this Metal Gear is going to be dark and feature mature themes so it’s no surprise to me that something like this is in the game. It probably has something to do with Quiet’s character.
Adam Garrett
Exactly my thoughts. We’ve already seen in trailers there’s a lot of torture and themes such as child soldiers, this is going to be a very serious, mature game.
bunimomike
Sexual Violence? Count me in! :-P
No, seriously… still not interested. I’d have to go back to MGS2 to get back into the franchise. Meh! *shoves plate of vegetables away*
cam_manutd
Interesting as MGS4 bordered on this also. When you battled with the beauty and the beast corps-their screams were formed as part of the suffering they suffered in their past. I believe one of them was beaten by a man.