Like an army of tiny beetles, the murmurs skittered across the internet late Monday night: Final Fantasy Versus XIII may have a Mature rating, the first Final Fantasy to ever carry that stamp upon its cover. Could it be true? Having no other pressing needs to attend to, I whipped out my trenchcoat from the hall closet and headed out in search of clues to solve the mystery.
Tracing all the hullaballoo back to source, I found fansite FF-XIII.net to be the first to mention the rating, clarifying that in fact there had been no official announcement, but the ESRB ratings clearly specifiy that Teen rated games must have "only minimal blood" and anything more would put a game in line for a mature rating. FF-XIII.net declared that the new trailer for the title showed The Prince impaling another character on a bloody weapon and therefore the game would earn a Mature rating if sequences such as this one were kept in.
I went back and rewatched the trailer myself, and I examined the screenshots with my Internet Matlocker Magnifying Glass™. I'm sorry to say it, but I disagree with the speculation of the Mature rating entirely. Last time I checked, there was impaling going on in Final Fantasy many a chapter ago. The graphics may be a hell of a lot better, but there's more or less just a bloody sword visible in this clip in question. Somehow I don't think this is going to crank the game's rating up to Mature.
Have a watch for yourself and see what you think. Sorry to say it, but I feel this is a case of grasping at straws. Nothing to see here, Internet. Move along.
[Via PSX Extreme - Thanks Jonathan!]
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I don't think they would allow it to get a mature rating but that's just my guess, I have nothing to back it up. :)
@Shadow
I agree with you.
A Final Fantasy game would never be allowed to maintain a mature rating, because anything above a Teen rating would hinder sells.
If it somehow manages to garner a "Mature" you can bet our sweaty gaming palms that the offending content will be reworked before release.
Yes! Huh huh, mature ratings kick ass! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!
I thought it was interesting that during all the sword and gunplay there were no real splatters or sprays, just that bloody sword. I doubt it'll be an M-rated FinalY Fantasy.
AO AO AO AO AO AO
considering gta san andreas was teen when it came out...
yeah, right.
and with it so far being a ps3 exclusive they would not want to limit its popularity with an m rating
although this could be an early square attempt at planting seeds to make it controversial... who knows who runs this ff-xiii.net more to come eh?
this isnt gameplay, and this game wont be out until 09.
yea i watched that trailer yesterday and i didnt see anything that would garner a mature rating
@rucksack: i dont think the ratings mean more than it would just require someone of age to purchase the game for them...and rarely at that, ive never seen anyone carded for a game(at least that i remember of hand) Parents nowadays sure as hell dont care.
Yeah, I agree with you guys -- there are just too many reasons for SE to make sure this is a T game. Besides, I really doubt that it's even an issue -- one bloody FMV does not an M game make. Unless the minute-to-minute gameplay, the bulk of the game, is gory, then we'll be seeing a T game, as usual.
I was hoping all games will become M soon!
Final Fantasy is a killer start for M branding of RPG's!
Final Fantasy has always been a blockbuster staple, probably forever will be. But with each game, a certain levity has been lost that I think fans now need. If they took the M rating up and did it well, I think it could bring back the excitement I once had for Final Fantasy.
@Kaneka
I agree with you that kids tend to find ways around ratings but thats not my point.
The very fact that kids would have to worry about getting carded is an extra obstacle barring the way to sales.
There's no reason on earth that the developers would create any extra barriers to getting that sweet end-user dollar.
Final Fantasy?
Isn´t that game where you hit the monsters and ppl with swords, and amces, and spikes, and guns, and you burn them, and after all that they just dissapear with a swoosh sound?
That´s sooooo M rated!
Where´s this guy who is against video games? Call him, they make swoosh sounds when you kill the bad guys.
Previous infamous impalings in Final Fantasy were bloodless, or completely not gory to my memory.
And really, making a system selling game for the PS3 burdened with an M-rating doesn't seem like a good idea . . . unless you're MGS4. That's probably ok . . .
Not that I'm saying it will be M-rated, but to those who think it'll hinder its popularity--you DO know kids run to M-rated games because they're "cool", right?
How about this, SE could apply something never done b4.... pull what they do on the movies, a PG13 version, and a R version
FF V13 T
FF V13 M
and its not that hard, all they have to do is focus on making it M, then just cut or censor the bad language with candy icon, blood with sweat, and decapitation with wizard of Oz water melting witch technology for the Teen version. Its brilliant!
Wow, I have a feeling that if the game were in first person view and it had bloody swords then it would be rated M easily.
Personally I think it would totally rule to see some graphic decapitation, castration or ablation in my final fantasy games, maybe they could make up new magic spells that do just these things?
I'm pretty sure that isn't any worse than the violence during the cutscenes in FFXII.
I think this’ll be rated T as well. Those of you who’ve played Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune are surely aware of the amount of blood in that game, which is pretty significant for a title that’s rated T.
@Rucksack? M Rating Hinder Sales?
I would like you to talk to my very good friend Master Chief.
Also that would be awesome. Always wanted a Awesome FF with Adultyness.
I was kinda hoping, when I first saw the title of this, that it was a fighting game staring the Final Fantasy squad against the characters from XIII. Oh well, all we get is another "final" fantasy.
Look at THIS screen shop http://www.ff-xiii.net/images/misc/209126.png
Bit more blood and gore than what you're talking about in the article. There are guts all over the place.
They will probably get a T rating as they usually do. The videos and screenshots don't look like much. Also, FINAL FANTASY!
Of course it won't be rated M, that would restrict sales. Sorry, but anyone that thinks M ratings would help a game like this is retarded and ignorant of factual data. There's not the remotest possibility of it being M rated.
So yes, it is a pointless post.
I think FFXIII versus should be M. The rating would definitely fit the tone of the game, which is very dark as far as I can tell from the trailer.
Oh, and by the way, M rated games have sold more copies than T or E games.
Even though an M might allow for more creative freedom, keep in mind the modern Final Fantasy's most rabid fans are often below age 17, so they'd be cutting out a large portion of their moneymakers. In addition, how often do you see Japanese games coming out here that are rated M with their current state of self-censorship? They're becoming fewer every year.
most of the highest sellers of 2007 have been M games, so I don't think an M rating would hinder sales, none the least. Wal-mart still cary those, and don't check ids so anyone can basically buy the game anyway.
I'm sure it'll end up being T. Giving it an M would put it within reach of Jack Thompson's sharpened claws.
If you remember, the impaling that occurred in FFVII had absolutely no blood. Though I do agree, that shot above does not necessarily mean M for Mature.
m rating on a ff game just doesnt make sense
I would be very very surprised if this were true. I agree with Collette that I don't think this level of violence pushes it up to mature.