And hilarity ensues...

[zouzounaki]

The ESRB's summary of its rating for Mass Effect 2 (the first game, if you're not aware, caused a stir because of a--at most--seventeen second long sex scene in which the screen flashes and you see hardly anything except, if you're playing a female version of the lead character, your own pixelated side-boob):

Rating: Mature

Content descriptors: Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Rating summary:
In this action role-playing game, players' objective is to defeat an alien enemy that is silently abducting entire human colonies. Players must assemble a team of henchmen, command a space ship, and travel to distant planets across a futuristic galaxy. At its core, the game involves a combination of conversation/interaction with characters, and ground-based (i.e., "run-and-gun") space battle: Players use assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and pistols to kill humans, robots, and aliens in the frenetic third-person firefights. Some enemies emit large splashes of blood when shot (particularly with "head shots"); several enemies lie stagnant in pools of blood—factors for the Mature rating. Henchmen are able to freeze and shatter enemies, engage in melee attacks, set robots on fire, and use telekinesis to disable aliens. A handful of cutscenes depict dramatic interrogations in which human characters are threatened, punched, kicked, and shot (in the leg) by alien creatures. The game contains themes of illicit drug use, addiction, and trafficking—often focal points to the branching storylines; for example, "Morinth likes dancing while on a drug called Hallex," "Narcotics flooded my veins when I attacked," and "The asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying." During the course of the game, players may enter a bar where alien pole dancing exists (choreography highlighted on big-screen monitors) or hear suggestive comments such as "krogan sexual deviants enjoy salarian flexibility" and "if this is just about sex, maybe you should just f**king say so." Players can also choose to have "romantic encounters" with the alien/human henchmen characters; this involves watching a guided cutscene in which two characters flirt, kiss, and/or embrace: clothed alien/human characters may prop a partner on top of a space console, clear away the clutter from a bed-slab, unzip a future-blouse, or just talk it out. Though an alien/human may gyrate her hips while on top (fleeting—one-to-two seconds), actual sex is never depicted—the camera cuts away to space furniture and ceilings.

I added the italics there on the space-blouse because, truly, that's one of the most insanely hilarious things I've ever read!

Peace, Ghani

Comments

[lastwordslinger.livejournal.com]

Blouses... OF THE FUTURE! Oh, I cackled aloud at that. The emphasis was much giggled at. ;)

I love how they feel a need to not only go into great detail but seemingly downplay their own violence. "Splashes of blood". "shot (in the leg)". Like anyone who is genuinely concerned about excessive violence will go, "oh, it's just a splash." Or "in the leg? Well, that's okay then." :p

[ghanistarkiller.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahahaha! To the introduction of The Muppet Show's "Pigs in Space": "BLOUSES IN SPAAAAACE!" And you know because I'm the chick, it'll just be my future-blouse being unzipped... xD

I know! And I love how they try to use hip gamer terms, too, like "run-and-gun"--I can just imagine them pronouncing that so precisely!

What's funny is... I don't see mention of lesbianism anywhere, and I get the feeling that's what caused most of the uproar with the first game in the first place, like they're trying to be delicate and sensitive and not say anything when that's probably the first thing that parents (and the video game haters) want to know! xP

[venckman.livejournal.com]

First pixelated side boobs, next thing you know you're looking at naked bottoms! This. Must. Be. Stopped!

[ghanistarkiller.livejournal.com]

Mass hysteria!

Oh no, what's that?! It's a future-butt!
(http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g181/ghanistarkiller/?action=view&current=future-butt.jpg)

Snickers! It's funny how the game is rated mature but it makes me behave in a manner that is anything but. Hehehehe, 'butt'! xP

[venckman.livejournal.com]

ZOMG! You've got porn in your comments! I'm calling the police!

[ghanistarkiller.livejournal.com]

Oh noes! My journal's becoming Skinemax! \0/

xD