By Lola at Tuesday, April 15, 2014 6:51:00 AM

In March the Watch_Dogs ESRB rating was lifted from MA15+ to R18+, and today the M18+ rating description was changed to make sure players know that they will be not be exposed to the "sexual content" from the previous rating, but to "strong sexual content." The only explanation for the change is that Ubisoft is still tweaking Watch_Dog's content with barely a month before release date.

image: dualSHOCKERS



The most notable changes relate to explicit sexual content, it now includes the warning that players will see:

an obscured depiction of masturbation; a woman performing fellatio on a man; and a man thrusting against a woman from behind

The other notable change was concerning the use of drugs, it changed from “addicted to narcotics" to:

characters using needles to inject themselves with drugs

The previous ratings description, courtesy of PlayStation Lifestyle:

"this is third-person shooter/action game in which players assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a hacker trying to find an evil mastermind. Players use pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill various human enemies (e.g., criminals, police officers). When close to an enemy, players are able to shoot them in the head or knock them out with a black jack. Players have the ability to kill captives after (mostly) off-screen interrogations. Cutscenes depict further instances of violence (e.g., a man stabbed in the neck and shot multiple times). Combat is highlighted by cries of pain, blood-splatter effects, and realistic gunfire.

During the course of the game, female characters sometimes appear topless. One scene depicts women auctioned off to a room full of male buyers; in another scene, sexual moaning sounds can be heard behind walls.

The central character is sometimes depicted drinking alcohol; after each shot, players are prompted to steady Aiden’s blurred vision/balance. In a few instances, characters are described as “addicted to narcotics” or “convicted of drug trafficking.” The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” can be heard in the dialogue."

Watch_Dogs rating in March: GameSpot

The new ratings description, courtesy of ESRB

This is third-person shooter/action game in which players assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a hacker trying to find an evil mastermind. Players use pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill various human enemies (e.g., criminals, police officers). When close to an enemy, players are able to shoot them in the head or knock them out with a black jack. Players have the ability to kill captives after (mostly) off-screen interrogations. Cutscenes depict further instances of violence (e.g., a man stabbed in the neck and shot multiple times). Combat is highlighted by cries of pain, blood-splatter effects, and realistic gunfire.

The game includes several depictions of topless female characters. One prolonged scene depicts a topless women standing in a bedroom; another sequence depicts close-ups of topless women sitting down. The game also includes a few instances of sexual activity, including an obscured depiction of masturbation; a woman performing fellatio on a man; and a man thrusting against a woman from behind—camera angles obscure the sex act and no nudity is shown.

During the course of the game, the central character is sometimes consumes large amounts of alcohol (the screen turns blurry); one sequence depicts characters using needles to inject themselves with drugs. The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” can be heard in the dialogue.

Excited about the changes or do you think Ubisoft is taking it too far?

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