Watch Dogs Contains Black Jacks, Boobs, and Booze

[Shawn Zipay]

The ESRB rating for Ubisoft's Watch Dogs went up the other day. It's been hit with a hard "M" for Mature rating for a variety of reasons. We're all interested to see what makes this game rated Mature, so let's see what the ESRB has to say.

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.

FOX News and other media outlets are already salivating over the chance to blame this game in a future segment.