Halo 5: Guardians rated T for Teen by ESRB - First in the series
A first for the Halo franchise, Microsofts latest title has received a T for Teen rating by the ESRB.
According to the ratings board, "This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a super soldier (Locke) searching for a missing character. Players use pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers, and futuristic weapons to kill alien and human enemies in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, and occasional blood-splatter effects. Characters can also use "assassinations" to kill characters by snapping their necks, or by stabbing them with bladed weapons. The word "a*s" appears in the dialogue, as well as occasional taunts/insults (e.g., "I have copulated...with your genetic progenitors!"; 'Your father was a filthy colo and your mother was a hole in the wall!')."
Halo going for a teen rating is an odd decision on the ESRB's part, considering the game isn't any less tame than previous entries in the series. Is the ESRB getting a little more lax?The mention of guns being used to kill human players is also an interesting tidbit, that could point to the inclusion of Arbiter/Elite style levels returning, ala Halo 2.
You can watch some of the new Halo 5 Guardians gameplay recently released at Gamescom below.