RATING INFORMATION

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Platform: PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii

Rating: Mature

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

Rating summary: This is a survival horror game in which players assume the role of Harry Mason as he searches for his missing daughter after a car crash. Players explore a mysterious town, investigate clues and objects, solve various puzzles, and interact with the world using their in-game cell phone. Some voicemail/text messages received on the phone contain references to violence, including an onlooker’s vivid description of a stabbing. Players can also take pictures with their cell phone, one of which reveals the corpse of a teenager who hanged himself. Large streaks of blood are sometimes depicted on floors and walls; blood is also visible around animal and human corpses. Throughout the game, players will encounter suggestive posters/calendars/objects featuring scantily clad women. The most pertinent examples include: a poster advertising a pornographic film called Young Flesh 2 (with blacked-out nudity); portraits of women who work in a brothel; mannequins arranged in sexually suggestive positions; and rude bathroom graffiti (e.g., “Cheerleader Wh*re”). Players can also visit a psychiatrist who sometimes discusses sexual issues (e.g., “All this talking and we still haven’t touched on this sex thing” and “You want to die having sex.”). As players explore an abandoned high school, they may encounter a poster for drug awareness that contain images of marijuana leaves, crack, and cocaine. Profanity (e.g., “sh*t” and “a*shole”) can sometimes be heard in the dialogue.