Bionic Commando Rearmed Goes Rated 'M': Dog Loves Melon

I've been a little apprehensive about the remake of Bionic Commando for some time. Sure, I love the game and I'm pretty sure that the developers will do a good job bringing it up to date, but history has made me skeptical. The original predates the ESRB and Hitler exploding was more or less overlooked by the Nintendo sanitation squad. Don't even get me started on some of the 2d to 3d platformer transitions we have been subjected to.

That being said, turns out that remaining faithful to the original to the NES classic has earned them an M rating. Producer Ben Judd, when asked about the severe rating and the infamous scene was more than willing to set my fears aside.

"We had to give them the money shot," Judd tells me of the Xbox LIVE Arcade/PlayStation Network remake, Bionic Commando Rearmed. "And it really does feel like a money shot, because those five seconds are what gave it that [M] rating. We've cut those five seconds from the Japanese version and it got a B rating, which is like 12. It's a 2D game with an M rating for five seconds. Booya."

It seems funny that the Japanese version was cleaned, considering that the scene originated from a famicom title in the first place. I will not argue though, I'm sure it's a sales and PR detail. I personally have not witnessed the remake and I fully intend to experience it first had the day it is released. There was some news of a rather... interesting sound effect that goes with the sequence though.

"You know where the sound effect is from?" asks GRIN co-founder Ulf Anderson, laughing. "[The sound team] bought a lot of melons and s**t, and they were trying to make gore sound effects with them. Then, a dog shows up and starts eating the pieces."

That's a delightful thought. Now, as far as why they are willing to live with an M rating? Microsoft controls distribution over XBLA. There is no need to worry about pulled ads, or retailers not shelving their products. There is no physical product to set on a shelf. This, if anything, is a prime example of why digital distribution is good for the consumer. Now, if only we could get rid of punishing restrictive DRM and the general inability to backup one's own purchases. Viva la DLC!

What a dog eating a melon has to do with Bionic Commando Rearmed's 'M' rating [Destructoid]