MGS 4 features "implied child rape"

By Robert Purchese Published 23 April, 2008

BBFC gets its rating wand out.

The BBFC has revealed that Metal Gear Solid 4 will feature "references to suicide and an implied child rape."

However, generally the violence was deemed as undetailed and worthy of nothing higher than a 15 rating for the UK.

"During battles enemy soldiers die with small puffs of blood. The weaponry includes petrol bombs, however there is no detailed portrayal of injuries. During cut scenes slightly more detailed violence is portrayed, such as enemy creatures spearing friendly soldiers and one protracted fist fight," read the BBFC summary.

"The violence is generally undetailed. At 15 BBFC Guidelines state that 'Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury'. It is possible for the player to progress stealthily through the game, avoiding violent confrontations where possible."

Metal Gear Solid 4 is due out for PS3 around the world on 12th June.

Head over to our Metal Gear Solid 4 gamepage for all of our coverage to date.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (65) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • espadachin #1 4 years ago

    i think this is going to be a great comments thread, i can just feel it.

    /is looking forward to the game.

  • dom6918 #2 4 years ago

    ...but cutting some evil doers head off with an axe in a scripted cut-scene is banned...tut tut
    Edited by dom6918 at 23/04/08 @ 09:12

  • Bitkari #3 4 years ago

    ...I guess that explains why Snake is always grabbing people's balls in this game.

    Paging Dr Freud on radio frequency 84.91.... come in Dr. Freud.

  • muscleblade #4 4 years ago

    "Ban this sick paedophilic filth"
    +1

  • Paleface #5 4 years ago

    And this is news how?

  • towser #6 4 years ago

    Apparently there is no mention of applied child rape it is child trauma... take that to mean what you will.

    BBFC in making stuff up shocker!

  • Stickman #7 4 years ago

    Won't someone think of the children?

    Oh.

    They did.

  • Bigglesworth #8 4 years ago

    "references to suicide"

    There's a possible spoiler buried in those simple words, given we've seen the Old Codger sticking a gun in his mouth.

  • syphaa #9 4 years ago

    Yeah. Game ruined. Looks like snake ain't gonna die if its just "references to suicide". Saves me £350 on buying a PS3 and MGS :)

  • Dizzy #10 4 years ago

    "implied child rape"

    Good to see that MGS does not disappoint.

  • McBradders #11 4 years ago

    Way to fucking use spoilertags.

    HEY WHY NOT USE THE ENDING AS A FUCKING HEADLINE NEXT TIME EH?!

  • drumbaby #12 4 years ago

    "implied child rape"

    Next Cradle of Filth album title?

  • anomagnus #13 4 years ago

    fox news team - ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • dazzaman #14 4 years ago

    What's the point of putting that in a game, implied or not, it's a game, do you really need to bring controversy to what might be the end of a successful franchise. Might as well put in 'implied inter-species erotica' and 'implied 2 girls 1 cup moment' and get everything you can in while your at it. Silly sods.

    @Tirer - I expect to see your quote as headline on the Daily Mail Thursday morning.

    I bet the single mothers from Southend on Sea are stacking up on bricks and marching on Konami already.

  • IronCladChicken #15 4 years ago

    @syphaa

    Naaa... Snake could still kill himself - He would just do the deed off-screen.
    The game implies he commits suicide, but doesnt show the bullet blowing the back of his head off.

  • monkie_king #16 4 years ago

    "When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 545m 47s"

  • Mephistopheles #17 4 years ago

    Thanks so much for the spoilers, right in the headline too! Nice one!

  • nickthegun #18 4 years ago

    Is it going to be like Rambo?

    Making the bad guy even more evil by giving him a personality quirk. And by personality quirk, I mean touching kids.

  • dazzaman #19 4 years ago

    Is one of the bosses Gary Glitter perhaps

    EDIT: It's implied isn't it so it can't be Gary, perhaps Wako Jacko is making an appearance
    Edited by dazzaman at 23/04/08 @ 10:09

  • Diomedes117 #20 4 years ago

    MGS4's story is a MESS, I'm not all that surprised by this!

  • Beano #21 4 years ago

    "MGS4's story is a MESS..."

    Any you know this from?

  • monkie_king #22 4 years ago

    Hideo Kojima wrote it.

  • peasoup #23 4 years ago

    Zing!

  • bdc #24 4 years ago

    Wow nice fucking SPOILERS IN THE ARTICLE TITLE YOU COMPLETE FUCKING IDIOTS

  • Steiner_Zidane #25 4 years ago

    I am as much frustrated as everyone else... Thumbs down to Eurogamer for this article! >_<

  • FullSPecWarrior #26 4 years ago

    Will someone please think of the children

  • miiiguel #27 4 years ago

    What's this thing with Japanese and their erotic views of children anyway? Have you seen that 360's Idol game? sheesh, weirdos...

  • phatb0y #28 4 years ago

    This is all well and good, but what I want to know is if Ocelot knocks one out with Liquid Snake's hand does it feel like someone else is doing it?

  • Dizzy #29 4 years ago

    "Wow nice fucking SPOILERS IN THE ARTICLE TITLE YOU COMPLETE FUCKING IDIOTS "

    Looks like you won't enjoy the child rape so much now after all this.

  • anomagnus #30 4 years ago

    what spolilers were announced

    man MIGHT shoot himself

    kids gets unwelcome attention

    its not like they've dropped the bomb, Snake is really his own son, sent from the future
    Edited by anomagnus at 23/04/08 @ 10:40

  • BlueDot #31 4 years ago

    "Snake is really his own son, sent from the future"

    Some of my brain cells just committed suicide by thinking this through :-)

  • asphaltcowboy #32 4 years ago

    What spoilers in the title is everyone complaining about?

  • Ranger101 #33 4 years ago

    "its not like they've dropped the bomb, Snake is really his own son, sent from the future "

    OMG MAN! WTF! JEEZ WHY R U SPOLIINGZORSZ MY GAMES?!

    STFU FU MAN! I HOPE YOU DIE.


    etc. etc.


    Today is my Sarcastic Etcetera day.

  • ozzit #34 4 years ago

    "DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING"

    "CAREFUL NOW"

  • tripitaka #35 4 years ago

    ^^^^^
    You got there before me :)

  • anomagnus #36 4 years ago

    @ranger101

    the clues were all there you fanboi!!!

    Snakes heart failure - how obvious is that?!?!?!?

    This game will NEVER be as complicated as Gears of Wars, and you fanboys cant accept it!!!!!!

    Also, i hear that Otacon is ACTUALLY Keyser Söze - UNREAL

  • [TR] #37 4 years ago

    Arbiter: "I suspect Konami may not be happy with the "!implied child rape" point, as depending on how vague/imprecise the source reference is, the sexual nature of the trauma may be an unintended inference."

    Still, given the game setting that has been shown publicly so far, this isn't surprising. And then you remember the colourful characters from previous games and it makes even more sense.
    But like you said, the reference may not be so much to child rape, but some childhood trauma taken a bit out of proportions.
    Or do you think this is the game where Big Boss gets to fuck himself as a younger clone?

  • tripitaka #38 4 years ago

    It was Colonel Mustard, in the drawing room, with the lead pipe

  • Slipstream #39 4 years ago

    To those of you complaining, where, in this article did you read that these are in-game spoilers? one of the first trailers show a sillouette of Snake with a gun to his mouth, that alone is a reference to suicide...seriously...

    Because now we should cover up non-spoilers too it seems =)
    Edited by Slipstream at 23/04/08 @ 12:03

  • WinterSnowblind #40 4 years ago

    @ozzit

    Best reference I've seen on this board :)

  • lordvitriol #41 4 years ago

    Alot of young Xbox fans replaying to this PS thread huh?, where the hell is the admin with her banstick, oh is this site like fragland.net?.

  • monkie_king #42 4 years ago

    what

  • BobsUncle #43 4 years ago

    I'm not sure exactly how " MGS 4 features "implied child rape" " is a spoiler.

    @lordvitriol - Some people have both consoles. though I'm not sure why I do, there's fuck all on PS3 worth having. (Except Drakes).

  • Weebleboy #44 4 years ago

    Cheers for the spoiler Eurogamer :(

  • lambtron #45 4 years ago

    ummm???? What are you on about lordvitriol???
    Edited by lambtron at 23/04/08 @ 12:56

  • Darren #46 4 years ago

    If this game was based on a real-life account then I could understand the need to include "references to suicide and an implied child rape" to keep it true to the facts but certainly not in a game that is completely fictional; that sounds like it's been included purely for shock/controversial value and not for any other reason. I actually think it's a bit sick really even if it is only implied.

  • JediMasterMalik #47 4 years ago

    Ryan payton said it doesn't imply child rape, simply child trauma, which makes far more sense.

  • anomagnus #48 4 years ago

    I LOVE THE XBOX360 AND HALO 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    on a more sensible note, i dont think this thread has been taken over by rabid xbox fans, has it?

  • BobsUncle #49 4 years ago

    douchebaggery

    Awesome word. :-)

  • DarthInsinuate #50 4 years ago

    In Metal Gear Solid 2 there was a sub plot about Otacon's past, where he apparently was seduced by his step mother as a teenager, which indirectly lead to his father's suicide.

    One of the themes of MGS4 is revisiting the past, or something like that, so I imagine they might be revisiting that plot point, or maybe there'll be a scene where the monkey-in-pants corners a child in a room and the door closes behind them. ZOMG IMPLIED CHILD RAPE!

  • dazzaman #51 4 years ago

    There is going to be enough kerfuffle in the press about GTA4 inspiring twats behaviour lets hope MGS4 doesn't inspire the same twats eh?

    Quite frankly who gives a shit if it's a spoiler or not, the guys whining about this being a spoiler really need to do some growing up. I can't imagine how a COMPUTER GAME plot is going to benefit from a back story or implied scene about rape of a minor.

    Get real Kojima.

  • tonynibbles #52 4 years ago

    Metal Rear Solid: Buns of the Child Patriots

    Oh no. That was lame. And heading in to dark town...

  • Alf-Life #53 4 years ago

    Nothing from the title in the actual news story.

    Is this akin to the implied incest with Otakon and his lil sis in MGS2?
    Or done to make a villain seem more evil a la the bad dude in the new Rambo (who gets a boy delivered to his hut)...?

  • Zander #54 4 years ago

    @BobsUncle

    Yeah but rings are cool.

  • YourMessageHere #55 4 years ago

    There is no spoiler. This is no more revealing than your average trailer; if I say "MGS4 features huge mooing death robots and more hiding in boxes" is that a spoiler? Nowhere does the article say who is (implicitly) raped by who, or who makes reference to suicide, or whether they actually have any bearing on anything.

  • konnsky #56 4 years ago

    RAPE IN JAPAN IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING HELLO.

  • White_Westie #57 4 years ago

    "Some people have both consoles. though I'm not sure why I do, there's fuck all on PS3 worth having. (Except Drakes)"

    @bobsuncle

    Just what I was thinking... i have all 3 (lucky me), but the ps3 (and the wii) are gathering dust at the mo.... I was looking forward to "home" on ps3 but will have to wait even longer for that (hey its only been a year or so...).

    I think the ps3 will come into its own eventually.... its just a question of time..... but im getting impatient as you can only wait a certain amount of time before I ebay the bugger...

  • MakyoDetector #58 4 years ago

    Who is this Hideous Kojima and why is he raping our children? Or is Sony doing the actual raping? What's going on?

  • JediMasterMalik #59 4 years ago

    Try reading the fucking article.

  • The-Bodybuilder #60 4 years ago

    LOL @ Makyodetector.
    Hideous. Love it.

  • Davemanz #61 4 years ago

    Eh, it's not an issue that hasn't been handled in movies or even in previous games. Killer7 was chock-full of implied child-rape and child enslavement. Granted, the plot to the game (though weird) was just about the darkest shit imaginable, but I bet this'll get more shit for it just because it's so much more high profile.

    Also:
    phatb0y:
    Edited by Davemanz at 24/04/08 @ 01:37

  • davisorle #62 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • 3william56 #63 4 years ago

    @davisorle: So what? Cinematic mad developer has reality check, can't fulfill all his ideas and scope of vision within time, budget and available technology? PS3 is teh d00m3d? Or inevitable process of real game development?

    /checks
    Pope still wearing funny hat and talking about some bint who got a seeing to from God.
    Bears still refusing to come indoors for number twos.

    No news still good news.

  • BobsUncle #64 4 years ago

    @Zander

    But the deluxe version has so much more eagle...

  • juuken #65 4 years ago

    Oooooh noes.