Never before has there been such an abundance of nostalgic gaming available to such a large range of consumers as we now find on the PS3, and according to some new ESRB ratings that collection is still growing.
It was only a few years ago that if you wanted to play classic Atari, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, or Sega Genesis games you had to search eBay, raid some pawn shops, and maybe even hit up a couple of flea markets to find those golden goodies. Barring that, you could risk some law breaking and acquire some illegal ROMs to go with the emulators so easily found online, but luckily, acquiring a legitimate copy of your favorite classics just keeps getting easier thanks to digital media. The ESRB has just rated several new entries for the PS3, which harken back to the SNES glory days, and the beginning of the PSOne era. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Klonoa: Door to Phantomile have all just received ESRB ratings, indicating that they are unofficially coming our way. All three titles are listed on the ESRB site as being published by Sony Computer Entertainment America, and are rated for release on both the PS3 and the PSP platforms.
Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI (originally Final Fantasy III in North America) are representatives of a time when Square was still known for top quality RPGs, and are arguably among the pinnacle titles for company. Originally seen on the SNES, each has been hailed repeatedly for being among some of the greatest games of all time, and if not that, are certainly some of the most influential titles from the mid 1990’s. Each has received a Teen rating, with their respective descriptions following.
Chrono Trigger:
This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of a young adventurer who travels through time to save the world from evil forces. From a top-down perspective, players use swords, crossbows, and magic spells (e.g., lightning bolts, ice strikes) to engage fantastical creatures in turn-based combat; enemies blink and disappear when defeated. In one scene, characters can be seen strapped to small guillotines inside a jail cell; another sequence depicts a character sacrificing himself (i.e., turning to dust) to save members of his party. Some cutscenes also depict brief instances of blood: a bloody sword (with dead bodies in the background); a snake monster that emits small splashes of blood when it is split in half.
Final Fantasy VI:
This is a role-playing game in which players embark on a journey to defeat an evil empire and stop a madman from destroying the world. Players engage in turn-based battles (e.g., selecting attacks/spells from a menu screen) against a variety of enemies (e.g., bears, mech-robots, and knights) that disappear when defeated. Some violent sequences also occur during cutscenes: a jailed character getting punched; a character getting stabbed. During the course of the game, a few female characters are dressed in outfits that reveal some cleavage; a gallery image depicts a female character’s exposed buttocks.
Clearly you must be at least a teenager to appreciate a female character’s exposed buttock, according to the ESRB.
Unlike the two RPGs revealed here, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a fantastic 2D side scrolling platforming game, originally developed and published by Namco. Premiering on the PSOne in 1998, Klonoa is known for being a cutesy, simple, and fun platformer, which set itself apart from the competition with an emotionally charged story meant to be appreciated by a wide audience. The ESRB has rated Klonoa: Door to Phantomile as “E” for Everyone, but has not provided an accompanying description. Hopefully these ratings are indications of more good things to come, so we’ll keep an eye out for official announcements, and will likely get back to you soon with some release dates too.
