Years ago, several online vendors used this particular stock photo for The Misadventure of Tron Bonne branded with an ESRB "Teen" rating (13+) instead of the current "E" rating. A simple error perhaps? Maybe, but when you take a close look at the content within the game, it's reasonable to believe Tron originally carried the preliminary teen rating. Let's take a look at some of the more "questionable content" the game has to offer:- -The "Bank Mission" allows players to demolish the homes of innocent bystanders who can be tossed off the side of the harbor to their presumed deaths. In addition, public places such as Hospitals and Banks can be destroyed.
- Civilians can be shot at until they're "burnt to a crisp." It's comical in a sense, but can be viewed as "violent".
- -Policemen are classified as "common foes," obscuring the player's progression as they try to stop Tron from wreaking havoc. Like bystanders, the policemen can be shot at.
- -The "Torture Room" allows you to physically discipline Servbots through poking and prodding, burning, and other antics that come straight out of your typical Looney Tunes episode. Again, comical, but you know how people just love to blow things out of context.
- If you thought the animal abuse in Rockman DASH was bad, then you're going to love this one: Animals such as cats, dogs, foxes, and rabbits can be stepped on, shot at, and tossed.
- Japanese versions of the game contained several sexual references, particularly, the demeanor of Servbot #40 and the presence of an "erotic magazine" item. These tidbits aren't present in the final Enlish version, but might have been featured in a preliminary build that the ESRB reviewed at one point.
In the end, Tron Bonne was awarded with a "E" rating (7+) most likely out of Capcom's insistence: if the title carried a teen rating, then a majority of the target audience (ages 7-12) would be put off. Marketing at its finest.
