If you saw the first trailer for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z last fall, then this should have come as no surprise. With the game out soon, the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) has given the game a look to weigh in on who should be playing it, and who shouldn't. As expected, the game is rife with blood n' guts, earning it a "Mature" rating.
The ESRB got into the specifics of the reason behind the rating on the official site's listing:
"This is an action game in which players assume the role of a cyborg ninja (Yaiba) as he battles zombies and searches for his rival, Ryu. Players use swords and bladed whips to kill dozens of zombies, ninjas, and boss creatures. Players can use zombie body parts as weapons (e.g., using a zombie stomach to spray bile/vomit at enemies) and dismember/decapitate them during the course of battle; large blood- splatter effects often occur. The game includes some sexual material: one scene depicts a 3D silhouette of a woman straddling a man, with accompanying dialogue (e.g., 'Let's just say some parts of your anatomy didn't need any enhancement.'). Drugs are occasionally mentioned in text (e.g., '...big-timers in the drug trade, coke especially.'). The words 'f**k,' 'sh*t,' and 'a*shole' appear in dialogue."
While the recent Ninja Gaiden games have indeed gotten a tad more violent and gruesome in the last few years (with a few fluctuations here and there), this description sounds like Team Ninja is taking things in a completely different and out there direction. Alongside the ramped up violence is a new main character and new graphical style for the series.
Whereas the last few Gaiden games have featured the well known Ryu Hayabusa (with a few neighbors and family members thrown in for good measure), this game introduces the eponymous Yaiba, a ninja once defeated by Ryu, only to be brought back as a cyborg by a rogue organization, and tasked with ending a massive zombie outbreak. A "Bloodlust" mode sends Yaiba into overdrive and rip the undead limb from literal limb, as well as a few other body parts like the ESRB's description mentions. The game's cartoonish cel-shaded graphic style should be a nice contrast to all the bloodletting and "sexual themes."
The game is out for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 at the end of February in Europe, and March 4 in North America.