Manhunt 2 banned from Brits and Receive AO rating.

WiizerFanboy · Post by **WiizerFanboy** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:11 am

wow... Dirtyprettythings talked about this earlier and i just read this today.

From gamespot:

"Earlier today, the British Board of Film Classification gave Manhunt 2 a thumbs down, banning it from sale in the UK due to its "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism." Now it appears the Entertainment Software Rating Board is ready to hand down its own most restrictive rating to the latest controversial offering from Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games.

A Take-Two representative told GameSpot today that the ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO for Adults Only to Manhunt 2. While not an outright ban, the rating would severely limit a game's sales potential, as most major American retailers have chosen not to carry games rated AO.

As for the reason this is only an "initial" rating, when the ESRB rates a game, it notifies the publisher 30 days prior to publicly releasing its decision. This gives publishers unhappy with ratings the chance to either modify their games and resubmit them for a second assessment, or go before the ESRB's appeals board to challenge it directly.

"We believe the process of rating video games is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them," a Take-Two representative said. "Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."

While Take-Two doesn't agree with the idea of an AO-rated Manhunt 2, one parent watchdog group believes it's only appropriate. Earlier today, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood demanded that the ESRB give Manhunt 2 an AO rating, saying that "harmful effects of ultra-violent video games on children will be magnified by playing them on the interactive Nintendo Wii system."

The group's announcement contained a statement from Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, who explained, "The content of Manhunt 2 and the unique physical interaction with the Wii control combine to take [the game's simulation] a level closer to reality--we can expect that the effects of this experience will be even greater."

The group directed like-minded individuals to contact ESRB president Patricia Vance with their concerns, and Vance today issued her response.

"We have received the letter from CCFC and, while we might take issue with some of the statements made within, we sincerely appreciate their expressed concerns," Vance said. "Our ratings are intended to provide guidance that allows parents to choose games they deem suitable for their children, and that is a responsibility we take extremely seriously."

Manhunt 2 is currently slated for a July 10 release on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. "

A comment that made me giggle: ""banning it from sale in the UK due to its "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism."

Umm have they watched their own television shows? You Brits got a game show that sends ppl to America to taunt rednecks, fake a woman being paralyzed to put off her prospective date and another idiot who throws hamburgers at passersby. Fix your TV, than talk about the games."

jayt11 · Post by **jayt11** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:56 pm

i don't think Manhunt 2 was as suggestive as Rumble Roses or DOA X2

Typheus · Post by **Typheus** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:08 am

Hey, who cares. We're all over 18, right? XD

Besides, the UK over there censors Buffy the godamn Vampire Slayer.

WiizerFanboy · Post by **WiizerFanboy** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:03 am

I'm 17 : (.

Typheus · Post by **Typheus** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:02 pm

Mericks · Post by **Mericks** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:13 pm

I'm 16.

I'm rather pissed off about so many stores refusing to supply the games though. I mean come on, what's so hard about putting it on the shelves? I mean give me a fucking break. Look at this shit they'lll supply a game for people 17 and older, but they won't supply a game that was meant for people 18 and over.

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:28 am

Pwned. Pwned real bad.

Discordia · Post by **Discordia** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:41 pm

Not really surprising given that the original was blamed for the death of a teenage boy in 2004 and widely withdrawn from sale.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leic ... 936597.stm

And for the record, I don't agree with this bullshit. Parental responsibility is the problem here. These games are designed for adults and it is up to parents to ensure that minors in their care are not exposed to age inappropriate media.

Mericks · Post by **Mericks** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:14 pm

"She said teenagers, who lack the psychological maturity of adults, play the games, even though they are aimed at over-18s."

That's almost funny, until you remember the amount of grief this woman must've been going through when her son died at the hands of his friend. In a normal case of stupidity of this nature, I'd just flat out declare the stupidity, but in this case, I can somewhat understand. Grief drives people to do crazy things. In this case I think the parents most likely thought the boy who killed their son was nice and so they liked him. When they found out he killed their son and played the game, they blamed the game.

Seriously though, being an adult doesn't keep you from being insane. The only thing that keeps you from being insane is being sane.

Atticus · Post by **Atticus** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:19 am

I just can't believe that Rockstar is doing a sequal after the original. All their asking for is more lawsuits and tons of propaganda about how bad video games are and blah blah blah. I, personally, didn't really care for the first one. It's games like these that I almost see the politicians and parents points. It's just a little too much. I love the GTA series, but no matter what anyone says, Manhunt is like 10 times worse than GTA.

Mericks · Post by **Mericks** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:46 pm

I never played the original. I might check out this 1 to see what people are talking about, but either way, if you ever blame the media for your actions, it better be because there's hypnosis or subliminal messages in there.

Typheus · Post by **Typheus** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:30 pm

Oh shit Mericks. It's about stealth kills. Get up behind someone with a metal wire and you can do 3 different execution levels. 3 being the most bloody. Example

1: Strangle him

2: Strangle him and beat his ass while you're doing it.

3: Strangle him and take the wire back and fourth to cut his head off.

Mericks · Post by **Mericks** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:52 pm

Stealth = fun