Manhunt 2

[KC]

problems galore for rockstar,after ESRB's adult rating,BBFC has rejected to pass the game (rate the game),meaning the game will not release in UK atleast

[sanjoy]

Only 23 games have ever been rated Adults Only in the 13-year history of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, according to the board's site.

If Manhunt 2's AO rating sticks it will be the twenty-fourth title to receive such a rating and the first console title, not including the Hot Coffee edition of GTA San Andreas, to get such a distinction.

Other AO titles include Playboy the Mansion: Private Party, which received its rating due to nudity and strong sexual content; the director's cut of Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, which received the rating for Blood, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol and Violence; and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored, which received the rating for, well, everything.

Title Publisher Rating Content Platforms
Playboy the Mansion: Private Party Groove Media Inc. AO Nudity, Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

Lula 3D CDV Software Entertainment USA Inc AO Blood, Nudity, Strong Language,
Strong Sexual Content, Violence Windows PC

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut: PC CD ROM Atari, Inc. AO Blood, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence Windows PC

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Rockstar Games AO Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs Windows PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored Vivendi Universal AO Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol Windows PC

Singles Eidos Interactive AO Nudity, Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

Peak Entertainment Casinos Peak Entertainment NV AO Gambling Online, Windows PC

Critical Point Peach Princess AO Strong Sexual Content, Violence Windows PC

Tokimeki Checkin! Peach Princess AO Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

Water Closet: The Forbidden Chamber Peach Princess AO Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

Snow Drop Peach Princess AO Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

X-Change Peach Princess AO Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

Thrill Kill Virgin AO Animated Blood and Gore,

Animated Violence PlayStation/PS one

All Nude Nikki MacDaddy Entertainment AO Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

Body Language NUTECH DIGITAL AO Strong Sexual Content DVD

Riana Rouge Black Dragon AO Realistic Blood and Gore,

Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

WET - The Sexy Empire CDV Software GMBH AO Strong Sexual Content Windows PC

All Nude Glamour MacDaddy Entertainment AO Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

All Nude Cyber MacDaddy Entertainment AO Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

Cyber Photographer MacDaddy Entertainment AO Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

The Joy Of Sex Philips Media AO Strong Sexual Content CDI

Playboy Screensaver :The Women Of Playboy Sony Imagesoft (Publishing) AO Mature Sexual Themes Macintosh

Crystal Fantasy MacDaddy Entertainment AO Strong Sexual Content Macintosh, Windows PC

[rogues]

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) rejected Man Hunt 2 on the grounds of its "casual sadism" and "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying".

The ruling means that shops or other suppliers can not legally sell the game in Britain.

It is the first time in ten years that a video games has been refused a classification by the BBFC.

BFFC says that the games callous tone encourages visceral killing.

David Cooke, director of the BBFC says Manhunt stood out because of the focus on "creeping up on people and killing them in a wide variety of ways".

Cooke says that they decided to banned the video game to rule out the "risks of harm both to adults and to children."

He says that Manhunt is focused on killing people in a wide variety of ways with a range of weapons and it was this single mindedness which he had not come across before.

Cooke says the cumulative effect of the violence was worrying.

In 2003 the original Manhunt game was given an 18 classification.

Cooke says that classification was the highest that was possible to give.

He says that although Manhunt 2 is does not necessarily contain more violence than the original it is context and focus of the violence that is concerning.

Manhunt 2, for PS2 and Nintendo Wii consoles, is made by Rockstar Games.

In a written statement Rockstar Games said :

"We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of Manhunt 2. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision. Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers. We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended. We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume. The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

The company will consider over the next few days whether or not to launch an appeal, a spokesman said.

The company has six weeks to submit an appeal.

The last game to be refused classification was Carmageddon in 1997.

The BBFC's decision was overturned on appeal.

In a separate move in the United States, the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has sent a letter to the president of the U.S. game industry's rating board requesting that "Man Hunt 2" receive an "Adults-Only" rating.

The original Manhunt game caused huge controversy and was blamed for the murder of a 14-year-old schoolboy.

Stefan Pakeerah was stabbed and beaten to death in Leicester in February 2004.

His parents believe the killer, Warren LeBlanc, 17, was inspired by the game.

Police and lawyers involved in the trial said there was no evidence that Manhunt had played a part in the murder.

[KC]

good thing such games shd be banned

[sanjoy]

i want this game.... sounds awesome

[HundredProofSam]

shouldnt be banned but adult only is a good rating....its like in movies...if u wanna make big bucks, make a PG13...if u wanna make a sadistic horror movie u cant expect kids to be allowed into theatres to watch it



peace

[sanjoy]

yeah Pg 13 movies r just to make the big bucks.. but manunt is a good game and i am sure 2 will be even better

[aman]

WTF, i want this game truly madly deeply
manhunt was one of the greatest horror game, the tension, gore, insane killings, strong language made it so much fun, no way that such games should be banned, let the consumer make his own choice, imposing ban would just show plain hypocrisy

[ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ]

Rockstar 'disappointed' by UK ban

Manhunt 2 developer responds to the BBFC's decision to refuse classification for the game in the UK.

Manhunt 2 yesterday became the second video game in UK history to be banned by the region's rating board, the British Board of Film Classification. The reasons given were that the game was 'brutal,' and featured 'unremitting bleakness' and 'casual sadism.'

The Irish Film Censor's Office followed suit, and soon after the BBFC's statement, announced that it too would be banning the title in the Republic of Ireland, due to the "gross, unrelenting, and gratuitous violence."

Rockstar Games responded today with an official statement saying that it was "disappointed" by the BBFC's decision, and it "emphatically disagreed" with the ban.

The statement read, "Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers."

The company continued that it believed all products should be rated to "allow the public to make informed choices." While Rockstar stated that it would of course respect the decision and the difference in opinion, "We hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended."

The statement continued, "The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

In the United States, Manhunt 2 has been given an Adults Only rating, which although not an outright ban, would mean that the game would not be sold at most major American retailers, as they often choose not to stock AO-rated games. Take-Two told GameSpot that it would be "exploring its options" regarding the rating.

[ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ]

Q&A: Postal designer on Manhunt 2

Earlier this week, Rockstar Games' unreleased action game Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK and Ireland. The controversial PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii title was then issued an AO for Adults Only rating in the US, effectively extending the ban to domestic shores, as neither Sony nor Nintendo allow AO-rated games on their systems.

Running With Scissors CEO Vince Desi is no stranger to controversy, having seen his violent Postal series of games banned in countries like Brazil and New Zealand, as well as blamed for real-life tragedies. Given his familiarity with the subject, GameSpot today posed a handful of questions to Desi in order to get his views on the Manhunt 2 controversy, the effectiveness of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and whether or not these high-profile incidents help or hurt the bottom line.

GameSpot: What's your general take on the Manhunt 2 situation?

Vince Desi: My main concern is for our industry, the game industry itself. Whether I or any other developer or gamer likes, loves, or hates Manhunt 2 is not the issue. The real issue is we as an industry allow ourselves to be set up. I'm a big fan of the ESRB, I think in general they do a great job. The dilemma is that while we are supposedly a free society (who knows about the UK), the fact is government, hypocritical politicians, and the media dictate directly and indirectly who wins and loses, or who gets to play, so to speak. Does Hillary really have a clue?

GS: Have any Running With Scissors games ever received an initial rating of Adults Only from the ESRB?

VD: No, all of the Postal games have been rated M.

GS: Are you at all jealous that Rockstar managed to land an AO rating with a game before you?

VD: We make games that are humor-driven, not violent-centric. As for being first, Postal 2 received six descriptors; you know we were the first to get an "Intense Violence" descriptor. Seriously, I don't think any developer purposely intends to corner a negative score.

GS: How has controversy over the extreme content in Postal helped or hurt the series' sales?

VD: 2007 is our 10th anniversary, and we are currently developing Postal III for the 360/PC/Mac and we have a major motion picture coming out in September, so looking back we've done great. However, in the beginning it clearly was harmful here in the USA; we were never big enough to buy our way onto the retail shelves.

GS: If Manhunt 2 were a Running With Scissors product, do you think the rating would have been the same?

VD: Who knows? I would like to think that all games are evaluated on their own. At least that's the way it should be.

GS: If Manhunt 2 were a PC-only game, do you think the rating would have been the same?

VD: Again, in a perfect world I would say yes. That said, I'm not sure it would get the same rating if it was submitted at a different time or if a different individual scored it.

GS: Do you think there's a conflict of interest in having the Entertainment Software Association--a trade group intended to operate in the best interests of its members--also run the ESRB, which can hand down ratings effectively banning console games from sale in the US?

VD: I think there is a need for both organizations, but I agree I would prefer them to be independent, and I truly believe it would be more helpful to our industry. Clearly it would improve their credibility. RWS has always supported both groups, regardless of how we've been scapegoated in the industry. I do believe by us taking a long-term view we are finally seeing an upside; more and more people are seeing Postal for what it was always intended--a game with mature humor.

GS: Will this rating do anything to keep politicians and parent watchdog groups off the industry's back?

VD: I don't think so. The video game industry is too easy for them to complain about, and with a presidential election next year I can only imagine the pseudo talking points we'll be hearing. It could be the only issue the Democrats and Republicans agree upon.

GS: Will this rating do anything to prevent children from getting their hands on inappropriate or violent games?

VD: How old were you when you lit your first cigarette? Drank your first beer? I think rating systems work in general as they provide consumers with so-called valuable information, [but] they should never be seen as or expected to be a policing policy.

GS: Do you expect Microsoft's prohibition on AO-rated games for its systems will become an issue when Postal 3 is ready for its Xbox 360 release next year?

VD: Not at all. Our design policy is really very simple. When we consider content we first ask ourselves, "Is this fun to play?" And second, "Is it funny?" We never think in terms of violence, it reduces the game to a one-dimensional perspective, aka BORING. We design for laughs. It's so much more entertaining when you can play for fun and at the same time laugh your ass off.

I think it's important for developers to reconsider their motivations; it shouldn't be about money, or the latest trend or tech feature. We're in the game business, games are meant to be played, and playing should be a fun experience. That's it!

[sanjoy]

Nintendo has confirmed if the game gets a Ao rating.. it will not be released on any Nintendo system...
Sony is to follow

[KC]

sony confirmed too.

[gtavint]

This was expected....after all that controversy created by the first version - R* would be a fool if didnt anticipate that continuin and improving on the same game would result in this mess !

But manhunt 1 was a good game - good is an underrating - it was superb ! I really couldn feel the heat and tension lurking in the shadows waiting for the hunter to make that false move....and running helter skelter when spotted by one !

Best would be to release on PC with an AO, no restriction on AO or mature or whatever on PC games anyway !

But I agree with ESRB ratings - this game is certainly not for kids !

[KC]

This game is nothing but a glorified murder simulator and such games shd be banned completely

[ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ]

A couple of days ago we carried a story on how Rockstar’s ultra violent Manhunt 2 received an AO rating from the ESRB and was banned in London by the BBFC. And now it seems those two "issues" have forced publisher Take Two to "temporarily suspended" the game.


To make matters worse both Sony and Nintendo forbid third party developers from distributing AO titles on their platforms. Take–Two however are sticking to their guns as here is what Chairman Strauss Zelnick had to say, "We firmly believe that parents and consumers, once informed as to the nature of any entertainment product, should be able to make their own choices. I have reviewed Manhunt 2 myself, it fits squarely within the horror genre and was intended to do so. It brings a unique, formerly unheard-of cinematic quality to interactive entertainment. It is also a fine piece of art. I stand behind it fully."

More power to Take-Two for sticking with Rockstar who in turn stuck to their guns by making this game in the first place and I hope and pray this game gets released.

www.tech2.com/india/news/games/manhunt-2-on-hold/7453/0