BBFC rejects Manhunt 2

[FrieChamp]

Manhunt 2 "Suspended," Pushed out of July

by Chris Remo Jun 21, 2007 11:32pm CST

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has "temporarily suspended" the release of its controversial game Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP), which this week was Rated "Adults Only" by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The game will no longer ship July 10 as originally planned; a new release projection has not been given.

In a statement issued today, Take-Two expressed its confidence in the game, which but did not give any indication as to its planned course of action. "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game," reads the statement. "We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."

The rating refusal on the part of the BBFC effectively bans Manhunt 2 from sale entirely in the UK. The ESRB's AO rating does not legally preclude the game from being sold, but serves as de facto retail death, with console companies Sony and Nintendo forbidding AO-rated games on their systems and major retailers refusing to sell AO-rated products.

Take-Two is expected to appeal the ESRB's decision or resubmit a modified version of the game for reclassification.

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/47554

[Sentura]

i heard there was some trouble about nintendo not accepting manhunt 2 as well, but i've just seen you can preorder the title for wii, so i guess it'll be out for wii...

[CrazyMAC]

i heard there was some trouble about nintendo not accepting manhunt 2 as well, but i've just seen you can preorder the title for wii, so i guess it'll be out for wii...

It wont be, Sony and Nintendo both have the same policy on AO games.

[Rick_D]

I don't understand the point of marketing a console towards adults (and not just kids) and then not supporting AO titles. As for retailers you'll be hard pressed to find a major chain that will sell18 games to minors as the legal consequences wouldn't be worth their time. I even remember an independent store around here that shied away from selling them to minors because they'd get closed down, instead of just lumbered with a fine and some bad publicity.

I wonder what the next game 'banned' will be? CoD4 for portraying war as an arcadey good-time party experience?

[CrazyMAC]

AO used to be for porn only, so any company assosiated with a AO title would get a bad rep. As porn evil and all that shit still. It's stupid really.

[CrazyMAC]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 304688&z=2

intresting stuffs

[Thrik]

You seem to be all over this, Mac. You doing their PR?

[CrazyMAC]

Haha shhh

Nah, well not directly at least. We do stuff for ELSPA.

[Thrik]

lol

Well, perhaps a million years too late, the UK Government responded to the petition against the BBFC decision:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) considers all works - whether film, video or game - submitted to it against a set of guidelines (available on its website - http://www.bbfc.co.uk). The guidelines take into account the law and also public opinion. This means that the guidelines can and do change periodically, reflecting changing public opinion.

The BBFC considered Manhunt 2 and concluded that, within the current guidelines, it could not be given a classification. The BBFC takes its responsibilities very seriously and it uses its powers to reject works extremely rarely. Details can be found on its website.

There is an appeals procedure which the game's producers are apparently pursuing.

The Government is satisfied with the BBFC's procedure and with the provisions for appeal, and will not be intervening in this process.

The Government has recently announced a review aimed at helping parents ensure that their children are protected from exposure to inappropriate material in games. This is not intended to restrict the choice of material available to adults.

Which can alternatively be read as 'Sod off'.

I guess it doesn't matter anymore though as Rockstar have changed stuff to get it released anyway, as seen in the newer thread.

[-HP-]

Yeah, this is useless now... bahh..

[Nexus]

how did kingpin survived?

[-HP-]

how did kingpin survived?

ahh.. the memories! ^^