Manhunt 2

[Tullaryx]

Well, here in the United States the game got an AO-rating not because of the content of the game which is not that far off from the original Manhunt. The AO rating was pretty much due to the version of the game for the Wii which makes some interesting use of the Wii-mote. It would seem that using the Wii mote to simulate cutting another person's throat and other types of kill moves was too realistic for ESRB. They didn't have any problem with the content and would have given the game an M-rating if just released for the PS3 and the 360, but the Wii version was what pushed the game from Mature to Adult-Only. So, it has less to do with Hillary Clinton and more to do with ESRB being more proactive in self-regulating the industry.

I can see why they decided on that rating and I have no problem with it. The problem I do have are major retailers not carrying the game to be sold in their stores just because it got an AO-rating. They'll sell a M-rated game which is for 17 and up but not a game that's 18 and up. Does a one year difference really make that much of a difference to the maturity of the person buying said game?

I still believe the game will come out with just cosmetic changes on the PS3 and 360 version, but I have a feeling the Nintendo Wii version will most likely be cancelled altogether. Take-Two was pretty shrewd in just postponing the release of the game instead of outright cancelling it. With all the free publicity its gaining throughout this entire ordeal the game will be on gamers' minds for a long time to come. If and when it finally does see a release the amount of people old enough to buy it will probably go beyond the original fans and include some casual gamers wanting to see what all the hoopla was all about.
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[Sniper_Zegai]

Im more shocked that England actually went along with this ban, it just seems so unusual. I dont know if this was to improve their political image given tha accusation brought about by the first Manhunt (Which were completly false in the end). I always get pissed off when I cant have something becuase its disagreeable. Its clearly for adults; so why not sell it as such and that be the end of it. As I said before if it was really that horrible people would simply turn their consoles off and get a refund; problem solved. But no, the government knows whats best for me.
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[Tullaryx]

I thought the BBFC was an independent group separate from the government just like the MPAA in the United States. If that's the case then the government had nothing to do with the ban just like the government had nothing to do with the AO-rating given by the ESRB here in the States.

As a mentioned about the ESRB's decision to give the AO-rating maybe the BBFC was being proactive in rating games now, though they may have been too proactive this time around. But from what I've read of the history of the BBFC's banning of certain movies in the past there's a chance Manhunt 2's ban may change down the line, but that may be too late for the game getting released in the UK which may just be their plan.
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[Sniper_Zegai]

I guess what Im trying to say is, they seem to more involved with games becuase of all the media hype about violence in games. And Manhunt 2 was clearly going to be a target of this.

It just seems to me that they banned it becuase of the fallout from the last Manhunt, even though there was no evidence whatsoever that Manhunt or violent video games in general make people violent...at all.
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[Tullaryx]

Yes, that does sound like making up for what they didn't do with the last Manhunt. Would you be more amendable if the BBFC had just given Manhunt 2 a certificate of 18 where only those 18 and older could buy the game.

Here in the United States that's pretty much the rating it got from the ESRB and I am not against such a rating as I've stated earlier. It's the consequence from the big stores once that rating hit which I do have something against. Would an 18 certificate had gotten stores to refuse the sale of the game in the UK?
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[Ujitsuna]

[Sniper_Zegai]

As Hayashi said, stores in England sell plenty of 18 rated games and if Manhunt had been rated 18 most game retailers would sell it, most family type stores like Dixons or Curry's who sell games porbably would'nt sell it though. GTA is one of them as well as Gears of War and Dead Rising are rated 18, becuase they are bloody and graphic as well as having swearing in them...fair enough but they are'nt banned because its a choice to buy them and more importantly, play them.

The real problem people have is that video games dont reqiure ID to be bought. For example lets say a 15 year old tried to buy the game but he looks 18. The games stores dont legally have to ask him for ID even though he would need ID to buy anything else that is available to 18+ years like alchohol or even porn and of course 18 rated movies.

The funny thing is I dont have a problem with showing ID for an 18 game and I dont know why people oppose it, well I imagine they are younger than 18.
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[Jossef]

This isn't a game I would have went out of my way to buy, but I would have liked to have had a try of. Even though I wouldn't be that excited about it's release, I don't like being told what I can or can't play and that's what bothers me most about this game.

In saying that, I sometimes wonder if Manhunt was the game Rockstar released to see what boundaries they could push in terms of censorship. It seems they managed it second time round whether this was their intention or not.
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[Tullaryx]

Thats the thing, much of the people who complain are either people who are under 18 or if over 18 just don't want to be bothered to show ID. Gamers have had it easy in terms of regulation and now that the business has become such a huge one that governments and groups have started targeting it people get all bent out of shape.

You either accept some for of self-regulation or the government will do it. Of course, the BBFC seem to have gone a tad overboard with their self-regulating but in the US an AO game doesnt mean the game is banned from being sold. It's just the culture of many big stores won't allow for such things to be carried since it carries a stigma of being "pornographic" in some fasion.

Here in the US the ESRB could never have gotten away with banning Manhunt 2 since it would be considered censorship, but rating it so only adults can buy it solves that problem. It would seem that despite all the talk of censorship being rampant in the US, it's the UK and most likely Europe, who will be looking to ban extremely violent games.

As for what Jossef said, I think Rockstar knew very well the reaction the game would get from the ratings board. Their reaction as being surprised just makes them out to be victims when in the end they made the conscious decision to make a game which pushed the boundaries of whats deemed acceptable. They shouldn't be crying unfair targeting of their games if they made money of being seen as the developer who pushes the boundaries. They weren't complaining when they were making money from such games but now they are telling everyone who will listen that their game is harmless in every way.
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[Sniper_Zegai]

Thats what I mean, as I said earlier. I did'nt really wanna play this game before but now that its banned I just have to see it.

If the game had something "illegal" being shown in it, then fair enough. Rockstar could edit the game and re-release. Rinse and repeat until the game was acceptable. You say "They did for the shock value!" my response to that is "And?" films do it all the time, TV is doing it even more, the difference is its a real life person acting it out. And with special effects its never looked more realistic. Are you gonna tell me that "Saw" or "Hostel" was'nt designed to shock you, you may not agree with it but its the "right" of a company to make these things as long as it is'nt illegal. Just like the KKK have the "right" to be racist. We may not like it but its the way things are and it should'nt change becuase thats what living in a free country is all about. Its just seems overzealous and I dont see why the game just could'nt be released with a bit of editing. What real harm did they think it would do?

70,000 people are killed a year in America from drink driving alone? Are cars and Alcohol banned? Hell No. Why not? Who knows! The threat is there. But I dont know. (Statistics are old and are probably wrong, they may even be higher :shock: )

I hope Tullaryx does'nt mind clearing up the details on my arguement, hes much smarter than me.
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