i could shoot the BBFC right now, taking manhunt away from me *cry* lol. Still bet take two got that $50 mil from MS now

I bet they are now going over GTA 4 and making sure nothing slips into the game that will get it an AO rating or possible bannings.

"Then there's the word of mouth reaching parents about the game.."

Umm guys, this is would have been an 18/Mature rated game anyways. How many resposible parents should buy that to their kids?

I recommend scratching that off from the list of potential buyers.

@Kyle81: well if GTA4 is banned over here (UK), at least i can import it from anywhere. region Free FTW!

I hardly see the company seeing financial problems over this. It wouldn't have cost as much to develop as most of their other games and GTAIV coming out later this year is a license for them to print money.

@jip100: You can import Manhunt 2 from the rest of Europe too.

Well theres a good chance that the Wii version will get censored. Why you ask? Because from the Nintendos online buyers guide, it states that Nintendo does not sell or license games with an AO rating.

[www.nintendo.com]

So Nintendo if they keep to this will have to stop Manhunt 2 on the Wii, or they will force Take Two to censor the game for Wii.

@Kuraudo: yer i know, planing on importing from france, however im not holding my breath, as i can see other countries following suit

@jip100: I imagine it'll make it out somewhere, but yeah, I'm waiting to see what countries it actually comes out in before preordering one of the ones on eBay at the moment.

I don't understand. Why does Pachter get so much coverage? Is he a Kotaku sponser?

This makes me want to actually finish Manhunt, it was such a great game - very creepy. I'd hate for it to have to be cancelled.

Although, if GTA:SA got an Adults Only rating and it did find... why can't this one too? Although, i supposed the sadistic nature of the game would do that just fine...

@hooligans:
The AO rating on San Andreas was applied after Hot Coffee was discovered. It was scaled back down to M after the patched version went out

It's interesting that a sequel is banned from a country, but with the internet and people having friends around the globe it should still be relatively easy to get the game if you want. Also, this has built so much buzz around the game that people will pick it up for the sake of seeing what is so bad about the game. In the end, ratings will keep it out of certain stores like Wal-mart or make a release on a Nintendo console problematic (purple blood anyone?) but word of mouth and buzz will push the success of the game.

People need to stand up to these self proclaimed enforcement bodies that claim they're here to protect the interest of the general population. Slowly humanity is losing the ability to choose and make decisions on their own. Parents are slowing becoming less liable for raising their children and the burden is being placed on the entertainment industry.

People we need to kick and scream to make our voice heard. Sure this is a silly game that everyone will forget in a few short weeks, but the ramifications will be echoed for years to come. Entertainment and creativity can and will be stifled due to the fear of losing profits. A single organization can not and should not be responsible for policing what is acceptable for society to view or choose to enjoy.

It all comes down to choice, we all have it, and right now we are choosing to ignore and allow the unjust ruling of this title to be banned in the UK. In the states I don't particularly mind the AO rating, at lest it's not banned. The AO rating gives parents the ability to "choose" if it is acceptable for their children, thus placing the burden on the parent, and not the industry!

I hope that if T2 does change the game to receive a Mature rating, they still offer the AO version through their online store.

I know Leisure Suit Larry was this way.

Because, hell no game is as realistic as your first kill in real life combat. The first one haunts you the rest of your life. Sadly, after that they can blur together.

I did a small bit of research. The only difference in the M rating and the AO rating is 17 or 18 years old. I think that long ago they should have combined these two ratings. Mature audiences to me has the same meaning as Adults Only.

There are sick movies in entertainment like Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes, these movies sit on shelves, and are just as depraved as Manhunt 1 or 2. The movie industry has better lobbyist and lawyers.

@aupton: Yes its the end of the world, our free will is no more. Repent!

Again, I may be in the minority here, but why would Take 2 even make a game like this? I know many folks liked the first game, and I certainly enjoy violent games, but Manhunt did nothing for me. Seems to me that by raising the bar with Manhunt 2, they got precisely what they were asking for. There are plenty of violent games out there that were made that I often think were made just to be said that they were made.

Manhunt and its sequel don't do anything for me at all, but then I am in the US where the game will still see a release, even if only in the adults only category. While I empathize that the game is being banned in the UK, it seems to me that the UK system of banning games needs to be retooled in some fashion.

It will be interesting to see if this ruling stands and if it does what impact it has on the game being released in the rest of Europe. I never thought of the US as a bastion against censorship for the gaming world.

Again, I may be in the minority here, but why would Take 2 even make a game like this? I know many folks liked the first game, and I certainly enjoy violent games, but Manhunt did nothing for me. Seems to me that by raising the bar with Manhunt 2, they got precisely what they were asking for.

Oh, I agree. And I can tell you from personal experience that there was a lot of opposition to the first game even within Rockstar itself, and it caused its fair share of problems after release too. I can't imagine what possessed them to make another one and ratchet it up a notch, then expect nothing bad to happen. You'd think if nothing else, they'd have learned their lesson from Hot Coffee.

Rockstar is acting like a petulant child, and they have been for years now. They brought this on themselves.

AO rating?

wow didn't see that one coming *sarcasm*

@ConstyXIV:

Ohh, that actually makes sence... I find it amusing they probably changed the rating for the month or so until the patch.. thanks for the info!

@Hengst2404: Rockstar aimed to make a Horror video game. While it may not be your taste. There are millions of people who go to horror movies, read horror books and they love it.So why can't Rockstar make a horror game? I think all Mature games should be rated AO. Maybe we will move them to dark corners in the back of the store and brown wrapping like in Japan.

Everyone with a shred of interest for the game or care for the health of the gaming/entertainment industry should pre-order the game to justify it's existence and show what it means to the gaming community! Fight back with money, that's the only language this scumbags understand

[tinyurl.com]

@Kyle81:

I cant see Nintendo voluntarily canceling the game after having had worked so hard to get it... On top of that, a game like this would wash that kiddy thing right off. They MIGHT make them censor it, but that would be a lot more like Nintendo was 10 years ago, and not now.

I think that any censoring or canceling that does get done is going to be by Take Two, and not forced on by Nintendo...

This has been talked to death on three other articles already. You can check my views if you like.

all i gotta say is that if they scrap manhunt 2 it will go underground and be avaliable. just like thrill kill for the playstation.

that game was banned, yet i have a copy of it! although it pales in comparison in terms of sheer violence.

nature finds a way!

Rockstar needs to start being a LOT more responsible than this or their days as a studio are numbered. GTA hasn't been anything but garbage since its inception and since that seems to be their only free ride ticket, they're going to have to step IV up so that it meets their crazy bad boy status or no one will buy it. Eventually, EVERY one of their games will be AO (except for table tennis, their only great game, lol) and they'll all just be out of jobs.

I just read over the definition of the Adults Only rating and it seems to fit this title. It shouldn't be in the hands of kids, most definitely, so 18+ really does make sence. Kind of like an R rating for this type of "movie". If its enforced, it may hurt the sales, but i can't see it affecting it /too/much... Maybe more title should be given this title... although... why not just get rid of the Mature rating all together?

If the game got an AO primarily because of the motion control murderin', then wouldn't they have to remove those and make it all button presses for a MA release?

@hooligans:

The "M" rating is also designed to keep it out of the hands of kids, do you think the single year separating the two really determines whether one should be available on retail shelves or not? I personally think they need to scrap the AO rating altogether and just bump the M rating up to 18. And, for the record, AO is not the equivalent of R its the equivalent of NC-17, and that hurts movie revenue a LOT and would kill anything that costs as much as Manhunt to make...

@jackal888:

On paper, the difference between ao and m is only a year, but many stores (pretty much all major chains, actually) do not stock ao games. Its pretty much impossible to turn a profit on a big budget title with an ao rating, which is why this really is a rather significant business problem for T2 in light of their other recent struggles.

Honestly, they should have seen this coming...its all well and good to allow the developers creative freedom but not at the expense of a company going under. Nobody with any knowledge of the previous game or this new one is shocked that it got an ao rating. Certainly an m rating was possible, but ao doesn't seem at all unreasonable. T2's project managers/producers/whoever funded and oversaw this should be shown the door for this debacle.

@Psychtaygar: Your assuming Nintendo did anything to get Manhunt 2. From what we've seen, Rockstar/Take 2 are doing games on Wii voluntary.

It still is in Nintendo's policy that they do not license and sell AO games. Theres a good chance that Manhunt 2 on the Wii will get censored.

If they censor it they'll lose tons of sales. If they actually mean the bullshit they talk about the gaming being made for adults they should just release it as is, since adults will know how to find it and be able to buy it anyway.

@goc: If they censor it, it would possibly be only on the Wii. There is no problem with selling AO PS2 games and such.

Also the AO rating alone is going to cut millions in sales from not having many high profile retailers carrying the game, so censoring it could be needed to make up for that.

@jackal888: Hey I love violent video games, probably as much as the next guy, but I still see a difference between traditional survival horror, RE, Silent Hill etc and Manhunt. Manhunt ratchets things into an area that I am personally not interested in playing. I will certainly speak with my wallet and not purchase the game.

I am not saying that Take 2 shouldn't be able to make the game, merely questioning the intelligence of doing it. Take 2 has been in dire financial straits for a while now and this game's release just doesn't really seem necessary to me. This outcome cannot really come as a surprise, when you keep raising the bar like Take 2 does, its only a matter of time before censorship happens.

I am just angry that we are having these censorship battles over crap games like Manhunt. Give me a break, if we are going to go trough the battles over free speech, let it be over a a game of some worth, something worth rallying around and fighting over. This game is simply not worth the battle and I think Take 2 want this battle and want it over one of their games and as a result they now have what they wanted. This is just another example of a game being made that makes gamers look bad.

"Then there's the word of mouth reaching parents about the game"

What? This game isnt even meant for kids, so why mention something like this?

Couldn't they just release an "unrated" AO edition to specialty stores and a toned down version to the masses? Movies do this all the time with split(rated/unrated) DVD releases.

The question then becomes, what has to be changed/removed to get the M rating?

To hell, what did "The Pacht" think Manhunt will be about? Cute and Cuddly? It's a game with adult content so it should be rated AO/R/FSK 18. Everyone says that games should "Grow up" and now everyone complains about it when they "Grow up".

i don't see a problem giving a violent game like this an AO rating. i honestly feel that only adults should play it. i played through the first manhunt and that game deserved an AO. what's the big deal?

what they need to loosen up on is sexual content. as for banning it in the uk, that seems a bit much.

btw, jip100, it's not region-free. it's a ps2 and wii game. both those systems are region-locked.

Afraid I'm going to have to agree as well. Without major retailers like Wal-mart, T2 just won't be able to pull the profits they hoped.

Not having played Manhunt, you can take my opinion with a grain of salt, but...

This is what you get when you make games that cross over the bounds of good taste AND you relentlessly play up the fact that they do exactly that in your advertising.

It is possible to make a quality horror game without pandering to the serial killer demographic. Somehow Take-2 decided that there was just no other way to do it.

They gave the finger to everyone who looked in their direction. Now they're getting punched repeatedly in the face. It's just one of those "Yep, saw that coming." situations.

Like when he said they will release GTA Special Edition before the regular one to make extra money? The guy talks crap.

T2, which should know better, has been caught in the misapprehension that all video games are for kids. Stop six random folks on the street and ask who plays video games and they'll tell you children and teens play them. T2 is making a game for adults while most folks believe only kids play games. It follows that T2 must be monsters for making such violent games for such a young and tender audience. So games get banned and this has a direct result on the bottom line for game makers, publishers, etc.

I believe that if people understood the rating systems and that there is a huge adult market, there wouldn't be such an outcry. Of course there is a vocal minority who think anything fun is bad for you. Including video games.

But you'd think Take Two would understand this better than most and have positioned the game better.

The difference between NC-17 and R rated movies is that in an R rated movie, kids under 17 can get in with an adult. In an NC-17 movie, there are no kids under 17, PERIOD.

Compare it with video games ratings of M and AO, and you have a huge difference. You don't go to a specific place, play an M rated or AO game for a couple hours, then go home. You are actually buying the product to own. So the M and AO gap of 1 year do pretty much nothing except push the game back to the AMERICAN national standard age of adulthood (in most cases).

@DashTheHand:

The parallels are actually quite similar. Its not about the actual age rating as much as it is the subsequent availability restrictions. NC-17 movies don't usually show up in regular theaters alongside big budget releases, and ao games don't show up at walmart, best buy, and eb alongside regular games. In either case, its not censored and is perfectly legal to sell- its a choice made by stores/movie theaters not to sell it. Die hard fans can certainly still go out and buy it, but this section of a customer base will never be large enough to support a big budget release. They need mainstream sales to make a profit, which they can't get because of the rating that they should have seen coming.

I knew Pachter would state the blatently obvious facts of this situation in no time.... and I knew every noteworthy gaming blog would write about it.

Seriously guys, get off Pachter's junk.

Way to slow Dictionary.com to a crawl, Heheh.

Anyone know how I can get a job stating the obvious, and get paid for it? Pachter obviously isn't sharing, because he seems to be the only doing it.

@Psychtaygar: Heh, One game will never wipe away the kiddy image Nintendo holds. I'll tell you why, because the majority of the big name games are rated for families with younger children. Just take a look at their commercials, what do you see? Children, Families, Cute looking cars, Happy music, etc... Nintendo will never get rid of their Kiddy Image unless they put out something rated M from their first party, and fully back it like they do Mario.

Fuck the UK. I now wish we let the Nazis bury your asses before we saved Europe.

@usfslacker: i totally agree with what you've said... it will hurt the sales tremendously and they should change the M rating up to 18

@Dark_Cheetah: Don't forget about WW3 ;)