"This is completely unexpected to the whole team," said the spokesman. "We love the horror genre. We thought we could do something interesting and entertaining with it in the video game medium. When we had this first Manhunt game, there wasn't this reaction. We thought (Manhunt 2) was consistent with a mature rating."

But the game, which follows in the footsteps of mature-rated Manhunt, will likely not show up on many store shelves if the ESRB's preliminary rating of Adults Only sticks.

Take-Two has the option of either protesting the rating to an Appeals Board, which is made up of publishers, retailers and other professionals, or change the Wii and PS2 game's content and resubmit it.

When asked if the game might receive a work over to tone it down, the spokesman said it was too early to tell.

"We have to explore all of the options," he said. "I think it's too early to go into all of that right now." Brian Crecente

Manhunt 2 Rated Adults Only [Kotaku]

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.

Hit the jump for the full list of AO-rated "games." Brian Crecente

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

Take-Two just confirmed with Kotaku that the Entertainment Software Ratings Board gave both the PS2 and Wii versions of Manhunt 2 a preliminary rating of Adults Only, which would essentially bar it from all of the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world.

"The ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO (Adults Only) for Manhunt 2," Take-Two said in a prepared statement. "We believe the process of rating videogames is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them. 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 Manhunt 2."

The rating comes in the wake of a campaign spearheaded by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood to get the Wii version of the game an AO rating.

The Campaign was asking people to send an email to the ESRB's Patricia Vance calling for the game to be rated Adults Only, essentially comparing it to an X or unrated movie, because of the "unprecedented combination of video game violence and the interactive Wii platform." Up until that point the letter, while I don't exactly agree with it, at least makes sense. But then it goes on to say that giving Manhunt 2 anything less would be saying that the ESRB condones the marketing of violent video games to children. Keep in mind that a mature rating means 17 or older, while an AO means 18 or older.

The ESRB's Patricia Vance responded earlier today, saying they were waiting for Rockstar's response to their rating:

"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. 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.

"It should be noted that ESRB has already assigned a rating for the Wii, PS2 and PSP versions of Manhunt 2, and that rating has in fact already been communicated to the publisher. However, we are unable to publicly release the rating at this time as it is our policy that ratings be posted to our website 30 days following assignment, unless the game is released prior to the end of that period. This is done to give publishers the opportunity to consider modifying and resubmitting their games for rating or appealing the rating assigned to our Appeals Board should they wish to do so. We have not yet been notified by Rockstar as to what they intend to do with respect to our rating assignment."

The ball is now in Take-Two's court. According to the ESRB a publisher may either accept the rating as final or revise the game's content and resubmit the game to the ESRB, at which time the process starts anew. Publishers also have the ability to appeal an ESRB rating assignment to an Appeals Board, which is made up of publishers, retailers and other professionals. Brian Crecente

Update Rockstar responds to the rating.