Manhunt 2, as an M-rated game on the PSP, PS2 and Wii, was very poorly received when it went out in 2007. While Rockstar hasn't specified what's going out in the super-duper adult version, it's my hunch that "adult" here doesn't mean what it means on pay-per-view. But there will be plenty of bodies.

AO-Rated Version of Manhunt 2 PC Coming Next Week via Download [Big Download via Joystiq]

By: Brian Crecente

News of the preliminary Adults Only rating for Manhunt 2 have spurred quite a bit of speculation about the process and how the game received the rating. While ESRB president Patricia Vance couldn't really talk about the game's preliminary rating, she did take the time to do an email interview about the issues that the AO rating have brought up.

1. With the Wii, developers can now make games that allow gamers to physically act out violent acts and see them occur in a game. Games such as Godfather, Scarface and Manhunt 2 all do this. Do such controls have an impact on a game's rating? If so do you think that supports the argument that a game's interactive nature makes it more dangerous than more passive experiences like watching a movie, listening to music or reading a book?

PV: We've always been very clear about the fact that the degree of player control is one of several elements that the ESRB considers in the assignment of ratings, including the content itself, it's frequency, intensity and realism, context within which it is presented, and the reward system. The interactive nature of games certainly differentiates them from more passive forms of media like films and televisions, which is why the ESRB system takes these other unique characteristics into consideration.

2. Has the ESRB ever rated a game Adults Only due to violence?

PV: Yes. The AO rating has been assigned more often than it actually ends up appearing on product shipped. Our system affords publishers the opportunity to modify and resubmit games that receive the AO rating in light of the business ramifications that such a rating currently presents.

3. An Adults Only rated game is akin to NC-17, I believe, for movies. Do you think it's fair to say that an AO rated game is essentially obscene?

PV: An Adults Only rating does not mean the game qualifies as being "obscene." And as confirmed on the MPAA website, nor does an NC-17 rating.

4. From a buyer's perspective, or a parent's perspective, the difference between a game rated Mature and a game rated Adults Only in one year. You have to be 17 to buy one and 18 to buy the other. How does one distinguish the fine line between the two when rating a game?

PV: While in terms of age recommendation the difference between the M and AO categories is only one year, the real utility of the AO rating is in communicating intensity. It indicates that the content in the game is more intense than what is typically found in an M-rated title, and the rating is there because that distinction is useful to consumers. Our raters review all of the pertinent content in a game and use their judgment to assign ratings they find to be appropriate given that content. It's worth nothing that, in terms of age recommendation, there is no difference between an R and an NC-17 rating for movies, as they both use 17 as the age threshold.

5. In general, when rating a game does the ESRB use a system that relies on community standards to decide what is and isn't an acceptable level of violence or sexual references in a game? If so, do you feel those standards shift over time?

PV: By their very nature, as well as to maintain credibility and trust, ratings must reasonably reflect the current cultural norms and community standards of those for whom they are intended. That is why we regularly conduct research across the country to gauge parental agreement with the ratings. Our most recent study found that parents agreed with the ratings we assigned 82% of the time, and 5% of the time they actually found our rating "too strict." The FTC's report from April of this year also found strong agreement with ratings, and in fact reported that 87% of the parents they surveyed are "somewhat" to "very" satisfied with the ESRB ratings. We'll continue to ensure that parents are satisfied with the ratings we assign.

6. Do you think the ESRB's ratings have become more strict since the issue surrounding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came to light?

PV: The key issue with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was to correct a rating that was undermined when locked-out content that had been left in the code of a game became unlocked. Although we clarified our rules at that time to require that publishers disclose pertinent locked-out content on the game disc, the rating process itself has remained consistent, as have the rating assignments in terms of parity.

7. Rockstar has said that they feel that Manhunt 2 is very similar to the original Manhunt in the level and type of violence depicted. If that is the case why did one receive a Mature rating and the other appears to be on the verge of an Adults Only rating?

PV: Obviously, Manhunt 2 is a different product from the original Manhunt. The raters evaluated the submission for Manhunt 2 and determined that the AO rating was the appropriate rating assignment. Per our statement from 6/20, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Just an hour after Nintendo of America reminded us that they don't allow Adults Only rated games to come to their systems, Sony Computer Entertainment of America has confirmed that the same is true for them.

For questions or comment regarding the rating of Manhunt 2, please contact the publisher, Rockstar. Currently it's SCE's policy not to allow the playback of AO rated content on our systems.

So Rockstar only has three choices now: They can either kill the game, rework it to try for a lower rating or submit an appeal to the ESRB's board and argue that the game doesn't deserve such a high, 18-or-older rating. Brian Crecente

Yesterday when news broke that Manhunt 2 had received a preliminary rating of Adults Only from Take-Two, I shot a quick email off to Nintendo seeking comment on the issue.

Today they've confirmed that if the game's final rating is Adults Only it won't be showing up on the Wii... or any of Nintendo's systems.

Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems.

I think that pretty much seals the deal with the Wii version of the game. There's no way Rockstar can ship a game for the Wii without Nintendo's consent. Brian Crecente

Manhunt 2 Rated Adults Only

Update: The same, apparently, holds true of SCEA.

The first ad in the series features a character named Sarah, a girl around age seven or eight that loves video games and whose parents use the ESRB ratings to help them choose ones they are comfortable with. The second ad, which will be released along with the first, introduces readers to the Andersons, a dad and son who play games together. The series progresses with characters of increasing ages and seeks to capture the way each age group views games and ratings. ... "We don't expect to ever be considered cool among gamers, but at the very least we want gamers to understand the purpose we serve," added Vance. "After all, many of them will be parents one day, at which time we expect they will be far more appreciative of the tools we provide."

Explaining the rating system (beyond the most high level concept) wasn't what they wanted us to do. The ESRB wants people to know who they are, and what they do, and who they're doing it for.

I guess I had imagined a series of comics demonstrating the difference between the ratings. Like the Fruit Fucker 2000 could have been the poster child for the AO rating. I think there probably would have been monkeys in the Everyone rating, monkeys and pirates... oooh or maybe monkey pirates! Brian Crecente

Of all the games that ESRB reviewed in 2005, less than 13 percent were rated "Mature" (M) or "Adults Only" (AO), the categories that contain the sort of violence critics are concerned about. In fact, less than 1 percent were rated Adults Only.

It'll be interesting to see what medium supplants video games as the childhood scapegoat. I'm guessing hyper-holographic speed-rap immersion cinema.

Natural Born Regulators