UK Manhunt 2 - The Long Struggle Is At An End

At last there is light at the end of the tunnel, and beyond that a man waiting with a claw hammer, ready to crack open your skull. Rockstar has confirmed with our friends over at GamesIndustry.biz that following a long struggle with the British Board of Film Classification, Manhunt 2 for the PS2, Wii, and PSP will be in the shops on October 31st, which is some sort of a holiday, or so I'm told.

Manhunt 2 was of course originally denied classification by the BBFC, after which Rockstar appealed, won the appeal, after which the BBFC appealed, then lost, and basically just wasted everyone's time until no one cared anymore, which only took about a week. Congratulations, Rockstar!

Manhunt 2 finally gets UK release date [GamesIndustry.biz]

Government Denies Gaming/Violent Behavior Link

The classification of Manhunt 2 is a matter for the BBFC and the Video Appeals Committee... It is important to note that there is no conclusive evidence of any link between playing computer games and violent behaviour in real life. Our concern is to make sure that inappropriate material is kept away from children.

We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."

Manhunt 2 Blocked By British High Court

AP's Worst Games of 2007

The Associated Press just published their worst of 2007 list for video games. The straight forward list includes Manhunt 2, Deal or No Deal and Lair along with some biting explanation:

1. "Manhunt 2": Rockstar Games' strategy — offend the watchdogs, reap the publicity, then sell a substandard product — reached its nadir with this ugly, unplayable mess. It begins with a lunatic flinging human waste at you; after about an hour, you'll want to fling "Manhunt 2."

4. "Lair": Sony lavished a lot of attention on this PlayStation 3 title, and it sure looks great. And who wouldn't want to fly a dragon? But with awkward, imprecise controls and lackluster, repetitive missions, "Lair" crashed and burned.

More interesting is their list of best sellers that still managed to annoy the big A. P. Among the list? The common-sense flouting, consumer-hurting feud between Guitar Hero and Rock Band controllers and the games Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Blue Dragon, Heavenly Sword and don't forget the unavailability of the Wii.

Week in Video-Game News [AP]

BBFC Manhunt 2 Judicial Review Is Go

The BBFC was today given permission to judicially review the decision by the Video Appeals Committee to overturn the Board's rejection of the video game Manhunt 2. The Board has also been granted a stay on the classification of the game. It is expected that the case will be heard in January.

BBFC Makes Take-Two Sad

"We are disappointed that the BBFC has decided to appeal its own Video Appeals Committee's judgment in favor of an 18-plus certificate for Manhunt 2," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

BBFC Fights Manhunt 2 Appeal

We knew it wasn't over. The British Board of Film Classification has applied for a judicial review of the appeal that the Video Appeals Committee passed a week ago regarding granting Rockstar's Manhunt 2 a classification, allowing the title to be released in the UK.

"The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgment because in the Board's view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgment, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board's decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence."

BBFC applies for judicial review [GamesIndustry.biz]

Rockstar's UK Manhunt 2 Appeal Succeeds

Rockstar's appeal against the British Board of Film Classification's ban of Manhunt 2 from release in the UK has passed, garnering a narrow victory of 4 to 3 from the Video Appeals Committee. The game was originally banned / refused classification in the UK back in July, with the recut, happier version of the game denied as well in October. The BBFC has stated that they will consider the judgment of the VAC and its reaction once they receive the pertinent paperwork, while issuing a lengthly statement on how right they believe they were in their decision.

Such balancing judgments are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.