Manhunt 2 hits a snag.
An interesting thing has happened regarding the ultra-gross Manhunt 2 game which is expected this summer on Wii and PS2: The ESRB has hit the game with an AO rating, for Adults Only. What does this mean? Well, all three big console makers have said that they do not allow AO content on their platforms, and most retailers won’t stock any AO titles either.
Rockstar has responded to the rating with the statement that they “are exploring [their] options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2.” With all fronts united, filing an appeal or changing the content seem the only options.
Compounding matters is the fact that the British Board of Film Classification has declined to provide a classification for the game, effectively blocking it from release there. Rockstar has responded, explaining their disappointment, “The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who will play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more.”
Via GameInformer. Note that the headline of the linked article is hyperbole, the game has not been cancelled.
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Bill Harris at DubiousQuality claims the whole thing is a publicity stunt by Rockstar to drum up press for a sequel to a poorly-received first game in the franchise.
He writes about how Rockstar is already working at revamping the game here:
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2007/06/that-didnt-take-long.html
This is all a publicity stunt. Nothing more.
i have nothing to add to this matter. I’ve thought it over and really can’t say one way or the other.
I’ve been saying Jack Thompson’s on Take Two’s payroll for a while, but it hadn’t occurred to me that the AO rating would have been Rockstar’s intention from the beginning.