Gamertell

Manhunt 2, Rockstar’s newest videogame, has been banned in Britain for “unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying”, according to the British Board of Film Classification.  They have refused to give it a rating, essentially prohibiting businesses from selling it. Manhunt 2 is scheduled to be released on July 9, 2007, in the US for the Wii, the PS2, and the PSP.  The ESRB hasn’t yet announced a rating for the game.

The only other game that was ever refused classification in the UK was Carmageddon by SCi, and that was eventually overturned on appeal.  In the meantime, Carmageddon was released in an edited, toned down version.

Manhunt 2 features the main character being continually stalked by a mob, having to kill them one by one to stay alive.  The Wii version features motion-sensitive controls, which has child interest groups in more of a tizzy than usual.  The Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood sent a press release demanding the Wii version of Manhunt 2 get the infamous Adults Only (AO) rating.  If the Wii version of Manhunt 2 were rated AO, it might sound a death knell for its success in the US because it would be so hard to find since most US chain stores have policies refusing to sell or advertise AO games.

The last game to get an AO rating was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, also by Rockstar, when it was re-rated for its hidden/hacked sex minigame content.  A new version without the content was promptly published and distrbuted.  The CCFC maintains that M-rated games are still advertised to children.

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