Gamertell

Manhunt 2, currently scheduled to be released July 9, 2007, for the Wii, PS2, and PSP, has been given an AO rating by the ESRB for ultra-violent content.

In addition to the UK, which we previously announced as having refused to classify the game, Ireland has banned it as well, citing “the level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence.”

According to Game Politics, who interviewed Wedbush-Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, Take Two is likely to either go ahead and release the game anyway and take the lower sales or rework the game to try to get a lower rating somewhere.

Take Two had this to say to GP:

The ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO (Adults Only) for Manhunt 2.

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 the rating of Manhunt 2.

Read [Game Politics]