Gamertell

According to the European Commission survey, Ireland is now banning violent video games.

The reason for banning violent games, according to the EU’s study of the implementation of Pan European Game Information ratings, is that many of the EU nations are not enforcing the age limits on the games identified by PEGI.

The only game currently known to be banned in Ireland is…

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PC Authority writer Alex Kidman listed what he believes the five most violent games in last 25 years in a recent article. Instead of jumping to attention getting titles that have only been out for a few years, like Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat or Silent Hill, Kidman does his research and goes after some games which truly deserved their mature ratings. The five titles he lists as most violent/graphic are Custer’s Revenge, Night Trap, Carmageddon, Thrill Kill and Manhunt.

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In the ongoing battle between the United Kingdom and Rockstar Games over the controversy of Manhunt 2, the legal battle over whether or not UK gamers get to play the less-than-stellar title has taking yet another turn. A UK high court has ruled that the Video Appeals Committee, which had granted Manhunt 2 an 18-certificate release in the UK, should reconsider their decision.

This new debacle comes from a interpretation of the word “harm” which the BBFC claims had been misinterpreted, resulting in an grave error of the law. This is just the latest round of back and forth debates and arguments between the…

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The controversy that’s heated up the gaming world all summer has just received something of a happy ending. Rockstar and Take Two announced today (August 24, 2007) that a modified version of violent action title Manhunt 2 was awarded an “M” rating and an October 31, 2007 release date in North America. It will still bear content descriptors for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs” but the AO has been lifted.

Manhunt 2, (for those who have been living under a digital rock), was previously slapped with…

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Poor, naughty Take-Two. The game company that gamers love and everyone else loves to hate has been served with a Wells notice by the SEC. That basically means T2 has an opportunity to try and convince the US Securities and Exchange Commission to not file charges against for previous stock practices.

T2 received the notice on August 9, 2007, months after T2 announced in April 2007 that it was being investigated by the SEC. GameDaily points out that Take-Two’s stock has fallen 32 percent in the last three months, certainly as a result of the shareholder coup, the Manhunt 2 international controversies and the delayed release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

From the SEC filing, T2 indicated it expects “to resolve this investigation by means of a settlement rather than a contested litigation of charges ... the ‘Wells’ call represents a significant step forward towards that resolution.”

Read [Reuters] Via [GameDaily] Also Read [Joystiq]

For those gamers who’ve followed the tragically comic progression of Manhunt 2 through the various dens of censorship, the announced death of the game’s launch date just goes to show that ignorance and arrogance are alive and well in the minds of the opponents of the video game industry.

These are the people who told you that the Columbine shooters wouldn’t have snapped if they hadn’t played Doom. These are the people who told you that rap music and the Sopranos are to blame for violence on the streets of urban America. These are the people who made a living pointing fingers and shifting blame. These are the people who peddled a crackpot theory of an inherent inability in the minds of young people everywhere to distinguish between fantasy and reality, between the pixel and the real world. 

Bull…

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Rockstar’s upcoming Wii game, Manhunt, will certainly be the topic for many heated discussions when it is released early this summer. But until then you can get your sadomasochistic grove on by hitting the link and checking out the recently released pics. From what I could tell it looks like the plastic bag of death is back and ready to bring the groceries home (not funny, I know but at least I tried).

If that isn’t good enough for you, IGN has an awesome preview story about the mutiple ways that the Wii-mote can be utilized to dismember enemies. My favorite might just be the pliars which allow you to do unspeakable things to a certain part of the male anatomy. OUCH! They also detail the use of the Wii-mote as a saw using back and forth motions to detach appendages from the body. Quite gruesome indeed but definitely worth a look and a read for those with a strong stomach.

Link [Joystiq] Also [IGN]