Manhunt 2 delayed after receiving R rating
Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software said on Thursday it has suspended plans to sell Manhunt 2 after the title was slapped with restrictive ratings for its extreme violence. The game, developed by the same Take-Two studio behind the controversial Grand Theft Auto and Bully titles, had originally been scheduled for a July 10 release. Take-Two said it “temporarily suspended” distribution plans for the game while it reviewed its options following the banning of the game in Britain and a U.S. ratings body decision to give it an “Adults Only” rating. The rating would prevent its release on game machines made by Sony and Nintendo.
Manhunt 2 casts the player in the role of a psychotic man who escapes a mental institution and kills enemies with a variety of weapons and objects as he tries to find out what happened to his family. Take-Two’s statement followed comments from Chairman Strauss Zelnick on Wednesday saying he fully backed the game and considered it a work of art. The company’s options include canceling the game entirely, releasing it unchanged only for personal computers–a move that would drastically limit sales–or altering its content to achieve a less-restrictive rating. It’s more and more common to see this approach lately – publishers simply can’t afford losing all the PS3 and Wii gamers, so they usually try to change the game content to get a new rating. However, I’m afraid this won’t work in case of Manhunt, because it’s an extremely meaty game full of gore and blood and seriously, I can’t imagine myself having fun while playing this title.
Source: ZDnet, Gamespot
Comments(38)
i remember I liked Manhunt 1 by rockstar games
ps. martin u got mail
PC verison with original content and modified vewrsion for Console?
“Manhunt 2 casts the player in the role of a psychotic man who escapes a mental institution and kills enemies with a variety of weapons and objects as he tries to find out what happened to his family.”
In the UK this is what we would call ‘Care in The Community’.
I wonder wich games did hitler played to become the hugest mass murderer in the world…
I really hope they release this game for PC without removing content.
I say remove all the content they want as long as they only do it to console versions.
I suppose they could remove some content to get the ratings they want, and then issue a PC-only patch to put all the good stuff back in. That should avoid any ratings issues since it will be up to each PC user to add the content back in.
That actually makes too much sense, so it won’t happen.
“Nuker June 23rd, 2007 | 21:53
I wonder wich games did hitler played to become the hugest mass murderer in the world…”
Unfortunately Hitler isn’t the “hugest mass murderer in the world”. The poor chap isn’t even in the top ten.
Sad, but true.
fuck i am so sick and goddamn tired of censors and these bible banging Assholes throwing there beliefs and censorships on everyone around them. “if its offensive to me its probably offensive to everyone” what the hell gives them the right to decide what i can and cannot play/watch/eat/drink/do
fucking hate it.
“because it’s an extremely meaty game full of gore and blood and seriously, I can’t imagine myself having fun while playing this title.”
Well Martin, it isn’t for kids anyway. Just make sure you go to sleep with a nice cup of cocao after watching Sesame Street. You’ll grandmother will kiss those evil monsters away, don’t worry Marting my boy…
Seriously, this game is going to sell like hot cakes. Don’t those rating f*ckers know that they are just creating a hype? This game is R-rated, to many teens that just spells F-ING COOL! They might not be able to buy it at one of those mega-stores, but they’ll get it anyway.
“what the hell gives them the right to decide what i can and cannot play/watch/eat/drink/do”
It’s called an education.
i damn sick of all the bs by these idiots who censor stuff it’s one rule for video games and another for tv,movies etc..they ban this but hostel and hills have eyes ..the list goes on get an 18 rating? fair enough but some kid murders another with a knife and the papers kick up enough trouble to get mh2 banned it’s down to the mum’s and dad’s to not buy these games not are problem if people let their kids drink,smoke,buy drugs and games.FREE COUNTRY MY ASS WELCOME TO THE FUCKING REAL BIG BROTHER!by the way mh1 was great game good story, hard as hell gameplay ,heart pounding only problem was the camera angles and juddery movement bring on the new and improved mh2!
QuadrupeIQ, look at the source, it wasnt martin you wrote that :O
Was PC version going to be out with console releases ?
Freakin’ sweeet now i want to play Manhunt 1 =] Blood thirst rising… But must “purchase” first.. Need to find a good place for “purchasing”…
simply the truth is drugs are illegal yet the drug world bring in more money than movie,music and the gaming industry which shows us if someone wants somthing they are going to get it regardles of some damn rating or age restriction so if i were ceo of TAKE TWO id say hell with it after all the gta’s then bully people are going to simply go by that when buying not that lil ol letter in the bottom corner of the package.
P.S.BLOOD,GORE,GUTS,VIOLENCE,LOVE,WHORES,SLUTS and SILENCE
its all part of every day life just turn on the news
Omg they made a sequel to one of the most suckiest games ever! C’mon kiddies – get over the violence and recognise it for what it really is – boring.
Ok daddy
**
Shouldn’t the title be “Manhunt 2 delayed after receiving an AO rating”?
Exactly. It’s an AO rating, not R (there IS a difference kids).
FB
I loved Manhunt(still haven’t beaten it) so I’m kinda pissed that Manhunt 2 is “banned”.
“what the hell gives them the right to decide what i can and cannot play/watch/eat/drink/do”
“It’s called an education.”
Since when have any of the religious right ever been properly educated? They believe that Adam And Eve co-existed with dinosaurs,and that the earth is only 5,000 years old. Google Creationism.
No,the reason they have their claws out for this one is good old fashioned influence and control.
Rockstar needs to say “fuck you” to the censors, and released the game Unrated or Adults Only. I’ll bet you it’ll sell better like that than it would as an M rated game. Seriously, companies needs to start telling the censors to fuck off.
This is the worst news I have heard all week.
Who fuckin cares if it’s AO (or whatever you yanks call it). Kids shouldn’t be removing someone’s balls with pliers.. BUT if an adult wants to it’s their choice (on screen of course)
It’s Nintendo’s fault in the end.. Not letting them release an AO title for their console. Maybe I should take my Wii back to where I bought it and ask for a grown-ups console with some real games.
SO fuck Nintendo for releasing a console with one decent game and blocking this promising title because it’s violent.
You can’t sell the whole world a system then only release games that only a 10yo Japanese kid would enjoy.
I didnt really like the first game I thought it was boring :/. I like star wars so
.
bloody kids ruin everything, they tried to get the first game banned after a kid was killed in the UK in a “Manhunt” style…..stating that the boy who killed him was a big player of the game and owned it…..yet the court found out that it was actually the boy who was killed that owned the game and was the big player of it….the Judge and even the police stated that the game had nothing to do with the killing.
seems everyone forgets that, they hear the words “Gore” and “video game” and it’s like “no….you can’t do that…games are meant to be all about bouncing around a screen looking for coins”…………FUCK OFF
Manhunt was an excellent game it was rated 18 (UK) which is the correct rating for it…..if it was rated a 15 then yes, people could complain about it, but not when it is AIMED AT ADULTS…..kids should not be getting their little hands on these games, but just because they do they shouldn’t be banned…..what’s next? banning coffee tables with sharp corners…..banning sharp scissors, banning Tom and Jerry for being too violent towards each other…..stupid fecking dick heads that have probably never played the games (even when they are meant to be rating them) the Games by Rockstar almost always have a great storyline, Manhunt story was excellent, Manhunt 2 looked like it was even better.
shame we have to have these stupid ratings that ban certain media….but allow other media (with the same or worse content in them) like Hostel/Hostel 2 both would have been banned if they were games, but as they are films seem to get away with it, (Hostel was a good Idea for a film but was pretty badly done I hated the film)
Really bad decision, but hopefully will be available online.
fingers crossed
IT’s good to have some kind of regulatory body having a go at insane violence. Think about it – someone has to at least say to society, “violence is bad… m’kay?”
There will always be people pushing the envelope and people trying to reseal it with sticky tape. The discussion is good for society. Thank your god(s) we don’t live in China, North Korea, etc. Having a bitch gets you bitch-slapped in jail.
So keep up the bitchin, it’s the only power we really have.
:!
I played manhunt 1 and it scared the shit out of me. Not the gore, theme, or anything; but rather every so often you walked into a room and there was like a flashback that popped up something absolutely terrifying on your screen with like a scream.
If Manhunt 1 got an MA rating, I’m not sure my heart can take a Manhunt 2.
Dean: your sarcasm is subtle and very nice. 2 thumbs up.
Manhunt sucked. So boring. MH2 will be altered and released for PS3 and Wii, then the PC version will come out unaltered and renamed “MH2: Unrated Director’s Cut”, and Take Two will make wheelbarrows full of money off it. I don’t see a problem here.
Original:
However, I’m afraid this won’t work in case of Manhunt, because it’s an extremely meaty game full of gore and blood and seriously, I can’t imagine myself having fun while playing this title.
Translation:
I have homosexual tendencies due to the enormous amount of sand in my vagina, therefore I’m more a fan of gay porn than morbid violence. In essence, I have no balls and all my base are belong to Take Two.
While I have to assume that that couldn’t have been written by Martin, I’ll say that if it was I appreciate your honesty. Unfortunately no one here seems to be capable of linking to an original source, instead linking to the same page that the RLSLOG.net article is on and merely mentioning their source in tiny italics somewhere near the bottom of the article. This alone renders them either plagiarist aggregators devoid of original thought or self serving miscreants with an agenda hiding behind deceptive “journalism” and lack of original talent. Oh, that and the fact that you almost always tend to be a week or so behind the current releases.
However, I’m afraid this won’t work in case of Manhunt, because it’s an extremely meaty game full of gore and blood and seriously, I can’t imagine myself having fun while playing this title.
Translation:
I have homosexual tendencies due to the enormous amount of sand in my vagina, therefore I’m more a fan of gay porn than morbid violence. In essence, I have no balls and all my base are belong to Take Two.
very fucking funny lulz
I loved the first game, great dark atmosphere and humour. The movement annoyed me a little bit but still a really good game.
The game isn’t marketed at children so I don’t see any problem. Also, I think censorship has been proven to have no benefit by history, so I don’t really understand it.
Mannnnnnn Man Hunt owns! If those mother fuckers don’t bring it out i’ma.. go man hunt on their asses!
Re: Panda
yes it is good……but that’s the whole point, they are meant to be rating things equally….which they are not doing.
Hostel 18 (UK) Hostel 2 18 (UK) both are violent films with actual people on screen (yes they are actors) but now compare that to Manhunt and Manhunt 2, it’s bloody (no pun) Computer Graphics which should mean the same if not lower rating (though I’m fine with the 18 certificate which is who the game is aimed at, the whole rating’s thing has gone over the top with this game it’s just stupid yes, it’s not for everyone, that’s fine, no one is making anyone that doesn’t want to play this sort of game, as I’ve read somewhere else, this decision has been made due to recent gaming research, which is a load of bollocks.
if they want to make sure kids don’t get their hands on it then they need to ban children from playing games altogether……as most of us here know that nothing is impossible to get these days
You all are idiots for playing games like this and trying to make some weak ass points/suggestions/whatever about this post.
A source (Rockstar games) who wished to remain anonymous told CVG that the firm will indeed appeal against the decision and that the company believes the game could be released in around six weeks’ time. Whether this means in its current form, or a toned down, edited version is unclear.
When contacted a Rockstar spokesperson simply told us that the company “is considering all its options”. We’re sure we’ll be hearing more on the ban in the weeks to come.
Down loadable trailers here….
http://uk.media.wii.ign.com/media/883/883115/vids_1.html
Although its been mentioned about the kid murdered supposedly in connection with the violent influence, of the previous game, the main reason for the UK ban, is according to news reports it has billboards in the game depicting stills of the cctv footage of that ’said ‘ childs last moments alive, which if true is pretty sick, game or no game. The software house loved the free publicity from his family’s pain before and seem to be trying to capitilise on the pain and greif of the family again.
Perhaps the best way to solve all arguements for and against is just not to give them their free publicity, if ya want the game, just go and get it(banned dont mean impossible these days) if ya dont, then dont….
Dont justify it by saying its just a game, because a newspaper is just a bit of paper but it still can destroy lives and cause untold greif!!!
Bring back ‘Chucky Egg’…
FiXXed!!!
@Fixxed
Stills of the dead kid ingame is just a total lie, did you make that up or did you really read it somewhere?
@fghf
Actually they were cctv shots of Jamie Bulger leaving the shopping center with his Killer/s, or at least a scene that was intimated to be the above.
I must say I’m pretty sure that none of the posters here have seen real death with any intimacy. In fact it doesn’t take a genius to see how fucked up the World has become. And no it’s not gay to deplore violence I know some very fucking hard people, soldiers included who would most vehamently agree with Martins statement, people that have seen pregnant woman shot in the head and their babies cut from them. Anything that glorifies death and torture of humans or animals for that matter is sick and perverted….and to you yanks out there, I don’t think you will have long to wait before most of you or your loved ones are chained inside boxcars waiting your turn for the old gas chamber if bush and cheney have there way. You will soon have more violence than you can handle, but don’t worry about it, just keep playing Manhunt 2, it should take your mind off of it.
why should they be able to choose wot wee play i mean look at gears of war that is a violent ass game and thats got a lower rating than a game called FEAR in my opinion isnt as violent i mean can u chainsaaw someone in half in fear but mh 2 would be friggin sweet