Manhunt 2 shut out by Sony and Nintendo

Both Sony and Nintendo have confirmed that they will not authorise the release of controversial video game Manhunt 2 on their games consoles - the PS2, PSP and the Wii - in the US. The news comes in the same week that the game was refused certification in both Britain, the Republic of Ireland and Italy. Manhunt 2 is the first …

[Anonymous Coward]

Why censoring just this title and not lame stuff ?

There are so many gross movies full of nonsense as much many games, what's up with this title ? Why so much speculation ? Simply because politicians and managers want to look good and such or is there a question of big money, perhaps ?

Yep, there surely is more than meets the eye in this whole story and mixture of factors. What's really wrong about it however lies in the fact that censoring this title and allowing many others to proliferate is deadly wrong, either the rules apply to everyone or no one.

Why no one in the world stopped Quentin Tarantino movies from being distributed, for example ? His movies are just gross, cheap full of violence with no explanation nor feelings at all and without a real meaning behind it, they are gross and so on, then why censoring Manhunt 2 the game and not movies like the Tarantino ones worldwide in the same way ?

[Anonymous Coward]

PC version coming?

Hope Rockstar will decide to release a version for the PC to compensate for not being able to sell the Playstation and Nintendo versions.

[Anonymous Coward]

Should be banned

Many people believe that there is no place for censorship in the games world but you must ask yourselves how will you react when 'childhunt' is released? What about a paedophilia game? In the end everybody draws the line somewhere the only debate is where to draw it. I think anybody who gets pleasure out of this sort of game has serious issues and should be kept under surveillance not indulged.

[Rich]

We'll just have to wait a few years

I remember GTA 1 (the top down view game) being banned for a short period and Carmageddon, but both were released soon after. Carmageddon simply changed the blood from red to green then released an unofficial patch to convert the blood back to red. I dont know what got the green light for GTA1.

I also remember the Terminator 2 movie being an 18 cert. on first release. Yet on DVD its now a 15 cert.

Manhunt 2 will still get released, whether we have to wait a few years for the rules to relax and graphics to move on or Rockstar change something in the game to get the certification. They've done it before so i think they'll do it again.

[Chris Collins]

This game sounds great

Where can I get a copy of this baby? Will it be available as a download, perhaps hosted somwhere with a less restrictive moral majority?

[Anonymous Coward]

double standards

I've never quite understood why games like this are banned (instead of being given an 18+ rating) when films like Hostel and Saw depict similar (if not identical) scenes in their content.

Why are films of horror and torture acceptable but not video games?

I personally find most horror films completely un-watchable. I just don't like to watch those kinda of scenes but I just don't see the difference...can anyone explain?

[David Webb]

You Cant

"Where can I get a copy of this baby? Will it be available as a download, perhaps hosted somwhere with a less restrictive moral majority?"

No where, RS cannot publish the game now, Sony/Nintendo will not allow it to be played on their devices in America, its banned in the UK so hopefully the game will be deleted.

Odds are though RS will edit the content (for edit read release the edited copy they already posess which will get an M rating and an 18 rating) and use the free publicity they are getting about this game to generate huge sales. So people with low intelligence will again purchase a crap game simply because its supposed to be so evil etc..

[Anonymous Coward]

Re:Can anyone explain?

Oh yes, I can explain...we are governed by lackwits.

[Luke Wells]

All the pulicity they need!

The game publishers must be rubbing their hands together.

The more noise that is made about a game being banned/adult rated....... the more people complain about a game .... the more people try and get it stopped...... the more people try and blame a game for peoples actions then the more people DEPERATLEY want to get their hands on that game and see what all the fuss is about

Look at the bad Press the Grand theft auto series of games got..... and then look at the sales figutes. I think it only comes second to the super mario brothers series for number of games sold.

[Robert Hirst]

Nowhere, yet...

"No where, RS cannot publish the game now, Sony/Nintendo will not allow it to be played on their devices in America, its banned in the UK so hopefully the game will be deleted."

Yes, and hopefully soon the only video game violence will only be 13+ rated games developed by the US Army promoting nice clean violence to help recruit people for a far more sinister form of violence.

If you think that 13 year old spending hundreds of hours learning to become shoot-first-don't-ask-questions-ever killers for illegal wars is worse than fictional horror/gore violence aimed squarely at adults which probably has 10-20 play hours max, then we clearly have very different moral compasses.

Sony and Nintendo need to grow a pair, there are plenty of alternative distribution channels open, that should be the distributors problem, not the console manufacturer. Let's hope they focus on seriously upscaling the violence for the PC version and distribute it via the web from Sealand or something...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well said Robert...

Looks like the moral majority nazi-brigade have reared their incredibly ugly heads. I've seen it in games forums too, someone that takes the moral high ground and starts ranting and raving about how it should be stopped, shouting all over the place while leaning on the caps lock. You can practically see them foaming at the mouth. Maybe the people that make this sick filth should be dragged out into the streets and shot? I think they'd like that, I really do.

"Sony/Nintendo will not allow it to be played on their devices in America, its banned in the UK so hopefully the game will be deleted." - If that's your view of "the world" then you need to give your head a shake. "hopefully"??? Why, what do you stand to gain from it being banned. A sense of self satisfaction? Like movies, videos, comics, books, theatre before them, violent morons/mentally disturbed people will not disappear when you ban an artform.

[Bumhug]

Wii friendly!

With Manhunt 2 banned, Rockstar need to rethink their strategy for Wii games. Manhunt Party would be a great chance to break into the Wii market. Rather than use realistic gory graphics can can use the Mii’s

Game 1: Super Strangulation Bros

Using the Wii remote and nunchuck you have to strangle your Mii until its eyes pop out

Game 2: Viva Pimpata

Your hoes have been giving you grief, using the Wii remote and nunchuck smack that bitch around till she gives you the $ she has been holding out on. Kind of like Wii boxing but you don’t want to do too much damage to one area of the ho as if you do it reduces her street value

Game 3: Ninja Gaydong

Isometric view, you have to stalk a Mii hiding behind cars, trees, and bushes. When you are close enough to the mii the screen switches view and you are shown a series of gestures, complete each gesture to move onto the next part of the game. First gesture is to get the mii in a headlock, second is to pin them up against a car, and third is to pull their trousers down. Once you have the mii prone the game changes to a rhythm game and using the wii remote and nunchuck you have to thrust in time with the on screen display. Lose your rhythm too much and you lose your erection and its game over, hit the rhythm and the victim yelps

Game 4: Wee sports

Using the Wii remote urinate over a tied up Mii, points are awarded for in the eyes, up the nose and in the mouth. The mii’s head is moving so not an easy task to hit the targets, once you have hit a combo though you flick the nunchuck as if you were opening a lighter, then have to do a flick down motion on the movement stick until the lighter lights, a sideways flicking motion will then throw the lighter on your opponents mii setting them on fire. When they are on fire no points can be scored until the player extinguishes the mii by pissing on the flames

Game 5: Bukkake Momma: Jerk off

Bukkake Momma loves the cock! There is a line of 5 mii’s all with blank expression on their faces. Using the Wii remote you have to jerk off each mii until they shoot their load on your face. When jerking off a mii their expression changes until they have a big grin on their face. once a Mii’s head starts bobbing they are about to cum, moving the control stick can move between mii’s and bonus points are scored if you can get combo cums (cumbos) which means making a mii come 5 seconds after another one. Once a mii has cum they go soft for a while but get hard again so can go back to them, game has a set time limit though a player can win if he get a 5 mii cumbo

[Thomas Jerome]

re: double standards

"Why are films of horror and torture acceptable but not video games?"

The bone of contention (excuse the pun) with Manhunt 2 was with the Wii version - the remote control allowed you to take part in the sawing off of limbs, heads etc, whereas with movies such as Saw, Hostel and their ilk, you are not an active particpant in the violence, merely a spectator.

One wonders if it is only a matter of time before somebody develops a prison sim game, in a similar style to the Vin Diesel/Escape from Butcher Bay title for the Wii which comes with a Wiimote 'harness' attachement, allowing you to digitally re-enact a prison shower soap dropping scenario?

Co

[Dillon Pyron]

Stolen code

I can imagine a time in the not too distant future when RS will "discover" a "break in" and all the code for MH2 to have been "copied". Next thing we know, black market copies will be sold from websites in countries with lax game laws. Or countries who don't care who you sell it to as long as it isn't Chinese, erh, their citizens.

If they produced it for PCs, I'd sell it. If you happened to be in the UK, I'd set up a card processing site in the UK, too. You'd have to pay duty on "computer software" or "computer game" (whichever is less). After all, this model has worked for years with XXX movies.

[John Titerickx]

Why!?!?!?

The typical person glad that this has been banned? Here's an example. PATRICK PAKEERAH. His son was killed by some 19 year old who claimed he was addicted to Manhunt. Now, what I am struggline to comprehend is, why the game and publishers are being blamed instead of the actual murderer? Has anyone considered possible mental problems as the real cause of the killing? Any normal person may want to kill someone, but it takes a psychotic murderer to actually murder a person.

Ironically, the people who want this game banned are either publicity hungry politicians, jumping on the ride for personal gain, or simply people with a lemming mentality. These people have no concept of the game or what it is about. Thinking back to the original Grand Theft Auto when people called for that to be banned... these people were embarrased and nothing more said when they saw the game consisted of crappy graphics comical gameplay.

I personally call it the "Mary Whitehouse syndrome". Mary Whitehouse, the meddling old lady who wanted everything that didn't conform to her narrow minded views to be banned.

The idea is simple.... reinstate the game and if you want to play it then you buy it. If you don't want to play the game and you feel it's too violent, then don't buy it. Really is that simple folks! The difference between real life and fiction is still a massive leap and the vast majority of people, unlike your misconceptions, understand the differences.

[William]

Some very childish comments about freedom of liberty.

To all those people who believe that freedom of choice is being undermined by the banning of this game I would like to remind you that when we cannot police ourselves then all what remains is anarchy.

[Anonymous Coward]

mature games

its a mature game for mature gamers. not all games should be for kids.

if a game gets a mature adult only rating then what is wrong with that?

can we guys in our 30's not play some serious games? Do i always

have to be some squeaky clean woman or little italian plumber?

if kids play these games then, lets not beat around the bush here, its

the PARENTS / SUPERVISION fault.

In the world of film we get adult only movies (violent or porn). we dont stop

these from being distributed. sure. lets address the issue of 'interaction' -

i'm a well adjusted mentally astute guy. I'm not going to have a session on

a game and then go out my door to re-enact.

I'm also aware of thousands of teenagers who play tomb raider and platform games. they dont go out into the real world with a pair of lugers and jump from

roof top to roof top shooting dogs and banging their heads on bricks.

i'm getting completely sick and tired of the nanny state!

[Tim Bates]

Here's my thoughts...

Firstly, why is it banned/overclassified? Easy. It's a RockStar game. Even before any real details for Bully were out there were people complaining. And every one of them repeatedly mentioned GTA.

Secondly, it'll get released, but with a lot removed. That disappoints me slightly, but so long as the content on all platforms is the same, I don't care.

It's not my type of game, but banning games based mostly on the publisher is not fair.

[Spike Ravenscroft]

One Small step...

If I’m honest, I wouldn’t play Manhunt 2 even if it was available, simply because its not my type of game.

Having said that, i don’t think it should be banned either. I think this sort of censorship starts with games like this and before you know it all you can play is Wii Tennis (As long as you don’t get too competitive mind!).

I don’t want to see this being the start of games censorship for adults because today its Manhunt 2 and tomorrow it could be Resident Evil. And no-one is allowed to tell me, as a mature 31 year old, tax paying, law abiding person (For the time being, although continued whittling at my Civil liberties could change that very quickly), that I cannot kill Zombies on my games consol in my spare time, in my own home.

With all the issues that modern society faces, I cannot believe that they think this is a root cause of any of them.

For shame! Go and do a days work that makes a positive difference to society and peoples lives.