Trouble Ahead for Manhunt 2
Take-2 and Rockstar's Controversial Game Turned from Hunter to Prey
Recently, Take-Two’s soon-to-be-released Manhunt 2 has received two major setbacks and a lot of negative publicity. First, Manhunt 2 received an initial rating of AO (Adults Only) from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). While this isn’t that unusual in and of itself, many games receive an initial rating of AO and they simply edit the game to meet Mature (M) rating standards. Currently, none of the console giants (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) allow AO rated games to play on their systems making games with a final rating of AO a death-sentence for games. The ESRB generally gives the game producers an initial notice of 30 days before going public with the rating. This time is usually used to edit game content to lower the final rating.
In addition to the crippling rating it received, Manhunt 2 was also outright banned by both the British Board of Film Classification and Irish Film Censor’s officer. The BBFC refused to rate the game at all. No game may be legally sold in England without a rating by the BBFC, making the sale of Manhunt 2 illegal. This gives Manhunt 2 the dubious honor of being only the second game to be outright banned by the BBFC, the first being Carmaggedon in 1997. Both organizations stated that they felt the game offered nothing but the murder of people without offering other ways to complete the game’s objectives. The BBFC announcement ended notifying the game distributors that they have the option to appeal the rulings.
What is unusual about Manhunt 2’s AO rating is the way Take-Two is handling it. Instead of immediately setting about editing their work to make it fit into a lower rating, Take-Two has suspended the project indefinitely. A representative told Gamespot:
"Take-Two Interactive Software has temporarily suspended plans to distribute Manhunt 2 for the Wii or PlayStation platforms while it reviews its options with regard to the recent decisions made by the British Board of Film Classification and Entertainment Software Rating Board," a representative told GameSpot. "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."
Take-Two’s chairman, Strauss Zelnick, called Manhunt 2 “a fine piece of art”. He then went on to compare Manhunt 2 with some of the more popular horror and gore film series, such as the Saw and Hostel series. He says that the violence contained in Manhunt 2 is mild when compared to these movie franchises. Video games like Manhunt 2 are not photo-quality pictures, and they aren’t live action, while movies are becoming more and more realistic everyday.
It’s too late to say for certain whether the issues around Manhunt 2 will be solved in the near future. Appeal processes can take a long time, and negative publicity of this scale might be enough to bench the game for good. There is every possibility that Take-Two will eventually back down and edit their content, but presently they seem to be sticking to their guns. Only time will tell if Manhunt 2 can be saved from an ignoble doom.
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