A lengthy, to-and-fro legal battle between the BBFC and Rockstar prevented Manhunt 2 from being released in the UK, with the BBFC eventually giving up and granting the game an “18″ certificate in March. Having won its right to lop limbs clean off be released in Britain, it was no surprise that the title appeared in Nintendo’s latest European release schedule this morning.
But wait, for there’s another twist to this twistiest of sagas! A Rockstar spokesperson contacted Eurogamer earlier today to reveal that it “has no confirmed release date set for Manhunt 2 in Europe.” Ho boy. If any Europeans out there are beginning to feel particularly indifferent about Manhunt 2 at this stage, we can’t say we blame you.
Some high-profile U.S. Senators, including Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), have made attacking the ESRB their new pet project. The cause of this controversy is, of course, Manhunt 2. You may recall that Rockstar was forced to revise the game in order to remove the "Adults Only" rating given to it by the ESRB. These tactics may have worked in the U.S., but the British Board of Film Classification was unimpressed and still refused to issue a rating for the title.
The Senators are pretty ticked off at the ESRB for not being as censor vicious as the BBFC. But the ramifications of the Senators' attack on the ESRB go deeper than Manhunt 2, and may affect the video game industry in general if the ESRB is put under the "thorough review" that they are demanding.
Even worse, the Senators are calling for more extreme ratings on the Wii, due to the console's motion-sensitive controller. They argue that the Wiimote "permits children to act out each of the many graphic torture scenes and murders."
Of course, they don't acknowledge the fact that children shouldn't be playing Manhunt 2 at all, since the game was given a "Mature" rating by the ESRB, and one of the few ways they can even play the game is with parental permission. If children playing mature games is really their concern, perhaps the Senators should be putting parents under review, and not the ESRB. Those old enough to play violent games can differentiate between using waggle and using real weapons, making separate Wii ratings unnecessary.
This has yet to be confirmed, but some Target insiders are claiming that the retailer will not be selling copies of Manhunt 2, the controversialRockstar game. The rumor was started by a Target employee at the Evil Avatar forums, and was later supported at GoNintendo by an electronics specialist at the retail chain.
Adding further basis to the rumor, Target's website states that the PSP version of Manhunt 2 is not available in stores, although it can be purchased online. The PS2 and Wii versions are not even listed on the site.
If this rumor turns out to be true, it won't be good news for Rockstar, especially if other retailers follow suit. As of now, though, these rumblings apply to Target stores only.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Just in case you haven't seen or heard anything about Manhunt 2, or you are terrible at making inferences or something, this new trailer for the game contains violent contentand is best suited for adults.If you watch it, and you're surprised and appalled by gruesome imagery, we can't feel too bad, because you were warned! If you're surprised and appalled by gruesome jaggies-- well, that, we totally sympathize with. We've posted the trailer after the break for obvious reasons. We've posted the Manhunt 2Wii up at the top instead, just because we like it.
In other Manhunt 2 news, this Aeropause post brings up an interesting loophole that Rockstar could use to sell Manhunt 2 in the UK. While the BBFC banned the game from being sold in stores, the ban apparently doesn't include games sold in not-stores. It covers physical media only. Therefore, if Manhunt 2 were to be released as a download, it could be sold even in its unexpurgated form! That's a neat idea, but we doubt Rockstar will take advantage of it. Especially since the Wii's storage space is so limited (and the PS2's hard drive is in so few households.)
Remember that uncut version of Manhunt 2 that hit the 'net last month? Looks like it wasn't hackers -- named or unnamed -- after all, but rather, an employee at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It seems all of the people who were whispering that it might be an inside job weren't too far off ... they were just pointing fingers at the wrong people.
The name of the culprit has not been released, though it has been confirmed that, unsurprisingly, leaking a playtest copy of a game online means you lose your job. Who knew, eh?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
We loving seeing local news stations try to cover gaming news, because their coverage is almost always based on misinformation. Seriously, who does the research for these folk? Certainly not someone capable and unbiased, that's for sure.
And while it's easy to write off this latest piece from New York City-based ABC 7, at least they aren't being particularly negative about the control scheme in the Wii version of Manhunt 2. In fact, based on their on-the-street interviews, it would seem most gamers look at the control scheme as being a positive aspect of the title, allowing the player to become more immersed in the game's world. Considering how easy it would be for ABC 7 to just say this is a murder training simulation, we'll just be thankful that at least some section of the report was devoted to arguing for the game.
My, is this Manhunt 2-themed Wii ever disgusting. If not for the fact that the Manhunt 2 logo is clearly visible, and the nominal stickering of the Nunchuk, it would look pretty much just like a blood-stained Wii. And Rockstar is betting that you'll find that cool enough to enter their Radio Rebellion Sweepstakes.
They're probably right, anyway. Limited-edition anything is a good way to get people's interest. Or free anything, for that matter. Did we mention you also get a 50" plasma TV?
While the Wii may not match our usual aesthetic, we still think it's a cool idea for a bizarre giveaway item, and another chance for Rockstar to capture some of the controversy they need to push copies of their game. Maybe later they'll release this as a skin for people who want the look, but already have a Wii. Or, we suppose, you could do it the old-fashioned way.
