Manhunt 2: AO!

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/19/retail-murder-esrb-rates-manhunt-2-adults-only/#comments

I kind of find it irnoic that Manhunt 2 is AO when it's about the same as Manhunt 1... Maybe becaus eof the Wii.

At least we know Wii isn't kiddy anymore.

T2 must be pretty pissed right now.

Banned in the UK

Banned in Ireland

Sure to be banned in Germany and probably Australia

And now, with an AO, mainstream retail won't carry it.

And this is coming at a tough financial time for the company. If they can't get this game into the distribution stream, it won't end well for them.

I wonder what content descriptors this game has. For a game to get AO it normally needs to have nudity and other such adult content. I don't think it's possible for a game to get AO based on violence alone.MKHavoc

The problem is that a game could have a smattering of sex/nudity and get slapped with an AO, but a game like Manhunt could have extreme torture and killing and still get a M. It was very inconsistent and busted.

[QUOTE="MKHavoc"]I wonder what content descriptors this game has. For a game to get AO it normally needs to have nudity and other such adult content. I don't think it's possible for a game to get AO based on violence alone.trifecta_basic

The problem is that a game could have a smattering of sex/nudity and get slapped with an AO, but a game like Manhunt could have extreme torture and killing and still get a M. It was very inconsistent and busted.

Considering the ERSB, BBFC, (whatever the acronymn) and other rating services don't have a clear cut rating system, Manhunt would be a M if you looked at the box alone because they don't state anything like "Extreme Toture as a createria it would still be labeled under violence.

Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Well the **** just hit the fan. Thats the mark of death, they need to do something fast.

(Maybe sell the unsensored version on their website or something).

dvader654

I find that ridiculous.

AO shouldn't even be a rating. M and AO are both for an adult audience. This whole thing reeks of politics.Whatever, doesn't effect me.

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.GodModeEnabled

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.GodModeEnabled

and thats the exact problem with the rating system. Games are essential interactive movies and that somehow means that we are literally being trained to kill and destroy yet movies like Hostel are released and teenage kids are sitting at home watching the movie thinking about how they could have done it better. I think that the rating system should be the same as movies, it would be quite simple actually.

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.GodModeEnabled

yea, the first one wasn't horrible, ive thought of worse stuff, but it was extremely gory at times, like the baseball bat to the head thing, you see his brains splatter on the wall and his eyes fly out and stuff. not to mention the director "oooh yea...thats the stuff." or "i havn't been this turned on in ages."

yea not bad at all. oh and we can't forget the shotgun, headshot with that and their face is realistically blown out. believe me, the first one was borderline AO.

I find that ridiculous.

AO shouldn't even be a rating. M and AO are both for an adult audience. Whatever, doesn't effect me.

EdgecrusherAza

Whats the difference between drinking in smoking, its basically the same thing in this case if you think about it. Both kill you

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I find that ridiculous.

AO shouldn't even be a rating. M and AO are both for an adult audience. This whole thing reeks of politics.Whatever, doesn't effect me.

EdgecrusherAza

This Sickens me. Censorship is the first steps to a much larger problem.

Why is it that parents just can't learn to keep Kids away from violent, mature games? Oh wait, lets just let the politicians keep harmful things away from our youth...and from everyone else for that matter.

[QUOTE="EdgecrusherAza"]

I find that ridiculous.

AO shouldn't even be a rating. M and AO are both for an adult audience. This whole thing reeks of politics.Whatever, doesn't effect me.

GodModeEnabled

Well I have it pre-ordered and paid for, so I damn well better have a copy.

This Sickens me. Censorship is the first steps to a much larger problem.

Why is it that parents just can't learn to keep Kids away from violent, mature games? Oh wait, lets just let the politicians keep harmful things away from our youth...and from everyone else for that matter.

Jodan77

Following that pathology we should keep our kids from other kids as well as life in general.

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.GodModeEnabled

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

hostel wasn't that bad. the special effects sucked and the ways they tortured were bland and uneventful. really crappy and boring movie. saw is even less violent, less people die, but in more gruesome ways, BUT unlike hostel it has plot, a thick plot i should say.either way, manhunt1 was terribly violent but thats why i love it. come on, cutting peoples heads off with a wire and using it as an object to throw and get peoples attention, thats not horribly violent to you? i shot nails throw dude's heads in that game. i killed people with plastic bags, and theres even a ton of scenes where theres dead people hanging upside down from the ceiling with their chest hallowed out and head mutilated.

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.GodModeEnabled

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="EdgecrusherAza"]

I find that ridiculous.

AO shouldn't even be a rating. M and AO are both for an adult audience. This whole thing reeks of politics.Whatever, doesn't effect me.

EdgecrusherAza

Well I have it pre-ordered and paid for, so I damn well better have a copy.

yea you should. im gonna have to pre-order it now so i dont have to special oreder it at all

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

ooh how i agree with you so. theres a huge diffferance in watching the violence and committing the violence with your controller, no matter the controler, wii, ps2, psp. all the same. the repetition is just enhancing it.

[QUOTE="Jodan77"]

This Sickens me. Censorship is the first steps to a much larger problem.

Why is it that parents just can't learn to keep Kids away from violent, mature games? Oh wait, lets just let the politicians keep harmful things away from our youth...and from everyone else for that matter.

Serge-Chrono

Following that pathology we should keep our kids from other kids as well as life in general.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

Take Two still has time to make some moves, including getting the game rerated. If they can somehow convince the ESRB that the game isn't worth an AO, then the game should receive a re-rating, but I can guarantee that if that's the case, the watchdogs and Jack Thompsons of the world will become hopping mad and only work to give everyone a headache.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

The problem as I see it isn't the fact that the game received an AO rating (it probably should if it's even more extreme than the first game). The problem is that people like myself who are of age and want to play the game may not be able to do so because of said rating, and that's wrong.I'm all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 away from kids, but in a country where I can go find a movie like Faces of Death (which shows real people dead or dying) on the shelf at Fry's or Blockbuster, or get porn less than a mile from my house, it seems silly that the AO rating should basically equate to: Unavailable for purchase.

It's just silly.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

The game industry just doesnt get the same freedom as the move industry. This stems from the fact that non gamers just dont understand what gaming is, and they dont see it as a legitamate entertainment buisness. Most still think of it as solely for children, and think that adult gamers are silly for still playing. Manhunt's violent content is nothing compared to some horror movies ( Cannibal Holocaust) and books. I am looking forward to playing Manhunt 2, but now I hope I dont get some watered down version.ghostranger

The problem as I see it isn't the fact that the game received an AO rating (it probably should if it's even more extreme than the first game). The problem is that people like myself who are of age and want to play the game may not be able to do so because of said rating, and that's wrong.I'm all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 away from kids, but in a country where I can go find a movie like Faces of Death (which shows real people dead or dying) on the shelf at Fry's or Blockbuster, or get porn less than a mile from my house, it seems silly that the AO rating should basically equate to: Unavailable for purchase.

It's just silly.

Shame-usBlackley

[QUOTE="ghostranger"]The game industry just doesnt get the same freedom as the move industry. This stems from the fact that non gamers just dont understand what gaming is, and they dont see it as a legitamate entertainment buisness. Most still think of it as solely for children, and think that adult gamers are silly for still playing. Manhunt's violent content is nothing compared to some horror movies ( Cannibal Holocaust) and books. I am looking forward to playing Manhunt 2, but now I hope I dont get some watered down version.kvn7918

[QUOTE="trifecta_basic"][QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.socomn00b

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

All AO means is that it can't be sold to minors period. I don't think that's being unfair giving what's been disclosed about the content. The reason it has to happen like this is because the ESRB has been so lienant on violence in games, that a game has to be super-extreme in order to get an AO and therefore no major retailer will want any part of it. In other words, if the rating had any meaning and was implemented properly in the past Rockstar wouldn't be in this position.

The problem as I see it isn't the fact that the game received an AO rating (it probably should if it's even more extreme than the first game). The problem is that people like myself who are of age and want to play the game may not be able to do so because of said rating, and that's wrong.I'm all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 away from kids, but in a country where I can go find a movie like Faces of Death (which shows real people dead or dying) on the shelf at Fry's or Blockbuster, or get porn less than a mile from my house, it seems silly that the AO rating should basically equate to: Unavailable for purchase.

It's just silly.

Shame-usBlackley

That's how America likes its censorship. Don't officially BAN anything, just make itso its almost impossible to find. Stealth censorship. Its a nice way to keep the whole freedom of expression thing goin', while actually repressing it.

[QUOTE="socomn00b"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"][QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="trifecta_basic"]Not suprising at all, considering it's what the first game should of recieved all along.trifecta_basic

Yes, I own it thank you very much. And claiming Hostel and Saw is as violent as Manhunt is categorically false and a weak cop-out.

I don't think so. Even if the game slipped by it's a 500K at the most, not exactly a big loss. And the controversy from the game getting an M would be much more damning then what is happening now. They were already watchgroups waiting to pounce on the ESRB(read the letter to Patricia Vance) if they even considered giving the game a M.

Hostel and Saw are disturbing and contain extreme violence, but they do not depict the amount of violent acts in nearly as much detail and repetition as a full session of Manhunt. Not even close.

All AO means is that it can't be sold to minors period. I don't think that's being unfair giving what's been disclosed about the content. The reason it has to happen like this is because the ESRB has been so lienant on violence in games, that a game has to be super-extreme in order to get an AO and therefore no major retailer will want any part of it. In other words, if the rating had any meaning and was implemented properly in the past Rockstar wouldn't be in this position.

[QUOTE="kvn7918"][QUOTE="ghostranger"]The game industry just doesnt get the same freedom as the move industry. This stems from the fact that non gamers just dont understand what gaming is, and they dont see it as a legitamate entertainment buisness. Most still think of it as solely for children, and think that adult gamers are silly for still playing. Manhunt's violent content is nothing compared to some horror movies ( Cannibal Holocaust) and books. I am looking forward to playing Manhunt 2, but now I hope I dont get some watered down version.GodModeEnabled

Some content, however rare an occasion may arise, may be too extreme for any child. Even if they know it's wrong, would you show an 9 year old Hostel? Probably not. However, my younger brother who was 13 at the time watched Hostel and thought it was dumb (as expected). Same goes for Video games, and almost any other aspect of childhood. My parents let me hang out with anyone, because they trusted me to use my own judgement, jusgement they passed along while raising me. Because to not permit someone to experience what Life has to offer will only harm them in the grand scheme of things.

And thats why censorship is one of the worst things that can be done. Sure keeping Manhunt out of kids (or those unable to handle it) hands is fine, but to deny others is criminal. I think I know the difference between right and wrong, and I don't need anyone else telling me: especially a bunch of pompous frauds who don't understand anything but to boost their own self-image.

The problem as I see it isn't the fact that the game received an AO rating (it probably should if it's even more extreme than the first game). The problem is that people like myself who are of age and want to play the game may not be able to do so because of said rating, and that's wrong.I'm all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 away from kids, but in a country where I can go find a movie like Faces of Death (which shows real people dead or dying) on the shelf at Fry's or Blockbuster, or get porn less than a mile from my house, it seems silly that the AO rating should basically equate to: Unavailable for purchase.

It's just silly.Shame-usBlackley

Agreed. The AO rating itself isn't the problem, it's the hypocritical self-proclaimed moralist retailers who refuse to carry the game. We're witnessing an ugly precedent here that affects even me, a 25-year old from Europe simply becuase most games cater to the American market. This is a clear message to developers and the entire industry that games are still percieved as entertainment mainly (or even solely) for children and are not to be treated as other media forms. If things don't start to change, gaming's evolution as a potential artform (or even just asa viable entertainment form catered to adults)is directly at risk here.

It drives me nuts that these big retailers will carry "unrated" DVDs and yet won't carry a RATED video game. Hypocrisy? yeah, just a little.

But... and this is a big BUT.... perhaps the sales of Manhunt 2 will be fantastic due to the crazy controversy and therefore will cause these same retailers to reconsider their stance on AO rated games beacausee in America (much like everywhere else) money talks.

*shakes head* Wishful thinking could be the death of me.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/19/retail-murder-esrb-rates-manhunt-2-adults-only/#comments

I kind of find it irnoic that Manhunt 2 is AO when it's about the same as Manhunt 1... Maybe becaus eof the Wii.

At least we know Wii isn't kiddy anymore.

JesterSage

An AO rating means that this game will hardly be associated with the Wii since most people will not have a chance to even see the two together. Basically the only place that would sell this game and also the Wii would be some mom and pop gaming stores.

I hope that Rockstar has the balls to publish it as is.

The controversy might be enough to sell the game to a large audience.

But... and this is a big BUT.... perhaps the sales of Manhunt 2 will be fantastic due to the crazy controversy and therefore will cause these same retailers to reconsider their stance on AO rated games beacausee in America (much like everywhere else) money talks.juradai

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]The problem as I see it isn't the fact that the game received an AO rating (it probably should if it's even more extreme than the first game). The problem is that people like myself who are of age and want to play the game may not be able to do so because of said rating, and that's wrong.I'm all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 away from kids, but in a country where I can go find a movie like Faces of Death (which shows real people dead or dying) on the shelf at Fry's or Blockbuster, or get porn less than a mile from my house, it seems silly that the AO rating should basically equate to: Unavailable for purchase.

It's just silly.UpInFlames

Agreed. The AO rating itself isn't the problem, it's the hypocritical self-proclaimed moralist retailers who refuse to carry the game. We're witnessing an ugly precedent here that affects even me, a 25-year old from Europe simply becuase most games cater to the American market. This is a clear message to developers and the entire industry that games are still percieved as entertainment mainly (or even solely) for children and are not to be treated as other media forms. If things don't start to change, gaming's evolution as a potential artform (or even just asa viable entertainment form catered to adults)is directly at risk here.