Manhunt 2

Last week Tecmo Koei Europe revealed that a new sale on their PlayStation Network line-up would be launching soon. A generous share of titles reduced significantly would surely be welcomed by the publishers fans, however Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has now confirmed that the PSP Power Sale will be going much further, offering over one hundred titles in total at a reduced price.

Figures submitted by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) show that since 2005, far fewer videogames have been refused classification by the Board than have films and videos. Furthermore, with the exception of four titles in 2007, no games at all have been refused classification since 2005.

Today at the PlayStation Store, Sony secretly revealed the latest addition to their store. The new section in the PlayStation Store is called Rockstar Store.

Today Rockstar has announced that they will be releasing the Rockstar Legacy Collection for PSP. On October 15, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix and Manhunt 2 will be available for digital download from the PlayStation Network for the PSP system.

Rockstar Games confirmed that the releaseschedules from local distributors are correct. This friday Manhunt 2 will finally be released in liberal Holland and the rest of Europe. Manhunt 2 will be available on Wii, PSP and PS2. The game was delayed for a long time a caused all kinds of discussion due to its explicit content. The BBFC has been under heavy critique from media and government, and the Byron report - following the Manhunt 2 release - caused lots of discussion once again. What the future holds for the BBFC is yet unknown, but Manhunt 2 will see daylight next friday. The game will be available for €39,99 on Wii and PS2 and for €29,99 on PSP.

Videogame makers and shops have two years to come up with a widely accepted industry code of conduct to better protect children from violent images, the European Union's executive body said on Tuesday.

Following news last week that Australian censors have withheld yet another game (Dark Sector) from adult players, most gamers would feel frustration at the inequity of the current classification regime. But Dr. Brett Hutchins, a passionate gamer and a senior lecturer in Communications and Media Studies at Melbourne's Monash University, believes the lack of an R18+ rating for games in Australia might actually be good for the long-term health and acceptance of interactive entertainment. The gaming community should be very careful about what games they use to rally around and prosecute the classification system. In much of the public eye, unnecessary and mindless games like Manhunt 2, which rely on extreme violence to shock, titillate and garner attention, are only going to reinforce the stereotypes that gamers are fighting to overcome. Dr. Hutchins points out that if the wrong games (i.e. extremely violent games) are held up as evidence of unfairness, this may actually be counter-productive.

Rockstar Games has released an official statement in response to yesterday's High Court decision to rule against the Video Appeals Committee, which had previously given the green light for Manhunt 2 to go on sale in the UK. We believe the VAC decision was correct and do not understand the court's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the BBFC's 18-plus ratings certification, read the statement in full. Reported by GamesIndustry.biz on 25/01/2008

The controversy over Rockstar's Manhunt 2 is raging on in the UK, even though the game has already been granted a release in North America and many other European countries. First, Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification. Then the ban was overturned by appeal by the Video Appeals Committee. Now the appeal itself has been overturned by the High Court.

And the Manhunt 2 UK ban saga continues, as the British Board of Film Certification today announces that they have be granted permission for a judicial review of the appeal the Video Appeals Committee passed regarding the classification of the game. While Kotaku thinks that no one cares about Manhunt 2 anymore, the unfolding drama could very well have an important effect on future, more interesting violent video games.