The US publishers of a video game banned in the UK and Ireland have described it as a "fine piece of art". Take Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said Manhunt 2 had his full support and that consumers should decide for themselves. "The Rockstar team has come up with a game that fits squarely within the horror genre and was intended to do so," Mr Zelnick said in a statement...
I'm writing this article out myself so that others won't be so confused as to what has actually happened with Manhunt 2, so I will write it out in a list.
Yesterday when news broke that Manhunt 2 had received a preliminary rating of Adults Only from Take-Two, Kotaku shot a quick email off to Nintendo seeking comment on the issue.
Joystiq spoke with game rental service GameFly and can report that Manhunt 2, now with an AO rating, will not be carried by the company. A GameFly spokesperson said, "GameFly as a general policy does not carry AO rated titles." When asked if they have ever made an exception to the "general policy," the representive said, "Not that I know of, there's been no exceptions."
ELSPA director general Paul Jackson has said that the decision taken by the BBFC to ban Manhunt 2 from sale "demonstrates that we have a games ratings system in the UK that is effective".
The original Manhunt caused a media frenzy following release when it was unfairly linked by the press to the murder of teenager Stefan Pakeerah.
Following on from news that the BBFC has today denied certification for Rockstar's Manhunt 2 ¿ effectively banning the title from being sold in the UK ¿ it would appear that the Irish BBFC equivalent has also followed suit.
Around the offices of Take Two Interactive, they're undoubtedly calling this "Black Tuesday."
The BBFC has refused to grant classification to Manhunt 2 in the UK, effectively banning it from sale in the United Kingdom. Wii UK spoke to the BBFC today.
Video game developers don't want people to have fun, they want them to kill.