BBFC warns that it may take legal action to stop Rockstar's game getting to retail
Currently, Manhunt 2 is not legally available for sale in the U.K. but that could all change. Update: BBFC may grant the game an 18 certificate.
Rockstar's appeal against the BBFC's decision to reject a modified version of Manhunt 2 has been successful.
Kotaku's Brian Crecente has a leaked copy of the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual Media Wise Video Game Report Card, set to be officially released tomorrow. This year's report card is broken into five parts:
California State Senator Leland Yee has issued a press release in which he advises parents not to purchase violent video games for their children during the holiday season.
The BBFC has accepted there is no proven link between anti-social behaviour and violent videogames - but said more research is required to conclusively rule any connection out.
Tiga president Fred Hasson and psychologist Guy Cumberbatch were today called to speak in defence of Rockstar at the appeal against the BBFC's decision to refuse certification for Manhunt 2.
Four U.S. Senators sent a letter on Monday to the ESRB calling for a review of the video game industry's content rating system in the wake of the Manhunt 2 controversy. Jump to the source to read what they sent.
"It looks like Rockstar just can't catch a break, as four U.S. Senators are now calling for a review of the ESRB over their rating of the controversial game Manhunt 2. Sens. Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Evan Bayh, and Sam Brownback have sent a signed letter to the president of the ESRB, Patricia Vance."
NeoGAF member egmfan89 has posted score from latest EGM magazine:
Alone among major video game retailers, Minneapolis-based Target has decided to stop selling the controversial Manhunt 2.
A Nintendo fan site is reporting that an electronics specialist at Target has confirmed that Manhunt 2 is being removed from all of the retailers locations. Moreover, the journalist made a check at his local Target store and found that there was not a single PS2 or PSP copy of the game to be found.
Evil Avatar is reporting that local Target stores have been pulling Manhunt 2 off their store shelves in response to the recent events where some hackers uncovered adult content within the game.
ESRB president Patricia Vance just held a short conference call to address the growing furor surrounding the discovery that the unfiltered, Adults Only version of Manhunt 2 is fully playable on the Playstation Portable with the help of a hack.
California Senator Leland Yee has chimed in on the latest chapter in the Manhunt 2 flap, saying in a statement that "The ESRB and Rockstar continuously put profits before children." Yee, an advocate of legislation that would make selling violent games to minors a crime, went on to recommend that the game's original AO rating be restored, and that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate both Rockstar and the ESRB to see how the whole thing happened in the first place.
A still-critical, but seemingly more reasoned, version of Dr. Phil made an appearance yesterday on CBS morning program The Early Show to discuss Manhunt 2.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) condemned Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 on Thursday, claiming the game is a "irresponsible, stereotyped portrayal of people with mental illnesses."