Publisher suspends banned videogame after defending it as 'fine art'

Tech News

By Stevie Smith Jun 22, 2007, 12:39 GMT

In the wake of the BBFC’s decision to ban controversial videogame Manhunt 2 from retail stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the game’s publisher, Take-Two Interactive, has announced that the title will now not make its intended release date of July 10 due to a temporary suspension. The original Manhunt videogame (PlayStation 2), developed by Rockstar Games and also published by Take-Two, received an 18 certificate from the BBFC due to its extremely violent content when it was released in 2003. However, the ratings board has now opted to draw the line with Manhunt 2 (PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo Wii), perhaps in part because of physical and integral user interaction prompted by the Wii version’s motion-sensing Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in killing in-game adversaries, but certainly because of the game’s overall content."Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone," commented David Cooke, director of the BBFC, regarding its decision. "There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game." Further to the actual banning in the UK and Ireland, which will certainly damage the game’s eventual sales performance, Manhunt 2 has also been hit with an ‘Adults Only’ (AO) rating in the US by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which marks a significant – and unwanted – step up from the ‘M for Mature’ rating that it was initially aiming at; again, sales performance would likely suffer with an AO rating.It remains to be seen whether Take-Two’s self-imposed temporary release suspension will see chunks of Manhunt 2’s content hitting the cutting room floor in order to see the game dropped back to ‘M for Mature’ in the US, and an ‘18’ certificate in the UK and Ireland. One thing remains clear throughout the current furore however, and that’s the unflinching defence given to Manhunt 2 by its creators."While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision," said Rockstar in an official statement. "Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers." And that’s a sentiment further echoed by Take-Two’s chairman, Strauss Zelnick, who described the game as bringing a unique cinematic quality to interactive entertainment. Mr. Zelnick also applauded Manhunt 2 as "a fine piece of art," while opining that: "We firmly believe that parents and consumers, once informed as to the nature of any entertainment product, should be able to make their own choices. I have reviewed Manhunt 2 myself… It fits squarely within the horror genre and was intended to do so."It is also worth noting, again from a European standpoint, that Germany is more than likely to follow suit with a nationwide ban, especially considering that it banned the original game and exercises considerably more strict regulation than the UK, having recently refused classification to the Xbox 360’s Dead Rising and Gears of War, both of which were classified by the BBFC.

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Publisher suspends banned videogame after defending it as 'fine art'

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