Manhunt 2 never coming out?

Muttley - 6-22-2007 at 04:52 PM

'Manhunt 2' Video Game Release Suspended

By MATT SLAGLE
AP Technology Writer

Britain Bans Sales of Violent 'Manhunt 2' Game
Technology Video
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Players of the video game "Manhunt 2" would have assumed the role of a scientist with amnesia who escapes from an asylum and then goes on a bloody killing spree as he tries to remember his past. But consumers may never see it on store shelves.

Following bans by Britain and Ireland, as well as a ratings predicament that would have made it nearly impossible to buy in the United States, publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. decided that it might already be game over for "Manhunt 2."

In a short statement Thursday evening, the New York-based company said it was temporarily suspending plans to distribute the game while it reviews its options.

"We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment," the company said.

"Manhunt 2" had been scheduled for a July 10 release in the United States on both the Wii by Nintendo Co. and the PlayStation 2 from Sony Corp.

But earlier in the week, Britain banned the game because of the violent content. Ireland followed suit a day later, and then Italian Communications Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday that he would seek to have the sale of the game canceled there as well.

In a statement, Gentiloni called the game "cruel and sadistic, with a squalid environment and a continuous, insistent encouragement to violence and murder."

In the United States, meanwhile, the video game industry's self-regulated ratings board gave a preliminary version of "Manhunt 2" an "adults only" rating instead of the more lenient, and far more popular, "mature" rating for ages 17 and up.

Slapping "Manhunt 2" with the Entertainment Software Rating Board's most stringent rating would likely doom sales. Large retailers including Best Buy Co., Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. won't stock AO-rated games.

Rockstar was given 30 days after receiving the ESRB's suggested rating to present an appeal or make changes to the game.

A spokesman for Rockstar declined to comment on Thursday's suspension, which was announced hours after Take-Two issued a statement saying it was determined to bring the title to market regardless of criticism.

Another issue had to do with the console makers: Nintendo and Sony disclosed they have policies barring any AO-rated content on their systems.

Microsoft Corp. has a similar policy, but "Manhunt 2" wasn't planned for its Xbox 360. There are no such restrictions on games for personal computers.

The suspension was the latest setback for creator Rockstar Games, which has come under fire for its popular, critically acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto" series of urban crime games. Take-Two is still dealing with the fallout of a shareholder coup earlier this year that ousted its chief executive and nearly all of its board.

Rockstar and Take-Two have long been a focal point for debate over the effect of video-game violence on children.

Two years ago, Rockstar was forced to replace its first edition of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" after a hacker discovered a password-protected game inside it that involved a sexual encounter.

XnMeX - 6-22-2007 at 07:25 PM

FUCK! I want an adults only game. There are enough people playing games well over 18 nowadays. Actually, I think most gamers nowadays are over 18. It has shifted in the past few years it seems.

morgan - 6-23-2007 at 01:07 AM

Thought the of playing this on the Wii would be interesting. ...using the Wii control to strangle your target.... I would go buy a Wii just for that game.

RomanticViolence - 6-23-2007 at 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by XnMeX
FUCK! I want an adults only game. There are enough people playing games well over 18 nowadays. Actually, I think most gamers nowadays are over 18. It has shifted in the past few years it seems.

I want this game too.

upyerbum - 6-23-2007 at 11:23 AM

If they pull this shit with the new GT in the fall I'm takin' it to the streets.

Muttley - 6-23-2007 at 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by upyerbum
If they pull this shit with the new GT in the fall I'm takin' it to the streets.

I will commit real live murder if this happens with GTA.

random - 6-24-2007 at 11:11 PM

Just read this... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/arts/25manh.html?_r=1&hp&o...

It's been many years since I played video games, but how much do you want to be that they'll release a censored version that has some cheat code on it that unlocks the original version? And then denies that they did it intentionally and blames it on some "rogue programmer"... and then nobody gets fired since they did it on purpose.

And I'd be perfectly content with that resolution to this situation.

Muttley - 6-24-2007 at 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by random
Just read this... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/arts/25manh.html?_r=1&hp&o...

It's been many years since I played video games, but how much do you want to be that they'll release a censored version that has some cheat code on it that unlocks the original version? And then denies that they did it intentionally and blames it on some "rogue programmer"... and then nobody gets fired since they did it on purpose.

And I'd be perfectly content with that resolution to this situation.

Nice idea... but already happened with San Andreas. They can't pull it twice.

random - 6-25-2007 at 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Muttley

Quote:

Nice idea... but already happened with San Andreas. They can't pull it twice.

They'll just make it harder this time. I suspect it's easier to add additional code to the game's program than it is to re-write it. Lots of time with code, you can just block out lines of shit you don't want to use anymore instead of deleting it.

But I could be wrong.