In response, Rockstar released the following statement about the BBFC's decision: Following this, Sony and Nintendo announced that they don't allow such games on their systems - as the game was meant to be released on the former's PlayStation 2 and PSP consoles alongside the Nintendo Wii, effectively banned the game from the United States as well. To make matters worse, the ESRB also rated the game AO (Adults Only), meaning it would be restricted to players 18 years old and older, as opposed to the more commercially viable M (Mature) rating for players 17 years old and over (especially since most major retailers refuse to stock the former games). Other BBFC examiners would respond in a similar matter, most notably that of press office manager Sue Clark, of who noted in an IGN interview that the fact that the 'possibility of younger aged viewers getting it' (especially given how supposedly 'attractive' 18-rated games were to 'under-aged players) was instrumental in their decision, given that such a matter fit the 'potential harm' remit of the Video Recordings Act 1984, a piece of legislation that was put through during the 'video nasties' scare of the 1980s and their effect on children. The Board's carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2 would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, and that its availability would be unacceptable to the public. The game's unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed. 'Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone. The former body justified their reasoning on the grounds of the game's extreme content, with the board's then-director David Cooke stating that: In June 2007, both the BBFC and the Irish Film Classification Office refused to give the game certification, banning Manhunt 2 in both Britain and Ireland (as of 2022, Manhunt 2 is the only video game to have such a distinction). The initial trailer was released in April 2007, all the while further promotion was conducted for the game ahead of a scheduled release in July 2007.īefore the planned release, however, there was some major pushback. After the British Official Playstation Magazine got early access to the game in March 2007, any planned future release seemed to go off without a hitch. The game has since become a cult classic in the years since, all the while becoming one of Rockstar's most iconic titles.įollowing the first game's success, a second installment was announced. Such matters were not helped once the game was linked to the murder of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah, despite it later transpiring that the game was not related to the killing. While well-received by most critics and selling over a million copies worldwide, it remained heavily controversial due its violent content - so much so that in the years since Rockstar employee Jeff Willaims admitted that it almost caused a 'mutiny at the company' over the game's 'icky' gore. In 2003, hot off the major success of the recent entries into their Grand Theft Auto series of games, Rockstar Games released Manhunt, a survival horror game that followed protagonist James Earl Cash revolving around a snuff film environment in order to acquire his freedom. It was because of this that the original playable uncensored version of the game remained lost media for some time. While both games were controversial over their violent content, it was only the second game that had to tone down such material in order to get it past several censorship bodies, most notably the British Board of Film Classification and the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The game itself is quite notorious for such gameplay, given the often very violent kills that the player can execute against their enemies, especially as the game rewards you for such creative efforts. In order to defend themselves they, like in the first game, have to use makeshift weaponry and use stealth strategies to beat the overall level - all the while new features for the second game (most notably the player having to hold their breath in the shadows via quick time event in order not to be spotted) are also included. The game focuses on the duo of Daniel Lamb and Leo Kaspar, who are trying to solve how Daniel (who has amnesia) ended up in the Dixmor Asylum after they escape, all the while their connection to a shadowy organisation called The Project, of who is hunting them. Manhunt 2 is a 2007 survival horror game by Rockstar Games, and a sequel to their 2003 hit Manhunt.
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