At last there is light at the end of the tunnel, and beyond that a man waiting with a claw hammer, ready to crack open your skull. Rockstar has confirmed with our friends over at GamesIndustry.biz that following a long struggle with the British Board of Film Classification, Manhunt 2 for the PS2, Wii, and PSP will be in the shops on October 31st, which is some sort of a holiday, or so I'm told.

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After the Bryon Review suggested a new system requiring games that would normally receive a 12+ Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), publishers like EA started to worry about even longer UK game release delays. Both the BBFC and PEGI are trying to carve out control in a UK game ratings power scramble. Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association head Paul Jackson explains why PEGI is superior to the BBFC:

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Recently some UK game publishers - notably EA - expressed concern that proposed changes to the ratings system that would require the British Board of Film Classification to review all games 12+ and up would cause delays in getting titles into the hands of consumers. BBFC Director David Cooke finds their lack of faith disturbing, and says so in a lengthy statement released today.

"We are disappointed and concerned about attempts by one or two video games publishers to pre-empt, through recent press statements, the forthcoming public consultation on video games classification. Their statements are misleading in several respects:

The BBFC's current average turnaround time for games classifications is eight calendar days. In terms of international comparisons, this is notably quick. There is no reason why the increased role for the BBFC envisaged by Dr Byron should lead to delays.

Cooke goes on to explain that the BBFC is fast, efficient, and more than capable of dealing with games both online and off in a timely fashion. Hit the jump for the full statement without delay.

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Britain's Byron Review, in which the big-smiling Dr. Tanya Byron made a series of measured, generally reasonable findings and recommendations regarding children's use of video games and the internet, has now produced an "action plan" from the UK government.

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The last thing gamers in the UK need is additional delays to the games that can already take months to make the jump from Japan and North America, but that's just what they'll get under the new system under consideration by the British government. Suggested in the Byron review, the new system would require games that would normally receive a 12+ PEGI rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification. Speaking to Eurogamer, EA UK head honcho Keith Ramsdale worries that the new system wouldn't be in the gamers' best interest.

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Metal Gear Solid 4 violent? Let's hear what the British Board of Film Classification says:

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 is a third person tactical/stealth game. The player takes on the role of an aging soldier, Snake who can be armed with knives, guns and grenades. The game has been classified '15' for strong violence.

During battles enemy soldiers die with small puffs of blood. The weaponry includes petrol bombs, however there is no detailed portrayal of injuries. During cut scenes slightly more detailed violence is portrayed, such as enemy creatures spearing friendly soldiers and one protracted fist fight.

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GTAIV didn't just pass classification muster in Britain, it passed completely uncut. In clearing the game for release, though, the BBFC had to look at (then detail) everything the game had to offer, from the palatable stuff like just driving a car around a virtual city to the less palatable stuff. Like this:

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Crisis. Averted. The BBFC, Britain's classification board, have cleared Grand Theft Auto IV for release, awarding it an adults-only "18" rating. Bad news for 12 year-olds the country over, but good news for Rockstar, who after a pretty hairy release list of late (ie Bully & Manhunt 2) have managed to get the latest GTA title past three of the toughest classification boards (in Britain, Germany & Australia) in the Western world. Bravo.
GTA IV gets BBFC go-ahead [CVG]

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As expected, much of the British press (and even isolated pockets of the British gaming press, who should know better) have been grossly misreporting the findings of Dr. Tanya Byron's pleasantly reasonable review into how the internet and games are adversely affecting children. And if you can't trust the media to get it right, who can you trust? Yourself, hopefully, so if you'd like to read the review sans alarmist mainstream media spin, the whole thing's at the link below.
Safer Children in a Digital World: the report of the Byron Review [British Department For Schools & Families]

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After weeks of getting their knickers in a twist over it, British pundits and interested consumers can now read up on what the long-awaited Byron Review has to say. Commissioned by the British government in response to growing concerns over children's exposure to unsuitable content in games, it's findings are already being blown out of proportion by many British press outlets, but in reality are really quite sensible. Dr. Tanya Bryon's report recommends the adoption of a more recognisable film-style ratings system - including a "12" rating - clearer, more prominent displays of a game's ratings on the cover and more effort on the part of parents in monitoring and controlling their children's gaming and online habits. Like I said, all quite fair and reasonable, really, so if you're British and are waking up to a falling sky, things aren't as bad as certain "excitable" elements of the press will have you believe.
Byron Review backs movie-style ratings [MCV]

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