NZGamer sends word that Rockstar's Manhunt 2 has been refused classification by NZ's ratings board. Like Australia, this means the game cannot be legally sold in, or imported into, the country.

However, unlike Australia, the NZ OFLC has a detailed breakdown of exactly why the game didn't meet its standards for an M or R rating:

The computer game Manhunt 2 was classified on 12 June 2008 by the Office of Film and Literature Classification as objectionable due to the manner in which it depicts and deals with matters of sex, horror, cruelty and violence.

I have to ask: why can't the Australian OFLC have info like this accessible to the public? I know our classification system is backward-arse, but the NZ OFLC makes the Oz one look lazy, half-arsed and just plain shit.

Manhunt 2 [Office of Film and Literature Classification NZ, via NZGamer]

As we previously posted, it looks like the UK is getting the choice not to purchase Manhunt 2. Hooray! So, is the British bureaucratic Department for Culture, Media and Sport going to try to stop this? You know, intervene. Says a department mouthpiece:

Finally the long struggle that kept us on the edge of our seats mildly interested for months has been resolved, and Manhunt 2 can finally be released on to store shelves in the UK. The Video Appeals Committee announced today that their decision to appeal the rejection of the game by the British Board of Film Classification remains upheld, and that the board has no choice but to issue an 18 certificate for the title. Director of the BBFC David Cooke whined a little bit about the decision.

Looks like the UK Manhunt 2 drama is drawing to a close. As you know, last June the game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification for sale in the UK. Rockstar revamped the game enough to convince the UK Video Appeals Committee to reclassify the title with a new rating, which circumvented the BBFC. So the BBFC then argued that the "game had been approved for release on a misinterpretation of the law." That argument went to the British High Court, where the BBFC was able to fight the game's release. The High Court has now ruled that the VAC's decision to allow for classification was flawed by "a clear error of the law" and has asked that it reconsider its decision. The court's decision blocks the sale of Manhunt 2 in the UK. During the hearing, the BBFC mentioned that the VAC's decision could undermine its ombudsman role "not only in relation to video games, but generally." Seems like a political power struggle more than anything.

High Court Blocks Game [ITN, Thanks Funky J!] [Pic]

The Associated Press just published their worst of 2007 list for video games. The straight forward list includes Manhunt 2, Deal or No Deal and Lair along with some biting explanation:

1. "Manhunt 2": Rockstar Games' strategy -- offend the watchdogs, reap the publicity, then sell a substandard product -- reached its nadir with this ugly, unplayable mess. It begins with a lunatic flinging human waste at you; after about an hour, you'll want to fling "Manhunt 2."

4. "Lair": Sony lavished a lot of attention on this PlayStation 3 title, and it sure looks great. And who wouldn't want to fly a dragon? But with awkward, imprecise controls and lackluster, repetitive missions, "Lair" crashed and burned.

Embattled Rockstar Games title Manhunt 2 got dealt another blow in the British Courts this week. As you know, the game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification for sale in the UK back in June, but Rockstar was able to revamp the game enough to get an appeal on the ban and convince the UK Video Appeals Committee to reclassify it with a new rating. But, it seems that the BBFC isn't ready to give up the fight just yet.

This week, they were able to argue to a judge that "game had been approved for release on a misinterpretation of the law." The judge accepted the argument and awarded the BBFC the right to fight the game's release in the British High Court.

This seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for a game that (to me anyway) doesn't seem any more violent than most of the other M rated titles out there. Couple that with the fact the BBFC recently approved (with no cuts) the ultra violent film Eastern Promises with the excuse that "...it was up to adults to decide what they wanted to watch and that movie-goers were free to look away from the screen", and it makes their continued rallies against Manhunt 2 seem rather flimsy and hypocritical. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out as it will more than likely have a long standing effect on how games are rated and dealt with in the UK and possibly across Europe.

Manhunt 2 to face court challenge [BBC News]
[Thanks, DBP]

And the Manhunt 2 UK ban saga continues, as the British Board of Film Certification today announces that they have be granted permission for a judicial review of the appeal the Video Appeals Committee passed regarding the classification of the game. While I think we can all agree that no one cares about Manhunt 2 anymore, the unfolding drama could very well have an important effect on future, more interesting violent video games.

The BBFC was today given permission to judicially review the decision by the Video Appeals Committee to overturn the Board's rejection of the video game Manhunt 2. The Board has also been granted a stay on the classification of the game. It is expected that the case will be heard in January.

I can almost imagine in my head how this all went down. The Video Appeals Committee overturns the British Board of Film Classification's decision not to grant Manhunt 2 a rating, and the folks at Take-Two start setting up this massive, celebratory pizza party. Then the BBFC decides to apply for judicial review of the VAC's decision. As this news hits Take-Two central and a stunned hush breaks out over the jubilant office, the pizza arrives. Someone starts sobbing.

"We are disappointed that the BBFC has decided to appeal its own Video Appeals Committee's judgment in favor of an 18-plus certificate for Manhunt 2," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

"We believe the VAC decision was correct and do not understand the BBFC's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the BBFC's 18-plus ratings certification."

See? The news is always more interesting if you apply the vast power of the human imagination to it. Otherwise this would have just been a giant "Duh!" of a story, but now we have a gripping tale of tragedy for the ages. Were it a movie it would end with the sound of quiet tears as the camera slowly zooms in on a pile of forgotten pizza boxes.

Take-Two disappointed with BBFC decision [GamesIndustry.biz]

We knew it wasn't over. The British Board of Film Classification has applied for a judicial review of the appeal that the Video Appeals Committee passed a week ago regarding granting Rockstar's Manhunt 2 a classification, allowing the title to be released in the UK.

"The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgment because in the Board's view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgment, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board's decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence."

BBFC applies for judicial review [GamesIndustry.biz]

Rockstar's appeal against the British Board of Film Classification's ban of Manhunt 2 from release in the UK has passed, garnering a narrow victory of 4 to 3 from the Video Appeals Committee. The game was originally banned / refused classification in the UK back in July, with the recut, happier version of the game denied as well in October. The BBFC has stated that they will consider the judgment of the VAC and its reaction once they receive the pertinent paperwork, while issuing a lengthly statement on how right they believe they were in their decision.

Such balancing judgments are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.

Rockstar's Manhunt 2 appeal successful [MCV]