In an attempt to counter unfair stereotypes about games, UK game industry trade organisation TIGA reveals that three times as many movies have been refused British Board of Film Classification ratings than games in the past five years. More »
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.
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.
And that’s just a small sample of what’s available. In fact, there’s a freaking 12-page PDF packed full of reasons for the ban.
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] More »
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]
