A word of warning before you continue, the following post contains some moderate spoilers for Manhunt, Saw III, Hostel: Part II, John Carpenters Halloween, Friday 13th Part 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge.

This is a follow up to ‘OPS2 Magazine UK Address BBFC Rating: Part 1’, I would suggest that you check the following prior to reading this news post:

OPS2 Magazine UK Address BBFC Rating: Part 1
Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK Magazine Scans
Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK Article (Click Official PlayStation Magazine UK August 2007)

I decided to do a follow up to article in the latest issue of OPS2 Magazine UK because I find it to be very inaccurate, subjective and down right ignorant. I don’t have an issue with them not liking Manhunt 2, or any game for that matter, the issue is how their tune has changed in such a short span of time. Up until the BBFC refused classification of Manhunt 2 they seemed very eager for the game, giving it a ton of coverage and nothing but good things to say about the game. Manhunt 2 gets refused classification and they put up a large distance between themselves and the game.

They awarded the original Manhunt a 9/10 (which translates to a silver rating) in its January 2004 issue and consider it to be within the top 20 titles released for the PlayStation 2. They loved the original so much that the game has featured on the back pages of every issue of the magazine since its release under ‘The Hot 100: The Finest PS2 Games Available to Humanity’ in its latest issue it is described as the following:

OPS2 Magazine UK:

A dirty, grisly, filthy but downright brilliant game experience.

In March 2006 they wrote up a piece on the likelihood of Manhunt 2 happening and one month later in their April issue they did a full page piece on the games ending. So it was far from a quick fling with the game and more of a full on love affair.

So why have they suddenly changed their tune? Did Rockstar seriously screw the game up between mid June and July of 2007? Unlikely scenario, what is more likely is that there has been some political persuasion or that they don’t want to appear to be disagreeing with the ‘authority’ on the matter. Various websites have carried out similar antics in the past few weeks. Writing about how they agree with the ‘ban’ and how Rockstar should be ashamed of themselves and the game.

It is no more apparent than looking at their validation for agreeing with the BBFC; let’s look at some of their argument points for why they agree with the BBFC and why Manhunt 2 should not be sold.

Nick Ellis:

However having played the game for several hours, we support the BBFC's decision. Developer Rockstar has long pushed the boundaries of gaming and game design. This time, however, it has taken a step too far, and in the wrong direction.

Translates to: Stick to the tried and true, do not grow and or mature.

God forbid a developer to actually push the boundaries of game play and story narrative beyond that of simply pushing blocks, blowing up barrels and saving princesses.

Should developers like Rockstar not push these boundaries then the industry would not be able to expand in audience, maturity, depth and variety. People like you with opinions like this are what are holding the industry back. Like it or not, as the technology gets better, consoles becomes more expensive, games take longer to develop and consumers become more sophisticated the games are going to reflect this, every now and then the world does actually rotate, believe it or not. Live with it, accept it, move on from suppressing advances in entertainment and enjoy it, either that or get out of the industry.

Nick Ellis:

Many people have citied the SAW and Hostel movies while debating the Manhunt 2 issue, suggesting that if these films, with their ultra-violent content and brutal imagery, can escape the censors then surely Manhunt 2 should be permitted a release. The argument does not hold water. Yes, these films are shockingly brutal, but the horror is viewed largely from the perspective of the victims.

Translates to: It is ok to kill, as long as it is from the eyes of the victim.

And how does this validate the situation? And why is Manhunt 2 the exception? Many movies are told through the eyes of the killer, for instance, in the original Halloween (released in 1978) the very first kill of the movie is shown directly through the eyes of the killer, a 6 year old killer at that, why was that ok? Do you think people will go and see Halloween 10 to follow the antics of the victims, do you really think anyone cares? No. Look at the box office figures that Halloween 3: Season of the Witch gathered, the film tanked once they removed the series ‘killer’, they then went back to the well and brought back Michael for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, which is coincidently (not) the highest grossing movie in the franchise.

In Hostel: Part II (released 2007) the film primarily evolves through the eyes of the ‘American Business Men’, who are putting a price on the heads of their victims through auctions. The film was even marketed on this merit; if you look up almost any interview with director/writer Eli Roth you will likely see him talking this angle up.

Your system of redemption is wrong, from both audience and a creative stand points. What you are implying is that by changing the playable character from Daniel to the varying hunters that it will someone redeem the game and merit it a valid creative decision.

Nick Ellis:

In Manhunt 2 you control a psychopath and are offered dozens of different fashions in which to kill those standing in your way. What's more, the ways in which you kill off your enemies are not straightforward. We are not talking about a silenced pistol to the back of the head or a slit throat. There is a relentless, remorseless inventiveness to the killing. An example: armed with a pair of wire cutters, lead character Daniel Lamb sneaks up behind a man reaches behind the man's legs and cuts off his testicles; then, with testicles still attached to the wire cutters, repeatedly stabs the guy in the back until he's dead.

Translates to: It is ok to kill someone as long as it is quick and not gruesome.

What I am picking up from this is you are implying that the kills in Manhunt 2 are stretched out and not done with immediacy, in effect making them sadistic and morally wrong by comparison to other forms of digital entertainment. You reference Saw and Hostel, yet with your comment above it suggests that you haven’t actually seen these movies. The deaths are prolonged, overly prolonged. The average execution in Manhunt falls under 10 seconds, they are gruesome and nasty with outstanding production values, but I wouldn’t say they where overly prolonged.

By comparison, in Saw the victims are often locked in place for minutes on end, screaming in pain, bleeding, pleading for their life. Very little of the deaths in either the Saw or Hostel franchises are quick to be over with, in fact the producers of the movies joked last year that they attempt to out do one another with each sequel. In Saw III we are shown a hero character (detective Matthews) break his ankle, repeatedly beating it with the toilet bowl base lid, carrying on seemingly forever, he then grabbed his ankle and snapped it back and slipped it through the shackle on his ankle, later in the movie he is shown hobbling away on one leg and being kicked in the ankle, falling over, crying in pain. This is far more gruesome and prolonged than anything I have seen in any videogame, ever. The original Manhunt included and this is to a hero character.

By even more comparison to what you mentioned, in Hostel: Part II one of the hero characters, Beth, rips off the penis and testicles of one of the ‘American Business Men’ and throws it to a dog which proceeds to eat the mans genitalia, this scene is also prolonged as he screams in pain while she negotiates with those that run the hostel. In another scene another hero character, Lorna, is shown hanging upside down, naked, while Mrs. Bathory comes in, removes her robe, lays underneath the victim and proceeds to slash at her with a scythe as she screams in pain, the blood pours out of the helpless victim and lands over Mrs. Bathory, she then slits the throat or Lorna and bathes in the blood, the blood is shown running into her mouth while she rubs herself sexually.

Creative kills are something horror movies have long been known for, they strive for it. These date all the way back to the 70s and maybe even beyond, to suggest that these are something new is to suggest that horror movies have never existed. What you are doing is singling out Manhunt 2, suggesting that videogames are exempt from regular ratings procedure and should be more heavily moderated.

Nick Ellis:

During our time playing the game we found it impossible to feel any attachment to Daniel or sympathy for him.

Translates to: Killing is justified as long as you are able to sympathise with the killer.

In what relation is this relative? And how would this validate the game mechanics anyway? Presumably this is by comparison to the original game, so I will go with that. In the original game Cash spoke a dozen or so lines, you where one third of the way through the game before you even knew he could talk. You didn’t get to know his back story or what ever happened to him, you catch up with him as he is about to be sentenced to death and before long he runs into the night, no character conclusion is made. There is no connection there what-so-ever, Cash was in the literal sense an ‘avatar’, his back and future story is (at this point) fan created. There is little to redeem him, nor indeed to validate his actions.

By nature of Daniel actually having a fully realized voice and back story there is already a bond of understanding that can be formed between the player, the character, the designers and the game story.

… and besides, if you find yourself sympathising with a videogame anti-hero, it is probably a good indication that you shouldn’t be playing games in the first place as you have clearly missed the point of the medium and are overshooting the mark set by Rockstar as the intent of Manhunt.

Nick Ellis:

And we detected no underlying intellectual comment such as you'll find with the Saw films or in similarly disturbing literature such as novel American Psycho - or, for that matter, the original Manhunt game.

Translates to: Without an underlying message, killing is wrong.

As soon as any movie gets a sequel this is thrown to the wind, especially horror movies. What is the underlying message to A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge? Do not sleep for fear of being possessed? How about Friday the 13th Part 2? Don’t kill my mother or I will come back from the dead and kill you?

Any message that was within Saw was rendered useless by the time Saw II came around; to say that these movies are built around underlying messages is a joke. Saw II was a re-hash of a script the director wrote titled ‘The Desperate’. Following the success of Saw II they rushed a script for III, by the time they got to IV they allegedly had multiple writers working on various scripts hoping to pick one out from the pack and last I read they had planned up too Saw VII, yet they have no script or story arch to merit this on.

It is called scraping the barrel.

No these movies aren’t built around educating the audience, or being provocative, they are rushed into development to quickly capitalize on the buzz of their predecessor, their primarily draw is the gore and special effects. Manhunt 2 comes some 4 years after the original; in a world of rushed sequels and poor cash-in spin-offs I do believe Manhunt 2 is exempt from being thrown into this barrel.

Nick Ellis:

I can't stand in the middle of a busy street preaching racial and religious hatred, but does that impair my right to free speech? If I drop my trousers in the middle of a busy street, defecate on the pavement and claim it as a piece of performance art, is my right to freedom of artistic expression being eroded when I get arrested? Of course not, and for the same reason I can't go into a shop and but a magazine containing child pornography. Society does not deem any of these things socially acceptable, and we all understand why.

Translates to: The right to buy Manhunt 2 and child pornography are one.

This is perhaps the most absurd analogy I have ever read, there is simply no way to compare the consumers right to play Manhunt 2 or Rockstars right to make Manhunt 2 to defecating in the street. What you are in effect saying is that Manhunt 2 is a health hazard, a contamination of space and a public nuisance.

Manhunt 2 is an adult orientated title, intended for mature adults that are aware of what they are playing, it is entertainment, it has a pause and eject button. You are not allocated a copy of the game as you leave the womb, you make the choice to buy the game, it is not forced upon anyone and it can be avoided by anyone that doesn’t wish to partake in entertaining the software. You don’t want to play it, are offended by it, fine, don’t play, buy or even write about it, ignore it, it is not for you.

Do not however make broken analogies comparing buying a piece of entertainment to buying child pornography, what you are doing by even suggesting this is saying anyone who was going to buy Manhunt 2 is likened to a paedophile, if you really do see any parallels between the two, then sir, please go seek medical help right away.

Nick Ellis:

Would the game have caused them 'harm'? Impossible to say, but I can tell you that the night after I played the game I experienced the most horrific of nightmares that included imagery directly related to what I'd seen the day before. And I'm 33.

As the magazine editor you would assume this would imply that Mr. Ellis has had quite a bit of life experience, in all fields of entertainment, or virtual entertainment at least, I assume this since by being the editor he is required to cover all aspects of videogame releases, not just the latest movie-tie in. Yet he is so upset over Manhunt 2, that he is having nightmares. I can only assume he has never seen a horror movie and has only been exposed to PG rated forms of entertainment.

This being the case, then why is he the magazine editor? Someone who has all but confirmed to have lived a sheltered life, is supposed to make influential decisions and secure the longevity of the magazine. And perhaps more importantly, it is apparent you are not a fan of the horror genre, Manhunt, as a franchise is squarely rooted within these realms, so why on earth would you go near it, knowing that it is not for you? You asked for trouble, you got it.

My suggestion to you would be to resign; you obviously are not able to do your job accordingly to the level in which you are required.

Andy Hartup:

How many of you were actually looking forward to playing Manhunt 2? I’m willing to bet the answer is 'fewer than you might think'. Sure, this is the most controversial title ever created, but that doesn't necessarily make it a game that will be greatly missed.

I’m willing to bet that you are wrong. Since the original Manhunt was released it has continually weaved in and out of the charts, with the announcement of Manhunt 2 the original game went back into the sales charts (in the UK at least) many publications both online and print (your own included) has covered the game to death, why would you cover a game that is not in demand? Why would you boast of an exclusive review of the game? Why list it on your front cover, as a selling point for your magazine, if no one is interested? So to say that not many people are looking forward to it is entirely inaccurate and is contradicted by the nature of you writing about the game.

Andy Hartup:

Having played a limited selection of stages from a pre-release build of manhunt 2, I think the BBFC's refusal to rate it will spare plenty of Manhunt fans the disappointment of having their hopes shattered by a decidedly ordinary game.

Yes, the violence is more brutal and uncompromising than that of the original, but the game mechanics are still average at best. In the build I played, the stealth was sub-Splinter Cell, the AI was unbelievably dumb and there was far less of the menacing atmosphere that made the original such a hit.

Mr. Hartup appears to suffer from a short term memory; back in the June issue of OPS2M UK he had the following to say about Manhunt 2 in his preview:

Andy Hartup:

The first thing you notice in the new Manhunt is that the visuals are tidier and the animations have been spruced up.

From what we've seen, it doesn't make the game any less of a spine-tingling stealth-a-thon, but it does add a much-needed dose of action every now and then to keep the game running at a lightening pace.

So altogether the hands-on time we were given with Manhunt 2 was brief, it was plenty enough to convince us that this is yet another slice of top-quality violence from Rockstar.

Need I say more? But I am curious, in what issue did you lie/mislead the reader? The June print or August? Either will suffice.

Readers mail reply:

Censorship gets everyone’s hackles up. What makes this debate even more problematic is that many, many people writing to us this month about Manhunt 2 haven’t actually played the game so they assume, quite wrongly, that it’s like its predecessor.

You are right, that is a big issue and why is it that the people haven’t got to play it? Because it was effetely banned by both the BBFC and the ESRB, hiding behind the reasoning that people haven’t played it thus their opinion is wrong is a very poor stance to take, should people not have an opinion on the war that is going on, because they didn’t fight in the war? The ratings board (as I understand it) is in effect in order to offer the consumer the ability to make educated and correct decision when making their purchase, not to dictate to them what they can and can not purchase.

What you are saying in your response is that there is something within Manhunt 2 that those of us that have not played do not know about, yet you don’t provide sufficient proof to back the statement up. I have known of the existence of Manhunt 2 for probably 2 years now, within that time I have been told a million little pieces that form the actual game and would be surprised if there is anything short of the games endings that I don’t know about. Don’t tell me or anyone who has been waiting on this game that we don’t know what we are talking about, least of all without supplying sufficient evidence.

All in, I would say that this is probably one of the worst articles I have ever read, for any game. Articles like these ‘hurt the industry’ far more than Rockstar ever could by releasing Manhunt 2. The article shows a lack of understanding of the medium and immaturity by journalists to an industry that is already considered a niche and for kids, with write-ups like this, that isn’t going to change.

To top it all off, it is full of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, I understand it is a magazine publication, a team effort that over the years changes, both in terms of staff and content, however the article just doesn’t match up with previous previews from the magazine. They are written up by different ‘journalists’, giving mixed signals and invalid points of view. Points carried over from write-up to write-up vary and alter, dragging even more inconsistencies into the fray.

Most people that are buying these magazines don’t buy them for the names of the writers, they buy them on the basis of title and Official PlayStation 2 Magazine is a powerful title to have and put your opinion under, for many it will be considered an official word on the situation and it clearly is not.

My advice to the magazine would be to keep your personal opinions to online-blogs, diaries and other places that carry your name as the sole barer of the content, keep your previews, reviews and coverage as impartial and un-subjective as possible.

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Over at the official PlayStation 3 blog, Michael Shorrock, (Director of 3rd Party Relations at SCEA) has revealed that Sony have nabbed the rights to a brand new Rockstar franchise that is in development exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Michael Shorrock wrote:

This is Michael Shorrock. I’m the Director of 3rd Party Relations at SCEA. As you may have seen this morning/last night on GameHead with Geoff Keighley, we are announcing that a new franchise from Rockstar Games will be exclusive to PS3. As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we’ve agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios.

Everyone knows to have success in this business you need to look ahead, identifying the talent and titles that are going to give consumers new kinds of gaming experiences that help set the bar for the rest of the industry. Rockstar has a heritage for doing just that. We have had incredible success with the GTA franchise and are happy to continue to offer those titles on our platforms, and even more excited about what’s to come from the current and future relationship between our companies. Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3, harnessing the power of CELL and Blu-ray disc and this deal lets them do just that.. This is really a win-win situation for both companies. As Jack mentioned in the interview with Geoff, this franchise is not LA Noire, but something all new. We agreed with Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software that we wouldn’t disclose anything more about the deal or title at this time, so stay tuned, we’ll share more info as soon as we can.

So what studio do you think is working on it? Currently the development studios look like this:

Rockstar North - Working on Grand Theft Auto IV, just finished Manhunt 2 and seemingly helping out on various other Rockstar projects.
Rockstar London - Just finished working on the PS2 version of Manhunt 2.
Rockstar Toronto - Just finished working on the Wii version of Manhunt 2.
Rockstar San Diego - Working on Midnight Club 4: Los Angeles and presumably Red Dead Revolver 2 as well as supervising development of Table Tennis for the Nintendo Wii.
Rockstar Leeds - Just finished working on the PSP version of Manhunt 2 and is currently working on Table Tennis for the Nintendo Wii and Beaterator for the PSP.
Rockstar Vancouver - Working on Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

If I were to guess I would place my bet on Rockstar Toronto, they released The Warriors in the fall of 2005 and presumably didn’t start working on Manhunt 2 for the Nintendo Wii until mid-late 2006.

Source: PlayStation.blog

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The August 2007 issue of the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK has a 2 page feature on Manhunt 2 titled 'Banned in the UK Were They Right to Ban?' The article goes over the ‘facts’ of the trials and tribulations of the rating given to Manhunt 2 before breaking off for the editors to give their opinion on the situation.

To summarize the article, all you need to do is read the following quote:

Having played the game for several hours, we can only support the BBFC's decision.

They go on to say Rockstar have pushed the boundaries too far in the wrong direction and liken the 'artistic expression' of Manhunt 2 to racial preaching, religious hatred, defecating in the street and buying child pornography. They say that likening Manhunt 2 to movies such as Hostel or Saw ‘holds no water’, their reasoning for taking this stance is that in the movies you follow the trail of the victims rather than the killer.

They go even further by saying they found it ‘impossible to feel any attachment to Daniel or sympathy for him’ and that they detected no underlying message in Manhunt 2 such as in Saw or American Psycho.

The magazines editor, Nick Ellis, had the following to say:

Would the game have caused them 'harm'? Impossible to say, but I can tell you that the night after I played the game I experienced the most horrific of nightmares that included imagery directly related to what I'd seen the day before. And I'm 33. Finally and perhaps most importantly from our point of view: based on our hands-on experience of playing several of the game's levels during the latter stages of development, we don't think Manhunt 2 is actually a very good game, regardless of the nature of its content, as Andy explains below.

Writer Andy Hartup follows with:

How many of you were actually looking forward to playing Manhunt 2? I’m willing to bet the answer is 'fewer than you might think'. Sure, this is the most controversial title ever created, but that doesn't necessarily make it a game that will be greatly missed.
Having played a limited selection of stages from a pre-release build of manhunt 2, i think the BBFC's refusal to rate it will spare plenty of manhunt fans the disappointment of having their hopes shattered by a decidedly ordinary game.

Yes, the violence is more brutal and uncompromising than that of the original, but the game mechanics are still average at best. In the build I played, the stealth was sub-Splinter Cell, the AI was unbelievably dumb and there was far less of the menacing atmosphere that made the original such a hit.

In many ways it felt like brutal violence for brutal violence's sake and that isn't the foundation for a groundbreaking game.

No rating? Big deal.

The readers’ mail section of the magazine contains many letters regarding Manhunt 2, primarily disagreeing with the BBFC decision. The magazine responds with this:

Censorship gets everyone’s hackles up. What makes this debate even more problematic is that many, many people writing to us this month about Manhunt 2 haven’t actually played the game so they assume, quite wrongly, that it’s like its predecessor. For the inside scoop on The Most Controversial Games of All time, flip to p4.

The back of the magazine features a page titled ‘The one that got away …’ with the basic page layout created for the Manhunt 2 review. The page is full of highly witty jokes, such as references to blood as ketchup and showing Daniel with a sledgehammer over a downed enemy with the caption ‘Never fear, friend I’ll get that pesky mosquito off you!’ Hilarious, I am sure you will agree. This appears to be confirmation for those still holding out for their review of the game, that it isn’t happening.

I actually found this article to be pretty shocking, up until now the magazine had been supportive of Manhunt 2, giving it good previews and good coverage, they even boasted about the exclusive review they where going to have. Manhunt 2 gets refused classification by the BBFC and they change their opinion all of a sudden. A bit too coincidental I think you will agree.

I plan a follow up to this news post to address the issues that the magazine brings up. Check back tomorrow for that.

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Former Rockstar employee, Jeff Williams, has posted on his blog 'Life During Wartime - Working at Rockstar Games' whereby he reflects on his time working at the company. He says that he joined the company just as Grand Theft Auto III was being released and left as the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ‘Hot Coffee’ outcry broke out. He talks about pretty much every Rockstar title released within that timeframe.

I have taken all the Manhunt related quotes from the post and grouped them together:

I also helped out with the original Manhunt site - a site larger and even more innovative in some ways than Vice City. Manhunt was another team effort, and it was an interesting project - though just as brutal to work on as Vice City.
Jenny apparently couldn't pass up the opportunity to get me taking shots for more games, so she put me on Manhunt.

I only took about 100 total Manhunt screenshots, but about 1/3 of all the PS2 Manhunt shots ever released are mine - including the "hero shot" on the back of the box.

I also took all of the little easter egg shots on the Manhunt web site (hunt around in there, you'll find them), along with the video clips. This was pretty grueling, honestly, because while there are cheats that we can use, you still have to rely on the way the game is built and the AI of the computer-controlled characters to do what you want. It's pretty frustrating, especially with a game like Manhunt that's just inherently ugly.

And honestly, I was pretty vocal in telling my superiors that while I'd do whatever they asked me to do (within reason), I didn't support Manhunt's release. It may sound surprising, but there was almost a mutiny at the company over that game. It was Rockstar North's pet project - most of us at Rockstar Games wanted no part of it. We'd already weathered plenty of controversy over GTA3 and Vice City - we were no strangers to it - but Manhunt felt different. With GTA, we always had the excuse that the gameplay was untethered - you never had to hurt anybody that wasn't a "bad guy" in one of the missions. You could play completely ethically if you wanted, and the game was parody anyway, so lighten up.

It was obvious to me from the start that the company had built itself on one major hit game. The question was whether they knew how to capitalize on that and create other hit games. Manhunt was my answer, and that answer was "no".

Manhunt, though, just made us all feel icky. It was all about the violence, and it was realistic violence. We all knew there was no way we could explain away that game. There was no way to rationalize it. We were crossing a line.

Some sites have apparently misinterpreted Jeff and as such he has made a second post clearing up the issue of why he left Rockstar:

I also have to say it's a little disappointing seeing the summaries on Kotaku and Joystiq, which are pretty wrong. I was not driven out solely by Manhunt (I guess "How Bad Management Drove One Person Out" isn't as provocative of a headline), nor did "the entire company" likely know about Hot Coffee - and I wouldn't know if they did. That's just bad journalism - all they needed to do was read the post to get it right.

Keep in mind that this is just the opinion and experiences of one person and not a complete reflection on Rockstar. To read the blog post in its entirety click here.

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A recent interview from Mercury News interviews Mike Gallagher, who is currently the president of the Entertainment Software Association (of which Take-Two Interactive are a member) touched upon Manhunt 2 and Mike gave his thoughts on the handling of the situation by the ESRB. He also talked about Jack Thompson and the use of parental control features on consoles. Here is some of the interview:

Q: What did you think about this controversy about Manhunt 2?

A: It was educational for me. First month on the job. I learned a lot about the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The terrific job it does. The Federal Trade Commission’s approval of the way the ESRB approaches ratings.

Q: Jack Thompson made a lot of ad hominem attacks on your predecessor. Are you ready for this?

A: As I understand it, Jack is up for a psychological evaluation in Florida. My focus is on the positive. And on the great story that we can tell as an industry. Others will come up and criticize us. We will deal with those appropriately as the time comes.

You can check out the full interview here.

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MTVs Stephen Totilo caught up with Reggie Fils-Aime, the President of Nintendo America, to talk all things Nintendo. Before long the discussion moved onto games ratings and rather obviously Manhunt 2. Totilo says that Reggie has had the chance to play the game and that Reggie hopes it can be ‘adjusted’ to obtain the M rating.

Reggie had the following to say regarding the title:

The game that I saw was a pretty violent game. For me, it's not my taste in a game, but it certainly could be for other types of consumers. I really do hope it gets published on our platform.

With the backing of the Reggie-nator surely Rockstar can get this thing out?

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Rockstar Games have just announced that Bully: Scholarship Edition will be headed to the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 this winter. Since no mention of the developer (beyond the press quote) is made this presumably means that the developer of the PlayStation 2 release, Rockstar Vancouver, is heading up the project.

Press release:

Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Bully: Scholarship Edition is coming to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this Winter.

Both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions will retain the wit and deep gameplay of the previously released PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system title and will boast additional new content. Bully: Scholarship Edition takes place in the fictional New England boarding school of Bullworth Academy, and tells the story of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he experiences the highs and lows of adjusting to a new school. Capturing the hilarity and awkwardness of adolescence perfectly, Bully: Scholarship Edition pulls the player into its cinematic and engrossing world. Universally acclaimed upon first release, Bully: Scholarship Edition is a genre-crossing action game with a warmth and pathos that is unrivaled.

Bully received a perfect "10/10" from Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1up.com and was heralded as "a great, well-crafted action game that has one of the best senses of humor around" by IGN.com. USA Today called it "a fantastic debut title by Rockstar Vancouver." The San Francisco Chronicle wrote "Bully has no shortage of creative energy, offering an immersive boarding school experience that is imaginative, funny and filled with surprises."

Come and explore the zealous joy, mirth, and torment of youth with Jimmy Hopkins and Bully: Scholarship Edition when enrollment commences this Winter.

For more information about Bully: Scholarship Edition please visit www.rockstargames.com/bully.

What a year for Rockstar, they really seem content on making sure that their titles reach the widest fan base possible.

With these latest announcements and the pending release of Grand Theft Auto IV I really do doubt that Manhunt 2 will hit this side of 2008, I just hope they are able too announce something soon. I don’t know what was worse; the build up to the announcement of Manhunt 2 or knowing that there is a gold master sitting ready just to go into manufacture!

Source: Bully: Scholarship Edition Press Release

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Jack Thompson isn’t one to turn down the opportunity to gloat or express his ‘concern’ over videogames and so his continual barrage of drivel continues to corrode away at web pages the world over.

In his latest interview over at MCV Jack has the following to say:

I believe the BBFC was absolutely right in refusing to classify Manhunt 2. And in effect the game has been banned globally by Sony and Nintendo because they won’t allow an adults only game on their platforms – and of course it had an adults only rating over here. So in a way the BBFC rating is redundant because the industry itself, the format holders, have banned it.

I think the availability of this game on the Wii platform made it even more problematic, because you can actually move your physique to replicate killing. Also I think the high visibility of Take 2 and Rockstar – the poster child for what’s wrong in the industry – made it more likely that it would get a ban.

If this wasn’t Take 2 it still might have been banned, but the fact that it was Take 2 made it more likely that it would get a ban. They’ve so clearly painted a target on their back that many observers have pointed out that they basically got caught playing the ‘outrage game’ and it set them up for this to happen.

I think it’s conventional wisdom that Take 2 and Rockstar have effectively dug their own grave. I also think this is the greatest thing that the industry has ever done to get people like me off their backs.

Now the industry can argue that it takes seriously its function both in the UK and the States by effectively rating these games or refusing to.

So what’s happened on Manhunt 2 has shut up the likes of Keith Vaz who has been saying not enough is being done. I think the jury’s out as to whether this is an isolated incident we’ll have to wait and see.

The next big thing that’s going to hit is Grand Theft Auto 4 and we’ll have to wait and see whether or not that deserves a very restricted rating or doesn’t get rated at all.

The UK does manage ratings much better than the US where you rate a game that’s inappropriate for minors and then they sell it to them anyway.

The UK’s definitely got it right. You rate a game and you can’t sell it to people if it falls in a certain category – in other words the rating actually has a sanction, whereas in this county the rating means nothing.

You guys have the model. Certainly Australia, New Zealand and Canada have followed the UK’s lead on that and that’s what the US should do. I think you all have it right and I think the ruling on Manhunt 2 was spot on – and I see also that Take 2’s The Darkness was banned in Singapore.

I would absolutely like to see the US and other countries following the UK’s lead. We don’t have a single law in the books that prevents a mature rated game being sold to a minor as young as ten years of age – and in fact that’s what is happening.

I think eventually it will happen [the US adopting a similar ratings scheme], especially if Hilary Clinton is elected as President. This has been one of her issues for many years, so I think if she’s elected you’ll see a real push from the White House to have a national sanction hooking into the Government’s rating system. I think that’s going to happen.

Source: MCVUK

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Rockstar have announced that they are bringing Table Tennis to the Nintendo Wii this fall; the title is being developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with Rockstar San Diego. Back in December when I got the Wii and booted up Wii Sports Tennis the first thing I thought of was how great Table Tennis could be if adapted to the Wii. While I am not a fan of the sport, I think the game has the potential to be really fun, I know that some of you questioned Rockstar when they first announced the game on the 360, if you were amongst those that did and never got around to trying the game out then I would suggest that you to give it a shot this time around.

When it was released in May 2006 on the Xbox 360 the game received much praise for its outstanding graphics and physics. On the 360 the game ran on the same engine as Grand Theft Auto IV, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, presumably the Wii edition will run on a different engine, likely the same one as Manhunt 2 does, or perhaps Rockstar were able to adapt R.A.G.E for the Wii.

Press release:

Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis will be making its way to the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this Fall.

Developed by Rockstar Leeds in collaboration with Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis is the perfect Wii gaming experience. Feel the unmatched speed and intensity of the real-life sport with an authentic physics engine and intuitive gameplay that mimics the exhilarating experience found in international competition.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis made its debut in May 2006 on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and was met with huge critical acclaim, winning Gamespot's "Best Sports Title" at E3 2006.

"Ever since we released Table Tennis, fans have been asking us to create a Wii version," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "By bringing Table Tennis to the Wii and utilizing the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™, a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down."

Addictive, fast-paced and above all fun, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is guaranteed to be the must have title for all Wii owners.

For more information please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/tabletennis

Now if only Rockstar would bring the original Manhunt over to the Wii with a similar control scheme as Manhunt 2.

Source: Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis Wii Announcement

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Back in June we reported about an article titled ‘Sick Filth?’ written by Rob Fahey over at GamesIndustry.biz , whereby Fahey sided with the decision made by the BBFC to refuse classification of Manhunt 2 while also taking a bevy of cheap shots at Rockstar.

Today, Rockstar responded:

Dear Mr. Fahey,

We are responding to the article Sick Filth?, in which you expressed support for the ban of Manhunt 2.

Although censorship makes you "deeply uncomfortable" and you found the ban’s rationale "a less comfortable topic", you agreed with the judgment of the British Board of Film Classification that no one - regardless of age or personal opinion - should be allowed to consider playing Manhunt 2.

We are still exploring our options for Manhunt 2, but how does banning our game support the industry or further the development of the medium? Unlike a heavy-handed editor or a critical review of a game, a ban is punishment for deviating from tradition.

A ban denies everyone the chance to consider, experience, or discuss the actual game. The only obvious victor is the status quo.

You seem to view banning Manhunt 2 as a way to protect the industry from scrutiny and unfair attacks. In fact, a ban is a triumph for the industry’s harshest critics, not an act of diplomacy.

A ban is only likely to encourage those who believe video games, already the most regulated medium in entertainment history, should be further restricted.

What about games make them deserve special treatment from the authorities? According to industry groups, the average games player is in his or her 30s, yet you support the widely held view that games are somehow a less sophisticated medium than cinema, only suitable for immature audiences.

In other words, although gamers can negotiate the boundaries between reality and fiction in other media, you believe we are incapable of navigating the same boundaries in videogames.

Yes, we have responsibilities as an industry, but as a creative industry, not as a pharmaceutical or weapons industry. Creative industries have always faced harsh political and legal criticism, and we know some of the movie industry’s more reactionary responses to scrutiny actually backfired.

We believe in a well-run ratings system. With the best rating system in history and the future of the industry and medium at stake, we don’t understand why it is necessary to effectively ban all games intended for players 18 and older.

Sincerely,

Rockstar Games

You can read the article 'Sick Filth' by clicking here.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

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We have received quite a few emails from people wondering if Manhunt 2 was present at E3 or not, the short answer to that question is no. In the past Rockstar have shown games off behind closed doors and had them locked under NDA, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this year. Take-Two Interactive held a press event where they showed off a limited amount of games from their various games divisions, the only Rockstar title to be shown or mentioned was Grand Theft Auto IV where the attendees were treated to a 5 minute demo of the game. However Sony's Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison said that they (Sony) were working with Rockstar 'on a number of initiatives', granted this is likely related to Grand Theft Auto IV or perhaps the Rockstar published L.A Noire which is rumoured to be a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

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The latest issue of UK publication PLAY (issue 155) has hit retail and contains a review of Manhunt 2. The magazine issued the game 82% and had the following to say about it:

Manhunt 2 is flawed and littered with things that are plain nasty. But if you can see past its flaws and revel in its evilness, you're sure to have a grim but fun time. Plus it's banned, and we all know only the cool things in life get banned."

The magazine reviewed the PlayStation 2 build of the game.

A big thanks goes out to ‘the bossman’ for providing me with the information!

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Eurogamer have posted a new Manhunt 2 preview. The article seemingly serves two purposes, one is of course previewing the game and the second is an attempt at trying to understand why the BBFC rated the game so harshly, or not at all as the case has been.

While nothing new is revealed in the preview it is a pretty interesting read all the same. Eurogamers Stephen Daultrey seemed to enjoy the game but did questioning its motives. He played the same three level demonstration that other sites wrote about a few weeks back.

His biggest issue seems to stem from not understanding why Daniel does what he does, he mentions that Daniel is an ‘odd one’ stating that he is sick after he kills his first victim and is not a ‘hardened criminal, forced to kill’ as Cash was in the original game. He goes on to say he feels the actions taken by Daniel are unjustified and ponders what plot holes the full game might have if he has picked up these within only three levels.

Are those really plot-holes or has he just dived into the deep end and made assumptions? My guess is the later, which is pretty interesting because he notes that he believes the game is of a similar nature to the original in all other departments and is no more disturbing than imagery that can be found in other forms of entertainment, so I am wondering if the BBFC and ESRB bothered to pay attention to the games complete storyline when taking its rating into consideration?

He ends the article with some pretty high praise for the game:

Let's just hope its not too late for the publisher/developer to find some kind of reprieve for this fantastic game. Even if it does mean zombies and green blood...

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Issue 59 of UK publication 'games™' appears to have gone on sale, within the magazine is a review for Manhunt 2, according to forum member wsionynw, the publication rated the game a 6 out of 10. There is no mention of what platform the game was rated on, but the publication is multiplatform in orientation.

He makes mention of the magazine confirming a few new executions:

It also details some great sounding executions such as the cattle prod, pushing a hunter into some industrial machinery and shoving a hunters head into liquid nitrogen!! NICE! I can't wait!!

Thanks to wsionynw for making the post on the forum.

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Take-Two held a conference call yesterday to address issues regarding the new management and its plans going forward for the future of the company. The questions are primarily answered by Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelman and Take-Two CEO, Ben Feder, although other members of the company are in attendance. The conference kicked off with addressing Manhunt 2 and towards the end of the conference call it was further addressed with questions regarding the game.

Regarding the games development:

We also have hundreds of extraordinarily talented people who have worked on this title for three years, and supporting their creative vision and bringing it to consumers as unvarnished and unchanged as possible is crucial for us. Look I played the game I seen the game I think it is terrific work I said it before and stand by it.

When Mr.Zelman is asked how he feels about the possibly of releasing Manhunt 2 with an AO rating he made the following comment:

While we're continuing to evaluate our options, we are determined to bring Manhunt 2 to our consumers, the consumers for whom it was intended, and to do so in a responsible fashion. We don’t see ourselves in the adults’ only business. Having said that, if we find ourselves in the adults only business, it would be because we have a title that we consider art and entertainment, that we consider as appropriately labelled AO, and that we would like to bring to market, and that I and Ben are prepared to stand behind.

Although he questions the current ratings system, he believes it has a purpose and stands by it as well as believing that retailers should be free to stock whatever games they wish:

What is the purpose of a rating if it means effectively that a title cannot be released? Having a rating that we don't think is appropriate is one issue, obviously, and a separate issue would be if we feel the rating is appropriate and we can't bring it to market that seems somewhat nonsensical.

In that instance, one has to ask oneself what's the purpose of a rating if it in fact means that a title cannot be released? But I don't think that that issue falls at the door of retailers. Retailers are acting responsibly, frankly, and I think a retailer has a right to say, 'This is what I'm prepared to put on my shelves.' It's not correct to be critical of the retailers at all.

Because this is a voluntary ratings system in the US, we have to be critical of ourselves if we've allowed a system to develop that prevents us from bringing a title to market that we want to bring to market. That's something that we have to address.

In response to a caller asking about the chances of Manhunt 2 making its release quarter Strauss remarks that it is quite possible if not likely that it won't ship in the quarter. Which means the game likely won’t ship prior to the end of October of this year. A big part of which will be down to resolving the issue plus they will need to kick the marketing back in for the title. He also comments that they are taking all the legal issues and it is an ‘enormous focus’ of the company and they are ‘gratified’ by the progress they are making.

When asked about possible digital distribution of Manhunt 2 they say they are going to be ‘ambitious and aggressive’ about bringing the game out via whatever means possible and want to work with the original producers of the game (Rockstar) about making sure it is as they originally intended.

Strauss makes several mentions of E3 throughout the conference call and says they intend to show their line-up of games at the event. As it currently stands Rockstar doesn’t appear to have a presence at the show (although 2K does). Rockstar will likely be showing off their games behind closed doors, although with the restructuring of the event that may now have changed too. Many developers are using off-site locations to demonstrate their titles, this is another possibility that Rockstar may explore.

And as one last side note that I know a lot of you will be interested in, Strauss notes that it is too early to make any kind of submission of Grand Theft Auto IV to the ratings boards but they fully expect the game to be rated in line with previous Grand Theft Auto outings.

Source: Take-Two Conference Call

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IGN has posted insider roundtable #204 where the topic of discussion is the ESRB ratings system and how they measure up to film ratings. The general consensus is that the ESRB is a broken system and that there is unnecessary confusion around the ratings as they currently stand. There are a few members of the IGN team that seem to some-what stand up for the ESRB decision, but those in question seem to be directing their thoughts towards Rockstar Games rather than Manhunt 2 specifically, for the most part the participating members believe they should have the option to buy any game that they wish and that the ratings system could be improved upon.

Selective quotes:

Tyson Root, IGN Video:

The ESRB is basically a by-product of concerned parents. Fine. Keep parents attuned to what their children are playing. I have no quarrel with that. But keep Uncle Sam and the ESA out of it.

Peer Schneider, IGN VP:

I have no doubts that Manhunt 2 will be toned down to get an M-rating, but the ESRB needs to update its language for the AO descriptor to make sure consumers and publishers understand that AO titles are not eligible to be released on game consoles or handhelds.

Marc Nix, IGN Database:

So the fact that the big three manufacturers are not taking this opportunity to re-review their stance on AO content is unfortunate -- Manhunt 2 looks to be a brutal but incredible game, and if there were ever a game to stand as an example of the ESRB's strongest rating applied properly, a game that clears away the tawdry "Now with uncensored boobies!" previous usage of the AO rating and instead establish it as a viable rating for games made for adults, this might be the game.

Nate Ahearn, IGN Insider:

Sure, I wouldn't want my little tikes playing the game, but I don't have any little tikes, so if I want to play an AO version of Manhunt 2, I think I should be allowed to do so. I just don't understand how a game like God of War II can have a sex mini-game, with two topless women in it, and get an M-rating, but a game that has as much violence as an R-rated movie (it's important to remember that the requirement to see an R-rated flick are the same as for an M-rated game) gets banned by the big three for getting an AO rating slapped on it.

David Clayman, IGN Insider:

I agree with you Nix, except that when your example is applied to games not only little Fran is barred from the experience, everyone is, regardless of age. The problem is that AO isn't "Adults Only," it's "Never Goes to Market."

The article is only available to IGN Insiders, it isn’t a must read, but it is always some insight into the thoughts of the people who review the games that you buy.

Source: IGN Insider Roundtable #204: ESRB Ratings

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Former ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) Director General Roger Bennett has spoken out about the BBFC refusing to rate Manhunt 2. He also addresses the issue of interactivity (Nintendo Wii) having some form of influence over the rating.

Putting aside for a bit the various opinions on whether adults should or should not need to be told by a State sanctioned censoring body what they can and can’t watch or play… I hope that ELSPA’s response to the BBFC’s decision not to grant a rating to Manhunt 2 was not made without recognising the long term possible effects of such an action…
It is most interesting to note that the guidelines used in reaching this decision by the BBFC includes the assumed criteria that because games are interactive, they are different to other forms of screen entertainment and should be rated accordingly.

There is no evidence for it to make such a flawed assumption and concerns should be apparent that through pressure from Government, games are becoming increasingly and wholly unjustifiably separated from other forms of screen entertainment…

He then goes on to say that he hopes politics was not behind the actions taken in order to gain favour or votes while also hinting at the murder of Stefan Pakeerah back in 2004 having influence over the situation:

We know of course from other legislation in recent years, that many politicians vote for it based on their own narrow and often ignorant opinions and from media pressure not listening to evidence at all, even to official research reports instigated by themselves.

It seems to me that the Government and thus the BBFC have become heavily influenced by previous events which in no way have any link to our industry, other than the fact that someone with a certain opinion stated that there is, without a shred of knowledge or fact to justify such a claim…

Sounds like a whole lot of sense to me.

Source: MCVUK

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Another update from last month's Fangoria Weekend of Horrors at Burbank, California. This time a new image has turned up straight from Rockstar's booth at the event. Rob Wright details his experience:

What I didn't expect, however, was to see Rockstar Games at the convention with a big 'ole booth right near the front entrance. Rockstar was promoting the forthcoming Manhunt 2 and had a PlayStation 2 and Wii version of the game on display for conference attendees.

Rockstar previewed the game at the convention, demonstrating the Wii controls and the new blood-letting and killing tactics for the title. One such attendee was none other than actor Tony "Candyman" Todd, who was apparently a big fan of the original Manhunt as well as the Grand Theft Auto series.

After getting a look at the game during the preview session and some extended booth time, I came away thinking a few thoughts. First, Manhunt 2 looked creepy. The setting - an insane asylum with a secret research facility - coupled with hordes of crazy NPCs running around in the shadows was pretty chilling. Second, even though the game was designed for previous-generation hardware with the PlayStation 2 and Wii (sorry Nintendo), Manhunt 2's graphics looked good. And third, I wondered how much controversy the game would generate, considering it didn't seem any more violent or gorier than the original Manhunt, while the sequel's story content was much easier to stomach than the first game.

I must stress that I haven't played Manhunt 2 and have only seen about an hour's worth of demo gameplay. Still, the game didn't seem any worse than other violent video games I've played recently.

The rest of the article goes on to detail everything that has happened in the last 2 weeks regarding the Manhunt 2 rating fiasco.

Source: Twitchguru (Part of Tom's Hardware)

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