OMEN
08-28-2007, 09:49 PM
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44082000/jpg/_44082792_manhunt2.jpg
Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK in June
Manhunt 2, a computer game banned in the UK for its extreme violence, is to be released in modified form in the US in time for Halloween.
The game is set in an asylum for the insane in which the player survives by executing fellow inmates.
In June, it became the first game to be banned in the UK in ten years and its release in the US was delayed.
"We're glad [Manhunt 2] can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," said the game developers.
Manhunt 2 is made by Rockstar Games, a development division of games publisher Take-Two Interactive. Rockstar Games is responsible for other controversial games such as Grand Theft Auto and Bully.
In June, Take-Two suspended the release of Manhunt 2 after the game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), and rated "Adults Only" by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Adults only
David Cooke, director of BBFC told the BBC at the time: "There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."
On 1 August, Rockstar filed an appeal with the Video Appeals Committee to contest the BBFC decision.
Rockstar was unable to comment on the implications of the latest developments in the US for that appeal.
The game was originally rated "Adults Only" by the ESRB in the US.
An "Adults Only" rating is effectively a US ban because Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft refuse to allow games carrying that rating on their consoles.
But a modified version of Manhunt 2 has now been rated "Mature" by the ESRB. Under that less restrictive rating the game will be released in the US in October.
"Manhunt 2 is an extraordinary game, and we eagerly anticipate its release in North America," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, in a press release.
The first Manhunt game was released in 2003. It caused controversy in the UK when the media linked the game to the murder of Leicester schoolboy Stefan Pakeerah in 2004.
The police rejected the link and instead suggested robbery as a likely motive for the murder
BBC
Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK in June
Manhunt 2, a computer game banned in the UK for its extreme violence, is to be released in modified form in the US in time for Halloween.
The game is set in an asylum for the insane in which the player survives by executing fellow inmates.
In June, it became the first game to be banned in the UK in ten years and its release in the US was delayed.
"We're glad [Manhunt 2] can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," said the game developers.
Manhunt 2 is made by Rockstar Games, a development division of games publisher Take-Two Interactive. Rockstar Games is responsible for other controversial games such as Grand Theft Auto and Bully.
In June, Take-Two suspended the release of Manhunt 2 after the game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), and rated "Adults Only" by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Adults only
David Cooke, director of BBFC told the BBC at the time: "There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."
On 1 August, Rockstar filed an appeal with the Video Appeals Committee to contest the BBFC decision.
Rockstar was unable to comment on the implications of the latest developments in the US for that appeal.
The game was originally rated "Adults Only" by the ESRB in the US.
An "Adults Only" rating is effectively a US ban because Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft refuse to allow games carrying that rating on their consoles.
But a modified version of Manhunt 2 has now been rated "Mature" by the ESRB. Under that less restrictive rating the game will be released in the US in October.
"Manhunt 2 is an extraordinary game, and we eagerly anticipate its release in North America," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, in a press release.
The first Manhunt game was released in 2003. It caused controversy in the UK when the media linked the game to the murder of Leicester schoolboy Stefan Pakeerah in 2004.
The police rejected the link and instead suggested robbery as a likely motive for the murder
BBC