The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has announced that it will reject Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2. It will not issue an age rating. This will make it illegal for the game to be sold anywhere in the UK.
The BBFC made the following statement:
Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent (high-end) video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.” “Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.”
The (much less strict) ESRB has not rated the game yet, but it is safe to assume that Manhunt will be rated “AO” for “Adults Only”. The ESRB rating makes the game legal to be sold in US Retail stores …from where on up it will ultimately find its way into the hands of minors.
Manhunt 2 will be available for PlayStation 2, PSP and Nintendo Wii and is scheduled for July 2007.
We highly recommend for Parents to talk to each other on what games they feel are appropriate to play for their children. You will be surprised what type of games your child plays when he/she is “over at the neighbor kids”. We find this especially important during the summer month when minors often spend hours (more or less unsupervised) in front of the screen.