By RACHEL KONRAD, AP Technology Writer
Tue Oct 30, 1:38 PM ET



Child advocates are urging parents not to buy "Manhunt 2," a video game whose characters kill and torture using implements ranging from glass and shovels to a fuse box and a toilet.

The title goes on sale Wednesday — Halloween — rated "mature," appropriate for people 17 and up, for about $28. In the first-person killer fantasy, the players take on the role of a man escaping from an insane asylum.

Made for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2, the blood-drenched game has been sparking controversy since June, when the Entertainment Software Rating Board gave it a rating of "adult only" that would have excluded it from some big-box retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Producers at Rockstar Games submitted a modified version of "Manhunt 2" later in the summer that got the "mature" rating in August.

"This is a very clear and firm warning to parents that the game is in no way intended for children," the ESRB said in a statement.

The British Board of Film Classifications banned the title and maintained the ban on the modified version. It said the changes don't "go far enough."

"The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient," the BBFC wrote. "There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the 'execution kills,' but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature."

"In my opinion, it's the most senselessly violent and offensive thing I've ever watched," said James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that advises parents about television, movies, Internet sites and video games that may be inappropriate for children.

Steyer, who has not seen the version of the game being released this week, was talking about an unrated version that has been circulating free on the Internet since August. That version contains more violence and sexually explicit content than the one being released commercially, including a scene where a man's testicles are mutilated with a pliers.

"It's disgusting," Steyer said. "It's so violent, it struck me personally as pornographic violence."

A spokesman for New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. said the unrated version used a color encoding system common to Western Europe and could be played in the United States only using a Sony PlayStation 2 console modified without company permission.

"The claim that an unreleased version of Manhunt is readily available on the Internet, and that children can easily download and play the unrated game, has not been proven," Take-Two's Ed Nebb wrote in an e-mail.

Professional gamers who reviewed the original and modified titles, which last 40 hours, say the original and the free download include a scene in which a character pummels someone's neck with a shovel that doesn't appear to have made the official cut — though the official game does allow players to use shovels as instruments of torture.

Similarly, the pliers-and-genitalia scene isn't in the official version, but players may use pliers to torture.

The Take-Two spokesman acknowledged that "Manhunt 2" was meant "specifically for those players mature enough to appreciate it."

"Take-Two believes in freedom of creative expression. We also believe in social responsibility," Nebb wrote. "Not all of our products are intended for all consumers and we responsibly market our mature products to adults. We firmly believe that informed adults should be able to make their own choices about entertainment products for themselves and their families."

I'm sorry parents, you are no longer aware of what is good for your children or not, but worry not, big brother is here to guide you on your righteous path.

Seriously, if a parent buys their 14yr old a mature game, then its the parents who need punishing, out and out bans are never good.

The game has sooo much publicity in the UK now, and people are selling bootleg copies, to anyone including kids. I'm sure it would be better that shops who are at least partially responsible handled the selling of the game.

I'm sorry, censorship sucks.

Ta,

~C

They always make a big deal about games like this, I remember the fits people were throwing over Mortal Kombat

I totally agree that it shouldn't have been censored. But, since parents don't really care about what their kids play anymore it had to be done. We don't want 10-year-olds who can't distinguish fiction from reality to actually go out and try this. However the idea of the original unrated version posted up somewhere intrigues me. I think I'll look around for that one. And I was just playing Mortal Kombat (Genesis) the other day. It can't even compare to the violence in games like Manhunt. I wonder how much worse it's going to get in about 10 or so years.

I used to work at a game store. The other problem is, even if the parents don't want their kids to have the game, the kids can find other ways to get the game.

I've seen this one: kid comes into store, wants a M game, but he's clearly 8-10. You say you can't sell it to him. He goes outside, asks a man outside to buy it for him. Man comes in, asks for the game. You sell it to him. He hands it to the kid. Kid goes home happy. You can't deny the MAN the game, but you can deny the kid the game. As long as it's on camera, you're safe...even if you have an angry parent screaming at you the next day.

How many times have we heard this complaint? Really. Parents, monitor what your kids are playing/watching/listening to. This is the only way to keep them (and everyone else) safe.

You know its funny. I wrote something relating to this.
Here it is

BTW I wrote this at about 2 am PST a couple of days ago.

Maturity in Gaming. (Or lack thereof)

Well that time has rolled around again and we have been blessed and cursed by many an annoying 13 year old that has nothing better to do than waste my time with his annoying remarks. Well that is what I encounter more often than not. These pre-pubescent jerks are causing many a gamer (including myself), to not want to play many of the popular online games. Here’s the short list. Halo 2, Halo 3, Forza Motorsport and Forza Motorsport 2. I could go on and on about what games are having this problem, but I digress.

Well there is hope. There are groups out there that want nothing more than to have a good time. Let me ask this question. How many times have you wanted to play a nice and friendly game of Slayer in Halo 2 or 3 and gotten nothing but a bunch of too young potty mouths that don’t know how to read or even how to be polite? Well I have encountered a lot of them and my opinion is that something needs to be done about it. Now this is not in any way bashing the players online that want to play fair and follow the rules. Heck I even have quite a few friends on my friends list that are very respectable players online. I am proud that they are my friends.

One thing that should be done in my opinion is a lot stricter control of gaming zones. For example, I checkout my opponents and teammates after a rousing Team Slayer match and I look at their Zone info and I tend to see a lot of Underground, some Family, and a few Recreational zones as well. I had always thought that if I am in the Recreation zone, that I would be playing against and with players in that same zone. Well it would seem that I am wrong.

Well if the interactive entertainment is going to thrive, there needs to be better control of players that disregard the rules and think its funny to make fun of and curse a blue streak that would make a sailor blush. All we mature gamers ask is allow us to meet up and play in the zones that we setup our accounts for. Well here’s to hoping that someday, I can play with gamers that want other players that play by the rules.

Just pwn the noobs. Squelch the trolls, and enjoy your gaming.

If I was a parent, I wouldn't buy it. I play video games, mostly 1st person shooters though. I think since this game is a random killing type thing, it shouldn't be given to children. I really don't like the idea of torture being used either. It's just disgusting imo.

There's a family I know, his brother is only 9 years old and his father bought him the newest GTA game. The man selling it warned him about the violence, sex, ect and he was like "I don't know, do you really want this game?" Okay, srsly, wtf? What kind of parent is that?

I'm okay with people playing these games, but 9 years old? Way to young. I'm also glad that wal-mart, best buy and other big stores will not accept Adult Only games.

I know what you mean, Karacoloa. I was at a friend's house, and they have a son who's like 5 or so, and a few of his friends 3-9? Anyway, they were over there playing games that I know my parents wouldn't let me play until I was 16 or older (or borrowed from a friend with out them knowing).

Parent's just don't know what their kids are getting into.