Rockstar appeals UK Manhunt2 ban
p2pnet news | games:- In a non-surprise announcement, Take-Two Interactive’s Rockstar Games, banned in Britain, is appealing against the BBFC’s (British Board of Film Classification) decision not to grant Manhunt 2 a ratings certificate, says MCV.
The title was rejected by the BBFC for its “unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone”.
The company has registered its plea with the Video Appeals Committee, says the story.
The first Manhunt game was banned in New Zealand and Australia because of its extreme content and Manhunt 2 is a “fine piece of art,” says Take-Two.
“Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto III is blamed for inspiring two brutal murders in California,” says p2pnet, “a Haitian civil rights groups sued Grand Theft Auto: Vice City because they said it instructs players to ‘kill the Haitians’ and awards points for each kill; and, after blatantly lying about the animated Hot Coffee sex ‘game’ hidden in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Take-Two Interactive was forced to reclassify it M for Mature.”
Sony and Nintendo officially refused to allow the game’s release in the US in its current state, unless the AO-rating is changed on appeal, said the Wikipedia.
Says Keith Stuart in The Guardian games blog:
So what will be the crux of the appeal? Rockstar has vociferously defended the game as a legitimate work of art since learning of the BBFC decision in June. In a letter to Gamesindustry.biz, responding to an article that backed the ban, the company argued:
“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.”
Stay tuned.
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Also See:
MCV – Rockstar finally appeals BBFC’s Manhunt ban, August 1, 2007
p2pnet – Manhunt 2 a, ‘fine piece of art’, June 21, 2007
The Guardian – Rockstar appeals against Manhunt 2 ban, August 1, 2007
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