p2pnet news | Games:- The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which last year banned Take-Two Interactive’s Manhunt 2 for its sadism and extreme brutality, has relented.

The game, marketed by Take-Two’s Rockstar and described by James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that advises parents about television, as, “the most senselessly violent and offensive thing I’ve ever watched,” will go on sale in June with an 18 certificate.

The original Manhunt was banned in New Zealand and Australia because of its brutality and violence.

“Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto III is blamed for inspiring two brutal murders in California,” said 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.”

Now Rockstar has “promised not to market the game in an irresponsible manner,” says GameZine.co.uk, going on , “The BBFC announced it had no alternative but to begrudgingly award the title an 18 certificate.”

What Rockstar deems ‘responsible’ remains to be seen, says the story, “although advocacy groups are still likely to protest its release.”

“The game is set in a mental facility, and players have to escape by slaughtering members of a sinister organisation by sneaking up on them and using improvised weapons such as a pliers, a syringe or a power-saw,” says Times Online.

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Also See:
p2pnet - Rockstar appeals UK Manhunt2 ban, August 2, 2007
GameZine.co.uk - Manhunt 2 to be marketed responsibly, claim Rockstar, March 17, 2008
Times Online - Ban on ’sadistic’ video game overturned, March 17, 2008

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 5:50 am and is filed under Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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