Score: 0.8
Edit (Later the same day): So, Nintendo is now leaving Rockstar out to dry as well, saying that Nintendo will not "allow any AO-rated content on its systems". This is immediately after stating that "Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings." Basically Nintendo has blocked Manhunt 2 from being released stateside as well now too... at least until it resolves its appeal of the ESRB rating, or reworks the game to make it a bit more tame. This is so sad. Leave the decision to the consumer Nintendo, not to some wacko-parent lobby group that is obviously afraid of doing some real parenting. Let those "broad variety" of gamers all be equally satisfied by the Wii, including those who enjoy excessive violence and gore, and the extremely odd, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest kind of psychological experiment that is Manhunt. Don't tell gamers what they want, let them tell you. God, I thought this was a capitalist society we lived in... you can now consider this score to be a 0. My first post, and its my first 0 as well. This sucks.
So censorship finally won out. Manhunt, one of the most grizzly and violent games ever released (I played about five minutes of it and was promptly bored) originally managed to avoid classification by the ESRB as an "AO" title, for Adults Only, which Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was hampered by after revealing that it had pornographic pictures on the disc. Some major retailers such as Wal-Mart refuse to carry or sell AO titles, which means sales will inevitably suffer. Now, the sequel of that game, aptly titled Manhunt 2, has been dealt a double blow. The British equivalent of the ESRB, only with the upgraded British ability to outright ban Adult-themed titles, has done just that to Manhunt 2, meaning the game cannot be sold at any retail outlet in the UK. And, on top of that, the game's been hit with the dreaded AO in North America.
The fact that the violence and repeated killings are no different from any of the latest brand of horror movie, is just the tip of the bullshit on this matter. There is no excuse for this blatant censorship, nor the lack of reasoning provided for these measures. I suppose my problem lies more with the UK banning, as the AO does not mean that the game is impossible to buy, and the retailer has every right to protect its image from the Christian right base of customers which it fears angering by selling an Adult game. That I can understand. But there is no place for the banning of what is essentially a work of art (you will be hearing a lot about video games as such in upcoming posts I'm sure). Is it violent? Yes. Is it probably overbearingly violent and gory? Yes. Does it place the gamer at the helm of a murderous rampage? Yes. However, there is no reason consenting adults should not be able to experience such a game. By the time they are 18 and capable of buying the game, an adult's morality is firmly in place - there is no wiggle room by which a possibly homicidal maniac is turned into one through this one video game, especially since it will probably be only marginally more violent than the prequel, which is still available. Children should definitely not be able to just purchase or play this game, but children are no longer the target demographic for these type of games.
Blatant censorship is obviously a delicate issue, and necessary on occasion (hate messages, etc.), but this is not one of them. The piss-Christ across the pond is undoubtedly weeping for its maligned UK brethren.
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