Ye crazy ole brits aint gonna get to play this one, I hear' :/
I guess the line between monitoring public decency and outright censorship comes somewhere between prohibiting the sale of a violent game to minors, and banning its sale outright. Releasing to the age pool garnered by a Wii cuts both ways, since while it attracts younger consumers, it also attracts much older ones too, which really applies the personal morality of a guy in a wig regarding a non-destructive activity to a whole population. And that guy in a wig probably doesn't play nor program games, eh?
Well, we yanks and canucks have no objects to tearing each other's pixels apart with chainsaws. And no matter what rating they give it here, they can't stop an EBGames from selling it to a 5 year old for $50.
I suppose it makes more sense with games like nazi-themed ones in germany, but for the UK games tend to have to utterly remake parts, like removing all children. Fallout, for example, simply removed content to let it ride. But a heavy hand in government censorship naturally fosters a heavy-hearted self-censorship, which is a detriment to game creativity all the way down to the solo level, like games we see on the daily click. We don't get all that much along the lines of Scientology Pwned, which while at first makes a community seem more mainstream, at second glance might make you wonder if developers are staying their own hands on the matter.
That was rather more complex than just stating the us USA'ers and Canada'ers get to play Manhunt2 and you folks over the pond do not. Of course I never played the first, but I heard it was a decent game. I just think its funny that on the Wii you actually make the motions of choking someone with the nunchuck cord to choke them in the game.
You'll still be able to get hold of it through Jersey or simply buying it from elsewhere in Europe and have it shipped over. Which, virtually every non-UK based online shop will have. Dibs on CD-Wow.
Theres a difference between freedom of speech and freedom to selectively listen, now. You have the freedom to say anything you want to a wall, but you can't force people to listen to yah.
Rockstar are appealing against the ban, hopefully they'll have themselves a good solicitor and sort it all out and we can all take our murderous rage out on computer game characters and not pensioners and toddlers.
Banning the game doesn't mean people won't play it. It would raise interest in it. We live in a different world now, 20 years ago a ban would be enforcable, today it's not. People would either import from another country, or download it on P2P.
- Ok, you must admit that was the most creative cussing this site have ever seen -
Interesting thing, the PS2 and Wii versions have been banned, but the PSP version hasn't been submitted yet. Maybe that would get away with it, on account of the PSP being small and lessening the impact. Hey, look back at Spider-man 2, the BBFC rated the film PG but gave the exact same version on IMAX a 12A rather than a PG because the large screen "intensified the action".
Deleted User
21st June, 2007 at 18:21:25 -
PSP has video-out cables coming though, so you could probably still play it on a larger screen.
Yarr, its now fighting 2 separate battles; rockstar must both appeal the ban in the UK, as well as push the ESRB to change it from AO to M so it can be released in the US/Canada, as well. Although it really seems as if the ESRB just decided to give it an AO based upon the fact that Britain banned it, since theyve rated similarly violent games M in the past. Theres nothing groundbreakingly bad about Manhunt in comparison to say Gears of War in terms of violence; you get no more explicit gore tearing someone in half with a chainsaw in GOW then you do hacking them with an axe in Manhunt. Its just a bandwagon that everyone jumped on.
You mean Rockstar "Heres a PSP GTA and it won't come out on the PS2". I'm a bit of a GTA fan and when they announced it for the PS2 I saved myself £180. It's mad how the PS2 version went for £17 whilst the PSP version was £35. didn't know UMDs cost so much to manufacture
You have a game on your PS2, you like it a lot. In fact you like it so much that you would want to play it even when your not in your home. So you buy the same game in a downsized PSP version.
- Ok, you must admit that was the most creative cussing this site have ever seen -
In fact you like it so much that you would want to play it even when your not in your home. So you go out and steal cars and start shooting people on the street.
That is, according to Jack Thompson of course
"Theres nothing groundbreakingly bad about Manhunt in comparison to say Gears of War in terms of violence; you get no more explicit gore tearing someone in half with a chainsaw in GOW then you do hacking them with an axe in Manhunt. Its just a bandwagon that everyone jumped on."
You're right that the depiction of people being shot, cut up and nonchalantly mutilated is nothing we haven't seen before (DOOM?), but the difference with Manhunt in particular is in the build-up to such an event and in the way it's presented; you can stalk a single enemy for 10 minutes, analysing his behaviour while looking for the most efficient *household DIY instrument* to use. Then, when you finally make your attack, it's presented in a multi-angle cutscene clearly depicting (for example) the struggle one might have while cutting through a man's neck and spinal cord with a bicycle chain. Compare that to a random grunt jiggling around on the end of your chainsaw for 2-3 seconds in Gears of War. It's not simply the amount of blood in a game that decides its rating, otherwise the rating would be a number followed by "gallons of blood".
PhreddySE: Exactly - Rockstar know exactly what they're doing. It's not marketing genius, but they're clearly using the media to accrue some extra interest in their upcoming product. It's not even relevant to discuss whether the ESRB were right or wrong to ban the game, because I'd suggest that Rockstar knew that it was going to happen all along, and knew exactly what kind of reaction it would get from both the ESRB and the internet discussions that would follow (which we're contributing to, by the way.) Controversial game + "Adults Only" rating + Internet = Free advertising. My guess is that they'll tone the game down just enough, appeal the rating and release it in the wake of all this excitement, therefore notching up a fair number of extra sales due to kids buying "the controversial ex-AO-rated game" just because it's cool to say they've got it.
"£35. didn't know UMDs cost so much to manufacture "
I'm so glad this was followed by Mr LOLJAYKAY Face. A SONY proprietry media format that costs way more than it should..? Perhaps they expect you to get a second job to afford one..
"Theres nothing groundbreakingly bad about Manhunt in comparison to say Gears of War in terms of violence; you get no more explicit gore tearing someone in half with a chainsaw in GOW then you do hacking them with an axe in Manhunt."
Of course, do you have the ability to hold the gore up to a window in order to trick a security guard into leaving his post in Gears of War?
"...there are puzzles that require you to dispatch people in certain ways. For example, to gain entry into the torture chamber, you have to show the guard a recognizable face. Predictably, this involves removing someone's head with an axe and then holding it up to the window."
Companies can get away with selling ps2 games cheap because there are about 120 million consoles out there. I'm rather sure that there are less psps. They have to make a profit on these games remember.
Also the DVD has been out for ages for many different things and therefore more efficient way to produce them would have been developed. Whereas the UMD is a niche format exclusively made for psps and has only been around for a few years.
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