Manhunt 2 Officially Delayed

Take-Two is taking a time-out.
by Daemon Hatfield

June 21, 2007 - The inevitable has happened: Take-Two just issued a statement explaining the upcoming release of the currently AO-rated Manhunt 2 has been officially suspended. Originally scheduled for a July 10 release, Take-Two is reviewing its options following the UK ban earlier this week and the death sentence cast down by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

"We continue to stand behind this ordinary game," the publisher said in a statement, according to Reuters. "We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."

Not only will major retailers such as Wal-Mart refuse to carry an AO-rated game, Nintendo and Sony have said they will not allow such a game to be manufactured for their consoles.

IGN: Manhunt 2 Officially Delayed

Sony, Nintendo forbid AO-rated Manhunt 2

Console-makers confirm policies preventing licensed third parties from releasing Adults Only games on their systems, effectively banning the Rockstar title.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Jun 20, 2007 2:37 pm PT

When Take-Two Interactive yesterday confirmed that the Entertainment Software Rating Board handed down a rating of AO for Adults Only for Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii, the publisher said it was exploring its options.

GameSpot has confirmed with Nintendo and Sony that one of those options, which would be to accept the ESRB's judgment and release the game with the AO rating, isn't an option at all. Both companies forbid licensed third-party publishers from releasing games rated AO for Adults Only on their various hardware platforms. Though Manhunt 2 isn't slated for any of Microsoft's systems, the company has also confirmed that it does not allow AO-rated titles on the Xbox or Xbox 360.

The sole exception to this rule was in 2005 when the already released Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was retroactively rated AO, at which point retailers pulled it from shelves and Take-Two suspended production of the game.

"It's currently our policy not to allow the playback of AO-rated content on our systems," a Sony spokesperson told GameSpot.

Nintendo's official line was much the same. "Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres, and ratings," a representative told GameSpot. "These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television, and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems."

Take-Two's most readily available alternatives are to appeal the ESRB's AO rating or to modify the game. As of press time, a Rockstar Games representative had not responded to GameSpot's inquiry about how either move would impact the game's scheduled July 10 release date.

Sony, Nintendo forbid AO-rated Manhunt 2 - PlayStation 2 News at GameSpot

i think the manhunt 2 game'll sell good regardless of how much violence contents rockstar have to remove to get the game into the M rating category. it'll still be violent enuff anyway.
one of the reasons it got rated as AO is cuz of the nudity/sex contents it had.

and another possibly reason it got rated as AO is cuz of the wii, ESRB being concerned for the console that's made for families/kids, and the wii remote (stabbing shiv anyone? chainsaw? swinging a hatchet? slitting a throat? it'd be nasty as hell).

i hope gta4'll go well, seriously, im a huge gta fan, i hope esrb dont fuck it up, or i'll nuclear 'em :rl:

Potman said:

i think the manhunt 2 game'll sell good regardless of how much violence contents rockstar have to remove to get the game into the M rating category. it'll still be violent enuff anyway.
one of the reasons it got rated as AO is cuz of the nudity/sex contents it had.

and another possibly reason it got rated as AO is cuz of the wii, ESRB being concerned for the console that's made for families/kids, and the wii remote (stabbing shiv anyone? chainsaw? swinging a hatchet? slitting a throat? it'd be nasty as hell).

i hope gta4'll go well, seriously, im a huge gta fan, i hope esrb dont fuck it up, or i'll nuclear 'em :rl:

Click to expand...

Well, PS2 and PSP received AO rated too since Wii isn't alone.

We are better than 2 rating companies in UK and Ireland because they rejected to rate and banned it from sale but ESRB is strong so enough to rate it and show it off. Game developers can option to develop the AO rated games for PC and can be sold at FYE, Sam Goody or other store that allowed to sell AO games.

I feel like damn about Sony or MS don't allow to touch AO games on their system or they will fuck third party companies up. PC is one of free stand to go...

I hope GTA 4 would be M rated, not AO...

yea pc is the way to go but manhunt for pc'd sell poorly, it's better off on consoles cuz it's too console-oriented.
other games tho that's a different story (like rts, simulation, fps, etc).

i dunno bout microsoft, i dont think ms care bout the AO rating. i remma reading awhile back bout the capcom game "lost planet" for x360, it were rated as "AO" in japan, ms didnt ban it, it actually went on sale, but it were hidden behind the counter/cashier in any video game retailer, not on shelf among other video games (capcom then later removed whatever contents to get it down to "M" rating tho, to get it on shelf, for japan). i dont think ms care bout the "AO" rating. just the video game retailers.
video game retailers in north america dont accept/sell "AO" rated games, that's the problem for x360.
i dont think video game retailers in NA sell "AO" pc games either...

That's stupid, I would think adults have a right to buy adult only games, after all they are adult!

Cashiers can always ask for driver license to see if they are adult or not, and that's what they always did to me. I never understood that part though because I look older, like over 20 years old. I think it's because I am deaf, and that's other story.


It is parent's responsibility to make sure children don't play with adult stuff and store to make sure clerks follow the policy. We should not suffer like that.

By suspending the game, they're making people want the game more.

It's like at the movie theaters... if there was a protest against a specific movie and passerbys saw that, they would be more curious and want to see that movie.

Potman said:

yea pc is the way to go but manhunt for pc'd sell poorly, it's better off on consoles cuz it's too console-oriented.
other games tho that's a different story (like rts, simulation, fps, etc).

i dunno bout microsoft, i dont think ms care bout the AO rating. i remma reading awhile back bout the capcom game "lost planet" for x360, it were rated as "AO" in japan, ms didnt ban it, it actually went on sale, but it were hidden behind the counter/cashier in any video game retailer, not on shelf among other video games (capcom then later removed whatever contents to get it down to "M" rating tho, to get it on shelf, for japan). i dont think ms care bout the "AO" rating. just the video game retailers.
video game retailers in north america dont accept/sell "AO" rated games, that's the problem for x360.
i dont think video game retailers in NA sell "AO" pc games either...

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Well, it's called CERO, that rating system in Japan.

SCE in Japan and MS are allowed them to use from A to Z to running the game, unlike USA when AO isn't much suitable for them, except for PC.
Computer Entertainment Rating Organization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

yea that's what i meant, the "z" rating, in japan

Rockstar Rockstar Rockstar, what we could have done without you?

Rockstar does really know how to push the limits on decency in video gaming. I thought GTA-SA the AO rated version really took the cake unti Manhunt 2!

I just have to hold my fingers and HOPE that the ESRB doenst slap GTA-4 with an AO rating before its October release. I'm going to hope GTA 4 will arrive in October with its M-rating instead of the AO.

sablescort said:

Rockstar Rockstar Rockstar, what we could have done without you?

Rockstar does really know how to push the limits on decency in video gaming. I thought GTA-SA the AO rated version really took the cake unti Manhunt 2!

I just have to hold my fingers and HOPE that the ESRB doenst slap GTA-4 with an AO rating before its October release. I'm going to hope GTA 4 will arrive in October with its M-rating instead of the AO.

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I wouldn't mind an AO rating.

I've been through every rated game. The last AO-rated game I played was Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail. Whew! Good game!