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Just as we start to think that everything has settled down in England with all that rubbish about games causing deaths (even though we all know that it’s over-sized hot dogs that kill the majority of the human population), ELSPA decide it’s time to find a new scandal — Manhunt 2.
It was obviously going to kick up a fuss. The first game did. But it does carry (or it would have done) an adult rating and only adults are allowed to play it, so what’s the problem? Worst part about it is that ELSPA forgot to tell Rockstar first, preferring to let them read it in the British press first.
Conveniently, MCV posed an interesting question this week regarding this very issue. What if Rockstar would have made Silent Hill? Would that have been banned too? What about Doom 3? Hitman? Would these have all been doomed to the cutting room floor?
The worst part about it all is that even if Rockstar do manage to turn over ELSPA’s decision (and I fucking hope so), due to lashings of red tape the earliest we will see it on this side of the pond will be October.
Today is indeed a sad day in British gaming.
Full feature to follow soonest.
The fact that the ratings board deemed it as an AO title doesn’t really upset me. It’s the fact that Nintendo and Sony don’t license those kinds of games, thereby never letting the game actually come out. The rating system works, but it’s the blantant censorship from Nintendo and Sony that really boils my potato. Who are they to say I can’t play that game? They don’t do this for movies, right? Hostel came out. The Hills Have Eyes came out. But Manhunt 2 is apparently so far gone from all of them that it cannot be shown ever. I highly doubt that. I’m sure Rockstar wasn’t trying to beat the world record for gore in a video game. They knew it would be pretty bad, but bad enough to cause mass hysteria? Unlikely. In the end, I blame Nintendo and Sony, especially Sony, as they seem to center themselves with mature content. Tthe ratings board seems to be doing their job. It’s everyone else involved that is creating a perfect example of how to censor free speech. I’m not clear on British censorship law, so this is only coming from the American law pov. So I apologize if the same rules do not apply there.