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"Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. today announced that it has established a new incentive compensation program for the Rockstar Games label that is primarily based on a profit sharing arrangement, and at the same time has entered into new long-term employment agreements with members of the creative team of its wholly-owned Rockstar Games publishing label. The new employment agreements have an initial term ending on January 31st, 2012."
"That reality is that Senator Obama may have questionable views when it comes to video games. One of his opponents during primary season was the infamous Hillary Clinton, another Democrat who has done everything in her power to block games such as GTA IV and Manhunt from ever seeing the light of day.
Gamers seem to also have forgotten that the same man also generalized them all as underachievers."
"Via a slip of innocuous paper and a frankly terrifying promotional gimp mask, Rockstar has revealed to IGN that its oft-delayed Manhunt 2 is finally set to release on Wii, PS2 and PSP in the UK on October 31.
Arriving exactly one year after its release in the States, this is the heavily-reworked second submission to the BBFC, following the film organisation's decision to deny the original game a classification on the grounds of its "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone"."
"Its been almost a year since Nintendo stepped onto the stage of their E3 2007 press conference and threw the industry a curveball with their new take on gaming.
Lets run down some of the major announcements at last years conference:
* Wii Fit revealed and demoed
* Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy release dates
* Wii Zapper announced
* Mario Kart Wii and wheel peripheral shown
More importantly, Nintendo did the opposite of their wildly popular ..."
""Creators have to enjoy freedom of expression but at the same time it's an industry that impacts society," EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told a news conference.
Public concerns that videogames can cause aggressive behavior have been heightened by school shootings such as that in Finland last November, and have led to several countries banning games such as "Manhunt 2," Reding added."
British MP Keith Vaz has chosen to welcome the recent Byron Report which claims that games are not the problem and shouldn't be given such negative treatment. Vaz (right), however, still chooses to link the death of a 14 year-old back in 2004 to Rockstar's Manhunt game, totally despite the fact that the game was already determined to have not been a factor in the case.
This is still somewhat confusing to me, though. Why would an anti-video game activist like Keith Vaz welcome something t...
"The seemingly never-ending saga over the release of Rockstars Manhunt 2 for the Nintendo Wii in the United Kingdom, it seems, could soon see a resolution, with Manhunt 2 now, reluctantly it appears, given an 18 Certificate rating in by the British Board of Film Control."
The sequel to what game is still unknown which will result us people to execute the process of speculation. During the Take Two conference last night, it's been revealed that Rockstar is planning on releasing a major sequel in 2009. Don't count the downloadable content for GTA IV because that's being released sometime this year. Someone could only wonder what game sequel this could be for? Midnight Club? Manhunt 3?
Or since a Max Payne movie is being produced, do you think Rockstar will cr...
"MOVES to allow a "dark and violent" adult video computer game to go on sale in the UK have been blocked by a High Court judge, who ordered that the matter be reconsidered.
The British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) refused to give Manhunt 2 from Edinburgh-based Rockstar Games classification in case it fell into the hands of children.
Last month, the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) lifted the ban when it allowed an appeal by the US publishers.
It ruled the game was "unlikely" to cause h..."
We've all heard of the Rockstar vs. BBFC fight going on in the UK in recent months over the board's decision to ban Manhunt 2. The BBFC's decision was overruled on an appeal by Rockstar, but the BBFC still doesn't want to see the game released in the United Kingdom. As such, they've sought a judicial review of the decision and have been granted a January 31 hearing by British High Court Justice Williams. Until his decision is made known, the ban will be enforced.
Sorry Brits, but it loo...
"News has emerged today that the BBFC is seeking a judicial review of the recent decision issued by the Video Appeals Committee overturning the Boards initial refusal to grant Rockstar Games-developed Manhunt 2 with an age classification."
"Rockstar's appeal against the BBFC's decision to reject a modified version of Manhunt 2 has been successful.
The Video Appeals Committee announced its decision to allow the appeal today. Although the final judgement has not yet been released, the organisation says that it decided in favour of Rockstar by four votes to three.
"The BBFC will carefully study the judgement by the Video Appeals Committee when it becomes available," said BBFC director David Cooke, who revealed that the BBFC "..."
"A survey has found that almost 50 per cent of minors in the US have been able to buy games rated M for Mature from retailers.
The study found that of over 60 stores nationwide, 46 per cent sold M rated games to consumers under the age of 18, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The survey was carried out by the East County Youth Coalition and the National Institute on Media and Family.
The findings back-up a report from the NIMF last year, which also found that half of retailers will..."
"Local Target stores have been pulling Manhunt 2 off their store shelves in response to the recent events where some hackers uncovered adult content within the game.
Even though the ESRB themselves remained firm with the game's M rating, it looks like Target is taking no chances and is removing the game from its stores.
According to the source, all Target managers are required to stop selling the game, including refusing shipments of the game for all systems. Also Take-Two agreed to take..."
Admist growing controversy over Rockstar's latest addition to their bloody Manhunt series, it seems that violent imagery wasn't the only thing cut from the game's final retail disc. Former Manhunt 2 producer Jurie Horneman claims that over 55 Rockstar Vienna employee names are not present in the title's development credits. Those left unacknowledged are listed on his personal blog.
Rockstar Vienna was disbanded in May 2006, with work on the Manhunt 2 titles being transferred to Rockstar Lo...
As you know, Manhunt 2 was altered to disable the violent scenes in order to get an M rating from the ESRB. The scenes apparently are still in the game, just disabled, and due to the flexible nature of the PSP, they are now available in their full violent glory. Will the ESRB go after Rockstar for retaining the scenes? Will the game get re-labled as AO? Get your copy fast.
"Joining other well-known critics of violent video games, Dr. Susan Linn of the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood has weighed in on the release Manhunt 2.
In a just-issued press release, Linn also had harsh words for the video game industry:
Tomorrows release of Manhunt 2 epitomizes much of whats wrong with the videogame industrys current system of self-regulation."
"With the Manhunt 2 launch now upon us, influential video game violence critics are weighing in.
California State Sen. Leland Yee (D), architect of his states contested video game law, has issued a press release urging parents to boycott Manhunt 2."
Apparently Manhunt 2 goes against common sense. The Common Sense Media group held a 10AM press conference this morning over Manhunt 2 and why they felt it should be boycotted. However, they seem to have gotten their information mixed up as they made a reference to a seen that was in the AO version of the game, not the M rated version that will be seen in stores tomorrow.
Amidst all the controversy and excitement Rockstar has created with Manhunt 2, they've maintained a release date of 31 October 2007. However, Take Two appears to have other plans for the game by publishing a press release that states that the game will be available today.
Games Releasing This Week: 10/29/07: Guitar Hero III, Battalion Wars 2, Manhunt 2, The Simpsons Game
As we continue on towards the holiday season, we see more and more games coming out trying to get a piece of the incredibly huge holiday pie.
Obviously, the highlight this week is Guitar Hero III, for Wii, PS3, PS2, 360.
Notables games this week:
Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)
Gears of War OSG (PC)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
Guitar Hero & Guitar Hero II Pack (PS2)
King of Fighters XI (PS2)
Hellgate: London (PC)
Manhunt 2 (Wii, PS2, PSP)
Naruto: Rise of a Ninj...
Worried that you wont be able to play Manhunt 2 in the UK since the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) have refused to grant the title a rating? Well don't worry, you can still play it, and that too legally. Thanks to a loophole in the law *waits for cries from Jack Thompson* , players can play the game as a DOWNLOAD, since the rating issue is only for physical products.
Wacko Jacko's at it again. He failed to get Manhunt 2 or Halo 3 banned, he's running the risk of losing his ability to practice law in the state of Florida, and yet he's on Fox still pushing for Manhunt 2 to be banned. I must say, he really doesn't know when to give up, does he?
On the flip side, I can see Manhunt 2 sales rising because of Thompson now.
Who was the person who had leaked the banned in Great Britain game onto the Internet? It was a employee from Playstation Europe. We at first only knew that the game was released by a group called Team Slonik. They released it on public and private torrent sites. The person who leaked the copy of Manhunt 2 over the Internet has now been officially sacked. We still don't know what legal action will be taken upon the employee's action.
More news shall be submitted as more clues get uncovered.
"We are continuing to appeal the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) decision to deny the edited version of Manhunt 2 an 18+ certificate and thereby ban its release in the United Kingdom. The changes necessary in order to publish the game in Britain are unacceptable to us and represent a setback for video games."
BBFC has now also rejected the censored version of Manhunt 2 to be approved and sold in Europe. The BBFC said that the details of some of the executions in the game have been toned down but not enough that so they can approve it. Also the BBFC made further suggestions to what to censor in the game but the distributor refused to implement them therefore the BBFC has now officially refused the revised version of Manhunt 2.
"The uncut version of Rockstars Manhunt 2 will now be readily available in at least one country when released later this year, after Holland deemed the game suitable for public consumption. Late last week, the ESRB passed a revised edition of the game with a Mature rating in North America, after initially granting the title an Adults Only certificate.
Citing a law which states that adults are capable of making their own decisions, the Dutch Ministry let the original game through, thou..."
"Since Manhunt 2s recent re-rating by the ESRB, the conspiracy theorists have been piling it on thick. GamePolitics correspondent Andrew Eisen managed to identify four different conspiracy theories, each of which attempted to explain why Manhunt 2 clinched that M rating...
Visit the source to revel in the madness..."
"Last week the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) quietly announced it had re-rated Rockstar's controversial game Manhunt 2 from an Adults Only (AO) rating to a Mature (M) after the developer resubmitted the title for review. The ESRB did not disclose any details about what content had been changed in the new version that warranted a lower rating. Early previews of the game had shown us Manhunt 2 was the goriest game we'd ever seen, including sequences of castration with a pair of pli..."
"The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is extremely concerned that the ESRB has downgraded its rating for Manhunt 2 from Adults Only (AO) to Mature (M). Despite industry claims to the contrary, M-rated games continue to be marketed and sold to children under seventeen. The ESRBs reversal of its earlier decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Manhunt 2 the most violent game to date produced for the interactive Nintendo Wii platform will be marketed and sold to children."
"Rockstar has announced that a reworked version of its controversial Manhunt 2 has been granted an M rating by the ESRB. Free of the shackles of its original AO classification, the game is currently scheduled for release in the US on Wii, PS2 and PSP this Halloween, October 31.
Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games noted of the decision, "Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience". He continued, "We love the horr..."
"Rockstar Leeds boss Gordon Hall has called on the rest of the games industry to support the company in the Manhunt 2 controversy. Speaking to Develop Magazine, Hall defended the Rockstar London-developed game, which has been banned in a number of countries, and had commercially damaging age certifications slapped on it in others."
"Rockstar announced it would be appealing Manhunt 2s ban in the UK last week, but UK trade paper MCV has now warned that the developer could be in for a lengthy scrap with the BBFC before the appeals process is done and dusted. And, as MCV grimly points out, that could mean the hype surrounding the game may well have died down by the time it appears on store shelves."
It's a move that most people will have expected, and Rockstar have surely delivered. Rockstar Games yesterday filed an appeal with the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) against the BBFC's decision of not giving Manhunt 2 an age rating.
Since the decision by the BBFC, Manhunt 2 has been given an AO rating in the US and banned in Australia and Germany. The outcome of the appeal will most likely, as the news about the game's banning has, intensify the curiosity that people feel for the game, and ...
"Dear Mr. Fahey,
We are responding to the article Sick Filth?, in which you expressed support for the ban of Manhunt 2.
Although censorship makes you "deeply uncomfortable" and you found the bans rationale "a less comfortable topic", you agreed with the judgment of the British Board of Film Classification that no one - regardless of age or personal opinion - should be allowed to consider playing Manhunt 2.
We are still exploring our options for Manhunt 2, but how does banning our gam..."
It's no secret the amount of problems have fell on Take-Two with the announcement that Manhunt 2 will become an AO game in the US, and has been banned completely in the UK.
However, today in retaliation of the bannings, Take-Two's chairman Strauss Zelman has stated that the team has spent many years on the title, and that they will do anything that it takes to have the game released:
"In an official statement, the company took the opportunity to thank the fans who had shown their support, before suggesting that games were being singled out from other types of media when it came to censorship. Manhunt 2, argued Rockstar, had been the victim of "special treatment", meted out by authorities who had "effectively banned" the game through their decisions."
Rockstar is sending out e-mails to anyone that has spoke up to them concerning the Manhunt 2 issue. The e-mail sends out a straightforward message. They just thank you for contacting them on the Manhunt 2 issue and that they still plan to release the game on the PSP, Wii and PS2. They're proud of the game and say it's a nice horror experience and they'll try and get out some more information soon.
"Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has spoken out for the first time on the controversy surrounding Rockstar title Manhunt 2.
Speaking to Newsweek Fils-Aime said, "This is not an image issue. Wii welcomes games rated E, T and M. We haven't approved AO-rated games. I doubt we ever will."
According to Fils-Aime, Manhunt 2 is "a game rated outside our spectrum, outside any manufacturer's spectrum"."
"The ban in the UK and Ireland slapped on Take Two's Manhunt 2, and its subsequent AO rating in North America, is a response to the company's previous controversial content, according to one analyst."
"The decision by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. to suspend distribution of the violent video game "Manhunt 2" could actually end up boosting demand from curious gamers, industry analysts said Friday.
Analysts do not believe the move will harm the company's long-term bottom line. And if the game ever sees the light of day, the current controversy could give the title "a lot more exposure that would actually benefit game sales in the long run," said Colin Sebastian, senior research analys..."
Rob Faheys editorial at gamesindustry.biz questions Rockstar's decision to make a game with over the top violence and why the BBFC is justified in denying a game a rating for the first time in 10 years. He also compares the game to movies such as Hostel and Saw saying they only give the viewer the role as an outside observer while Manhunt 2 places the player in control of the predator who enjoys inflicting pain.
The Manhunt 2 media circus continues today, with the CEO of Running with Scissors weighing in with his two cents' worth on the whole affair. What do you think about it all? Us, we reckon there's no such thing as bad press and, once the game does arrive (watered down or otherwise), Rockstar and Take Two will probably be laughing all the way to the controversy bank.
Videogames are evil and poisonous, they make you aggressive, they make you want to kill those around you, they're responsible for countless horrific crimes around the globe. Ban. Ban. BAN! Look at the political handles attached to all that lot. And, moreover, those claims are not even true... well, perhaps they are in the case of Crazy Frog Racer 2.
"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 creat..."
The "hits" just keep coming for Manhunt 2. After scoring an official "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB, analysts and gamers alike postulated on how Rockstar and publisher Take Two would handle this development. The AO rating would definitely have an effect on potential sales after all, given that certain retailers and rental outlets have policies against stocking AO titles altogether. Unfortunately, both Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo have confirmed that Manhunt 2's AO rating wi...
Today is a horrible day for Rockstar. Not only has Manhunt 2 been recently banned from the U.K., but the ESRB officially gave Manhunt 2 the dreaded AO rating. Though some critics claim that it's material is no different from a violent Rated R movie, politicians and other critics claim that "the interactivity of a game makes a major difference on the effect it has on an individual."
VX2 Edit: Mock Package added for extra flavor.
It appears Manhunt 2 can't catch a break with its rating, as the drama continues across the pond here on North American shores. The Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood is petitioning the ESRB to classify the Wii version of Manhunt 2 as an "Adults Only" (AO) game in North America, thanks to console's exclusive motion sensing control. As with previous specuation surrounding Florida state's Attorney General Bill McCollum, the CCFC expresses its concern over the motion sensing gameplay requi...
Manhunt 2 has succeeded in getting itself blacklisted in at least one country before its release, and Jack Thompson wasn't even involved. According to various news reports, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has refused to classify Rockstar's upcoming game for the UK, effectively banning the title from being legally sold in the PAL region. The BBFC board has naturally deemed the game's subject matter as a potentially dangerous influence certain adults. That said, the board has...
"Is Manhunt 2 worse on the Wii?
GamePolitics has confirmed via multiple sources that Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) has expressed concern over the impending release of Rockstars controversial game on Nintendos next-gen console.
For McCollum, the issue seems to be the use of the Wiis motion-sensitive controller. It is widely anticipated that players will be required to simulate slashing, stabbing or clubbing motions in order to play Manhunt 2 on Nintendos popular system.
..."
According to GamePolitics, Florida attorney Jack Thompson has apparently convinced the state's Attorney General Bill McCollum to take a look at the Wii version of Rockstar's Manhunt 2. While the violent nature of Manhunt 2 is enough to get Thompson rallying against it, he has been speaking out against the Wii release in particular thanks to its motion-sensing controls, calling it a "training device" for ill behavior. It's precisely these controls which McCollum has subsequently expressed co...
"It's been another interesting day in the world which Jack Thompson lives. After burning through his fifteen minutes of fame regarding the VA Tech shooting, settling out of court with Take-Two, and with disciplinary actions pending at the Florida Bar, one would tend to think that maybe the game industry would be getting a reprieve from Thompson's attacks. Of course, this IS Jack Thompson we're talking about.
The latest target of Thompson's furor is none other than the Wendy's fast food res..."
"An experiment at a secret research facility has gone catastrophically wrong. Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper are the only surviving subjects. The Pickman Project will stop at nothing to hunt them down and stop the truth from getting out. The door to your cell is open. One choice. One chance. They took your life. Time to take it back."
![Box shot of Manhunt 2 [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUGxheXN0YXRpb25fMi9BY3Rpb24vQWR2ZW50dXJl/manhunt_2_frontcover_small_oLWumhIxtIELpS7.jpg)