MCV

Anyone got the email of the Daily Mail editor so I can forward this over - it's a front page in the making.

In all seriousness though, good for Rockstar. Despite the BBFC's assertions I've always felt that Rockstar were victimised throught all of this. The VAC findings certainly suggest that.

A big step forward for the industry and anti-censorship supporters. I am pleased this has happened, with so much other backward stuff going on in this country. Lets hope this gets a release quickly.

Good. Now if the BBFC does it again i hope they get seriously fined.
And i hope No more heros creators will have the balls to realease it with blood

Hopefully it is refused rating again. On the most basic level the good people at the BBFC don't need their time wasted by a company that clearly sets out to exploit them.

Rockstar should be utterly ashamed of themselves for three reasons:

a) Creating an awful game
b) Creating a game with such disgusting content
c) Creating a game for the sole intention of manipulating the ratings boards to get attention to sell more copies

No wonder people don't take the industry seriously.

BBFC should really stick to the movie indrustry and leave games alone. About 75% of population does not even know what gamepad or console is.

Total agreement with posting #4 - Rockstar are guilty of cynical exploitatation. Considering the furore over the first Manhunt title, irrespective of the rights or wrongs, morally Rockstar should never have comtemplated a sequel!

To posting #4 Neil...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Reasons a) and b) are no more then matters of taste so it's pointless to dispute them, but reason c)? Do you honestly believe that? Why would any company in their right mind gamble millions of dollars and 4 years of development for a reason like that? If you recall the first manhunt went through with and 18 rating and no one so much as blinked. The BBFC was clearly just trying to make an example out of Rockstar and now that's all blown up in their faces.

I swear if I hear "but what about the children?" one more time... Look at the statistics people. Children are of the minority when it comes to games these days.
http://www.theaveragegamer.com/averagegamers/

Re: Xen

I can address a) and b)...

Why would any game company make such an awful game with such horrific content? Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it sells and there was a market for it. Games that have no market don't sell and game developers don't make them anymore. They 'dared' to make a sequel because the first one sold enough copies. Full stop. If it was so horrific that no one bought it, they wouldn't have made another. If YOU have a problem with the content, YOU don't buy the game; and if there are enough people out there like you, games with that content won't be sold.

Next time, Neil, try thinking with the head on your shoulders instead of the one in your knee.

Also, funny that the prime argument in favour of the banning takes the form of 'for teh children' or '**** game anyway' - so what happens when the graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is flawless and you've been looking forward to it all year and the BBFC bans it anyway, for the children? Then will it be time to fight for freedom of expression in games? Once it interferes with what you, personally, want to play?

Just out of curiosity, at which point will games/movies be banned do we have to wait for a snuff film before someone finally says okay this is too far?

I've not played this game and I dont plan to, I've also not seen Hostel, Saw etc, just not my thing. Its all very well talking about censorship and shouting about the BBFC and human rights and how we should be allowed to see/play what ever we feel like because we're all adults, but the BBFC is there because some things are just not needed, in my opinion.

I don't quite understand why any argument about 'protecting the children' can stand up ?

The BBFC have full authority to prevent games falling into the hands of children. They can do that without impacting any adults right to choose what entertainment content they derive pleasure from. That's what an 18+ rating is for.

Any child that accesses any media content (music, film, games, internet content) that is rated for mature audiences is doing so outside of all legislation. That is all we have expected from movie and music manufacturers for decades, why should games be viewed any differently now ?

Roger #9 - you've made informed decisions about the entertainment you have enjoyed in the past, that worked ! Do you want someone else to do that for you in future, because if the original BBFC decision went ahead and I couldn't play Manhunt 2, my right to choose would be taken away from me.

Thank you Laddette and Xen, you guys are obviously gamers?!

I presume Neil has just recently got into gaming through the DS and Brain Training?!

If anyone ever decided to take seriously then it would receive the same treatment that movies and music do but it doesnt.

I could name numerous films that should never have been released due to their content but the bottom line is the movie and music industries jumped these stupid hurdles years ago and I sometimes feel that games never will quite simply because they're games.

There was headline a while back which said "gameboy kills child"
He had tried to plug in his gameboy into a dodgy electrical socket in some random hotel in Thailand whilst dripping with water after climbing out of a swimming pool.

It might be me but I cant see that same headline reading:
"Portable DVD player kills child"
Or
"Walkman kills child"

When its games, the pitchforks are out in full force. Everytime.

this is great. at last i get to chose if i want to play this game or not . not some nanny state saying no we dont like it so you cant have it. if you dont like it dont buy it you can tell by the 18 rating that it is for people over 18 not 12. they should enforce the age ratings not the content.

It's another Rockstar game that relies on its PR (bans, violence, etc) to sell it, because when you look at the game itself, it's abysmal!