GameFly, Blockbuster won't carry Manhunt 2 with AO rating

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 20th 2007 at 12:55PM }

Joystiq spoke with game rental service GameFly and we were informed Manhunt 2, now with an AO rating, will not be carried by the company. A GameFly spokesperson said, "GameFly as a general policy does not carry AO rated titles." When asked if they have ever made an exception to the "general policy," the representive said, "Not that I know of, there's been no exceptions." GameFly also points out that you must be 18 to subscribe to their service which absolves them of any sticky issues regarding M rated titles, and that it is the credit card holder's responsibility to monitor the games rented on the service.

This is the first time GameFly has been put into this position as no other title from a major publisher has ever received an AO rating right out of the gate (GTA: San Andreas ver. 1.0 received its AO rating later, GameFly also swapped all their versions for the new M rated one). Manhunt 2 is still available to queue up for rental July 11, but that may or may not change once Rockstar officially states what they plan to do. We also contacted Blockbuster corporate and they informed us, "Blockbuster does not carry adult or NC-17 movies, or AO rated games." So, it looks like not only will Manhunt 2 have trouble at retail, but the rental outlets aren't going to carry it either.

Tags: bbfc, controversy, esrb, gamefly, manhunt, manhunt2, ratings, rockstar

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Crono @ Jun 20th 2007 1:00PM

Chickens!

And blockbuster carries Striptease, it got an NC-17 rating. (or was it showgirls? can't remember the name)

BM @ Jun 20th 2007 1:09PM

Please, please, please get an AO rating on GTA4, please; and watch these policies fall in face of the allmighty coin

Trenchalicious @ Jun 20th 2007 1:10PM

You have to be 18 to use the service.

An M rating and AO isn't really that much different to begin with.

It's just stupid.

M = 17+ or Parents Buy it.
AO = 18+ Only.

OMFFFGGFGFGFGFGFGFG big difference.... MORONS

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 1:11PM

But Blockbuster carries UNRATED editions of movies, right? Those are all UNRATED because they COULDN'T GET the R rating. Plus, GameFly and Blockbuster aren't the only stores that do videogames.

It'll be interesting to see what company is smart enough to carry the game with an AO rating. If they have a STRICT policy of carding customers before they buy the game (which shouldn't be hard, it's only one game), they will be without liability for selling it. And they'd get all the store profit as one of the few / sole distributor of the game.

Eric @ Jun 20th 2007 1:20PM

Actually, unrated for a movie just means that the studio didn't resubmit it to the MPAA for approval. It doesn't imply that the content is R-rated or worse, it just is a stupid marketing tool for studios.

megaStryke @ Jun 20th 2007 1:23PM

@Eric

But unrated should theoretically carry the same weight as an unrated game. Last time I checked, retailers won't stock games without a rating label.

megaStryke @ Jun 20th 2007 1:25PM

@Eric, furthermore

Uncut versions of horror films like Hostel and Dawn of the Dead contain scenes that were too brutal for the R-rating.

Plus, the movie Orgazmo carries the NC-17 rating and I've seen it at Best Buy.

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 1:26PM

Maybe so. But often director's cuts of movies feature additional content that was removed in order to get a lower rating (R or PG13, depending on the market the movie is targeting). Unrated movies are the same thing - extended cuts with material that wasn't submitted to the MPAA. Why wasn't it submitted? Because it probably would have received a higher rating.

It may be a "stupid marketing tool", but 99% of the time, the unrated version features more nudity, violence, or language than the Rated version.

Werbal @ Jun 20th 2007 1:33PM

@megaStryke

Best Buy has no policy against carrying NC-17 movies.

arrrgh @ Jun 20th 2007 1:33PM

i worked on saw3 and we had to create specific "less brutal" content for the theatre version. The movie failed to receive an R rating twice before the picture was locked, so the more brutal versions were saved for the dvd.

megaStryke @ Jun 20th 2007 1:37PM

@Werbal

If that's the case, it's kinda dumb that they don't stock AO games.

Anam @ Jun 20th 2007 1:41PM

You have to understand that both movie and game ratings are voluntary. Blockbuster chooses not to carry AO games because right now it's a hot topic and Blockbuster doesn't want to get in the middle of it.

On the other hand, they'll carry unrated movies because right now, movies are not a hot topic. People shrug when they see an advertisement for Hostel II, but raise their voice when seeing Manhunt 2.

Eventually, video games will stop being a hot topic just like no one cares about heavy metal lyrics anymore, or adult-oriented graphic novels. People complained about them in the past, got nowhere, and moved on.

The same thing will happen for games, and you'll see places like Blockbuster take more chances on games, but right now there's too much fear of angering parents and getting labeled as "that store that sells murder simulators."

Just got to wait it out and let enough people make themselves look stupid that it's no longer a trend to attack violent games.

Joshua @ Jun 20th 2007 1:44PM

If my Gamefly service requires a credit card I can't figure out why I can't get an AO rated title. Clearly I am 18. Now if my service was purchased via a gift card I can understand but I imagine they should be able to make a restriction for those.

But...there are reloadable gift cards from VISA and MC so perhaps that is why they fear doing as such?

Either way I don't think it's right to keep AO rated games from those old enough to rent them via your services.

Ocho @ Jun 20th 2007 2:43PM

So I guess I'm just going to have to buy it in order to play it at all? Brilliant.

Superfood @ Jun 20th 2007 1:48PM

This is so messed up. My one hope to rent Manhunt 2 was already a fragile notion to begin with. However, now that this game has received an AO rating and has been rejected from Gamefly's warehouses and Blockbuster shelves, I may have to purchase it.
I may end up just buying what may very well be a mediocre game; a purchase made on principal alone. Take-Two deserves the opportunity to sell this game, and I deserve an opportunity to rent or buy it.

The deeper and all too apparent issue here is that of freedom of expression. Consolidated sources of consumption through concentrated corperate structures are, in essence, fascist. In this case, there are no competing opportunities within the market that allow the consumer to rent this game elsewhere. Over the past 15 years, Blockbuster and Hollywood have established themselves as the only sources for your game rentals.

Blah…blah…blah… corporations are bad. Uninformed consumers are consumers in need of protecting… Corporations shouldn’t parent parents…. Yadda yadda yadda…

MMurdock @ Jun 20th 2007 1:48PM

You people are ridiculous. Make as many analogies as you want to about Manhunt 2 compared to any other movies, music, or entertainment item and be completely 100% dead wrong and look like a backwoods retard. The key element that you are missing out on is the fact that this game will be completely intact and have the same content on the Wii as it does the PS2. The content is not the reason for the rating, it is the playstyle.

When using the motions to act out Manhunt 2 some people feel there is not as large a disconnect from merely pushing a button. Thats all. They feel the need to rate it as such because they feel it crosses the line using those actions to play. Wether you agree or disagree doesn't matter. It is what it is and they have a right to rate it as they see fit. I mean they have rated how many games up to this point and been correct?

If you are really that upset about this getting such a rating then don't do business with that company. Or you can be the lazy bums you are and sign an online petition and whine about it. I for one will visit my local game store of choice and ask if they are going to sell it and if they aren't have them refund my previous reservations and take my business to someone who isn't afraid to cater to my needs. Speak with your wallets, not with your hallitosis ridden man pleaser.

RICH @ Jun 20th 2007 1:51PM

If thats the case once Nintedo sees this there gonna have second thoughts about putting this game on the WII because everybody know how kiddie Nintendo is they just want people to think they can be a badass.

CowboyGA @ Jun 20th 2007 1:53PM

With all the hype surrounding this follow up to a bad game, I really want to get it (I didn't give a crap about it before). However, where will I buy it? If Target, EB, Wal-mart, K-mart, GameStop, and Blockbuster don't carry it, then I will have to look to pirated versions.

What brick and mortar store are carrying it?

Anam @ Jun 20th 2007 1:55PM

@Superfood

Ah, but the beauty of capitalism is that the fewer stores that rent or sell AO games, the more profit for the stores that do. If we start seeing more AO games come out, people will see the potential in profit and open new stores to take advantage of what mainstream stores are throwing away.

Eventually, either Blockbuster and such stores will start selling AO games, or they will be dethroned by those that do.

Farseer @ Jun 20th 2007 2:02PM

You can still preorder it from Amazon, but earlier today the release date changed from 7/10 to 9/1. Do they know something that we do not, or are they just bracing themselves to pull the game?

I think R* will need to provide a list of companies that have enough market sense to sell this game. As Anum said, those companies will make a killing. (no pun intended)

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 2:03PM

MMurdock,

As far as we know, the ESRB has rated all versions of Manhunt 2 as AO - meaning the Wii-only motion controls are not the sole reason for the rating. Some advisory boards have singled out the Wii version, but not the rating boards in either the US or UK.

CowboyGA @ Jun 20th 2007 2:06PM

I'm sure I can still get the game from online retailers, but what brick and mortar stores are likely to be brave enough to carry it? If I have to go online for it, it'll be ebay.

PhoenixSS @ Jun 20th 2007 2:20PM

The ESRB Gave it an "initial" rating of AO overall. This means not just for Wii but for all systems. Take-Two has 30 days to modify the game or appeal directly to the ESRB.

The fact that GameFly is bending over backwards for this is ridiculous. It's very frustrating as GameFly should not be responsible for what parents rent for their kids and it's pathetic that they would take this stance.

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 2:30PM

MMurdock
"be completely 100% dead wrong and look like a backwoods retard"

"The content is not the reason for the rating, it is the playstyle."

"Wii Not Behind BBFC's Manhunt 2 Decision"
http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/Wii_Not_Behind_BBFC&_039;s_Manhunt_2_Decision_[Update]_11739_6443_0.htm

Mr. Nosuch @ Jun 20th 2007 3:22PM

Like GameFly gives a crap about its customers, who pay a flat amount every month. They already carry barely enough inventory on new titles in the first place.

If they don't have a title you want, what are you going to do, cancel? Not likely. Instead you'll rent something else, or keep something longer. GameFly's bottom line won't be hurt by not carrying it.

It just strikes me as moronic that retail chains won't carry it, because they can't trust their staff to check an ID, so they just take the easy, liability-free way out.

Thank goodness for Amazon.

Rob Accomando @ Jun 20th 2007 3:06PM

I don't see why ebgamestop wouldn't sell it.

ysdarkfact @ Jun 20th 2007 3:43PM

Really fucked up that Blockbuster with their playboy videos, and Gamefly with their parental controls, won't stock Manhunt 2 if it's released AO.

I think in the end, Rockstar will water down Manhunt or there will be two versions when the game comes out.

Geoff Gibson @ Jun 20th 2007 3:49PM

I have no desire to play this game. It doesn't really appeal to me at all, but the simple fact that these carriers aren't allowing us to rent a game that we pay them for is disgusting. I currently have a gamefly account but if they do nto change their mind on this matter before the game is released I will be cancelling my account with them. I do not appreciate being told what is "right" or "wrong" to play.

As far as I know GottaPlay.com is rated just as high as GameFly.com and is still currently planning on renting the game out to its customers.

Mike @ Jun 20th 2007 3:50PM

Good for them.. I applaud Gamefly's decision to not carry this interactive snuff film.

eldee @ Jun 20th 2007 3:58PM

I'm against censorship as much as the next guy, but if there was ever a game that earned an AO rating it was this one. Although the same standard should apply to movies like Hostel (which was rated R) if you're going to use gratuitous violence as a standard.

Honestly though, hopefully this encourages developers to make good games rather than using shock and controversy as a crutch. Manhunt blew, and my guess is that this one does too, regardless of the fact that it's now dead in the water.

ysdarkfact @ Jun 20th 2007 4:03PM

I'm not arguing over the AO rating, I'm just angry Gamefly isn't going to stock this game if the AO rating sticks. I can make my own decisions.

Buzzy22 @ Jun 20th 2007 4:32PM

Take-Two should scrap the Wii version altogether. Then they should cut back some of the violence to get a "M" rating and release it only on PS and XBox consoles. Wii fans will be upset, but it would eliminate all of the "Your acting out the horrible violence" claims.

And, correct me if I'm, wrong, but doesn't the Wii have FPS games where you have to shoot and kill and the Pirates of the Carribean game where you have to hack and slash like you're swinging a sword?

So it's ok to mimick slicing people to death with a sword, but slitting a throat or bashing someone's head in is off limits?

Hypocrites.

Anam @ Jun 20th 2007 5:16PM

As far as people complaining about Gamefly not carrying it, let me throw out my opinion:

Just because a game has been made does not mean that a business "should" sell it. Just like if I made a game tomorrow, I couldn't expect Best Buy to just start selling it. They have a choice of what to sell. They wouldn't sell my homemade game because either it wouldn't make them much money or it would hurt their business to sell what would likely be a crap game. (Probably both reasons.)

What you sell says something about your business. No one would respect Blockbuster if it started selling hardcore pornography. They have a right to protect their image as a company. It's not censorship, it's just business. If, on the other hand, someone came out and stopped me from selling my homemade game on my own, that would be censorship.

Remember, thousands of games are made that never make it to stores. Why should Manhunt 2 be sold where Psychonauts isn't? There are many games I'd complain about not getting the light they deserve before I'd care about Manhunt 2.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that it's a shame that more stores won't sell AO games, but they have the right to make that choice.

is @ Jun 20th 2007 5:19PM

MMurdock is absolutely right. No valid comparison can be made between a violent movie or book, a passive experince that can be met with revoltion and disgust, and a interactive 'game', which can only be conducted with enthusiasm and a sense of willing support of the violent fictional event.

That said, I dont see the annual historical re-enactments of the Battle of Hastings being outlawed by the BBFC: the Big Brother Fuck-you Coalition. Wankers.

In banning this game, they have piqued my interest, and there is now NO chance that I will not be buying it.

Twats.

is @ Jun 20th 2007 5:19PM

Patren @ Jun 20th 2007 10:08PM

A business has the right to decide the merchandise it stocks. It is not censorship. A store could decide not to stock Barbie Horse Adventures, it doesn't matter. I'm still annoyed that none of the stores around me are selling Raw Danger, and most of them are saying that it is very unlikely that they will be getting it in ever, but I'm not yelling ZOMG! My freedom of expression is being trampled. I didn't realize that we were constitutionally protected so that stores carry exactly what we want stocked. Could someone please point me to the Everything Patren wants Store?

Subcon @ Jun 20th 2007 11:30PM

Does any one know the ratings that Postal or Postal 2 have? I ask this because AO games seem to be treated as pornography, as in products "lacking moral or artistic value." If Postal got a M rating, then how can the ESRB justify the AO rating given to Manhunt 2? Postal is one of the most immoral products I have ever seen, lacking any form of artistic merit and truly fitting the mold of the AO rating. The Manhunt series at least attempts the presentation of horror cinema, a genre which is not seen as pornographic in our popular culture.