Manhunt 2 not likely for Australia, Germany
by Ross Miller 
{ Jun 21st 2007 at 10:38AM }
After Britain, the United States and Ireland, where do Australia and Germany stand on the issue of Manhunt 2? Australian officials are saying a release in their country is doubtful, meanwhile an official for the German USK ratings board has told Joystiq that game has not been submitted.Insiders in the Australian government reportedly told Smarthouse (via GamePolitics) that the game is likely not to be released down under. "We don't want to preempt the decision of the Office of Film and Literature Classification Review Board but it is looking very doubtful," they said. The Office of Film and Literature Classification was closed when Joystiq tried to reach them for comment, but Jason Hill of The Age reports that as of yesterday, the game had not been submitted for a rating.
In an email correspondence with Joystiq, the USK's Christine Schulz told us as of this morning there was no application submitted for the game. Should Take Two and Rockstar forego submitting Manhunt 2 for any country, it would not be surprising.
Both German and Australian ratings boards are notorious for banning games, by refusal of rating, with too much violent content. For the German USK, past titles to not get rated have included Dead Rising, Crackdown and Gears of War -- and the banning protocol is rather confusing.
Australia's OFLC has Restricted 18+ ratings, but they are not applied to video games, so the highest rating for a game is Mature 15+ age. Hence, if a game were to be deemed too inappropriate for MA15, then it would be refused classification and the game must either be edited and resubmitted or just not sold. Games who were refused classification include Reservoir Dogs and Marck Ecko's Getting Up.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Anam @ Jun 21st 2007 10:44AM
If England and Ireland banned it, there's no way Germany or Australia will even consider it.
CowboyGA @ Jun 21st 2007 10:49AM
Okay, I hated the first Manhunt, but if it's facing this much censorship, I'm playing it in whatever form it actually arrives in. This is just getting silly.
Aj Vaynerchuk @ Jun 21st 2007 10:51AM
This game is sure getting a ton of press, but then again it may be completely unavailable. They should just make the game less graphic and get it on the Wii!
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Greg @ Jun 21st 2007 10:52AM
Does anybody else get the impression that maybe this is all one big PR stunt on TakeTwo's part? Could it be that they have an M-rated version waiting in the wings already?
When GTA:SA came out on XBox, I was working at GameStop. Almost simultaneous with the XBox release, the Hot Coffee mod was discovered and (more importantly) publicized. Despite GS being GTA-less for several weeks, demand for the game went through the roof. I had a suspicion that the timing was just too perfect.
Maybe I'm too cynical, and I understand it's not an airtight theory. But how much PR is this game getting now? What better way to sell a game like this, to position it as edgy and over-the-top?
man_pie @ Jun 21st 2007 10:58AM
nanny-stateism, catch the fevah!
Leftwing @ Jun 21st 2007 11:23AM
What did they expect. The Adult Only rating has never happened on a console why did they think that it would be easily excepted.. yes I do believe that it is very "unfair". If it is not illegal why should it not be sold.. This would give Nintendo the "not only for kids" image that they truly need.
Thats left wing for you.
chenry @ Jun 21st 2007 11:15AM
@4 That's exactly what I was gonna say. I think this is a big trick by TakeTwo to get free publicity. They already have an M-suitable version of the game ready; it has always been ready. They're just going to soak up the publicity for their ultra-violent game, and then release a "cleaner" version for public consumption.
kostaki @ Jun 21st 2007 11:31AM
i say release the game...if its an AO rating then kids should not be able to play it unless there parents buy the game for them...why should more mature people suffer because of a rating...its an adult game for adults!!!!
polly @ Jun 21st 2007 11:31AM
"Games who were refused classification include Reservoir Dogs and Marck Ecko's Getting Up."
LOL!
Frexy Q. @ Jun 21st 2007 11:34AM
The game's been rated 16+ over here (Belgium) and will be on the shelves on 13 July.
And I'll be playing it!! Yay!
Frexy Q. @ Jun 21st 2007 11:34AM
The game's been rated 16+ over here (Belgium) and will be on the shelves on 13 July.
And I'll be playing it!! Yay!
Rob Accomando @ Jun 21st 2007 11:37AM
#4, that's a great theory. I was thinking it could be possible too. If so, what a sneaky way to get free adverts. Look at all the people who didn't want the game; now they want it just because of the contraversy.(sp?)
Zsavior @ Jun 21st 2007 11:54AM
@ 7
Nintendo kiddie image? Cause sony and MS are standing behind Manhunt 2? Face it Manhunt two pull the skirts of all the so called mature gaming console crap. They want no part of a game that is AO either, the kiddie gaming ploy was made for kids to feel adult and thus special about buying a sony or MS product for a huge sum of cash.
Oh I am not a child for playing games I bought a playstation or an Xbox, well news flash they are buckling also under the pressure of an AO rating. If you can't defend your reason for gaming beyond the type of system you play look forward to ridicule, because Sony and MS is not going to stand up for adult gamers.
I also don't play Manhunt games, but this censorship is insane, especially since the people buying the systems and the games are adults. Even if they by the systems for their children they have a right to receive content for their pleasure also. I am a big fan of Mario and all those types of games, but I would never want Kane and Lynch or Hitman to be blocked because of a group political ignorance being forced on to people for their own personal agendas
DutchDave @ Jun 21st 2007 12:07PM
It's "on hold" in the rest of the EU (that's non-GB, Germany). So a July 13 release is doubtful.
BTW,somebody think of the children!!! ...oh it's for adults only....
YouFaceTheTick @ Jun 21st 2007 12:42PM
If I still played video games, I'd buy this one for two reasons:
1. Early reviews (the brouhaha made me look them up) are great.
2. All this negative attention makes me WANT the game to succeed. This pathetic crap about games and kids needs to stop; gaming is an adult's wold that kids dabble in. We have moveis for kids and movies for adults; ditto books; there's no reason for this kind of censorship. But the kids will see it - not if they have good parents.
ymous @ Jun 21st 2007 12:42PM
absolutely garbage...when are we going to be able to make decisions for ourselves.
I want to be able to choose whether or not I want to play the game. I don't want the decision made for me.
Mike @ Jun 21st 2007 2:52PM
Have you considered that all this banning could be because IT NEEDS TO BE BANNED?!?.. This game has gone over the line and should be pulled. PERIOD. We don't need an interactive SNUFF game. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?
A_SUCKA_BORN_EVERYDAY @ Jun 21st 2007 4:22PM
Ok I hated the first one but Im a retard and cant use the brain I was born with, Im a sucker for bullshit hype.
fucking idiots
Loki @ Jun 21st 2007 4:34PM
Hey mike thanks for making a decision about what we adult should and shouldn't play.
Heres a great idea censor yourself and don't buy the fucking game.
Personally Im not buying this game because the first one was a turd and I doubt this game will be any better...
jman @ Jun 21st 2007 5:07PM
According to Gamestop it got rated M...not AO
makesevenupyours @ Jun 21st 2007 6:19PM
crackdown...you shitting me? that game just has a splatter of blood when you kill somebody. what is so bad about that?
anyways, i dont care for manhunt, and it really doesnt matter to me what happens. but why dont they just cut down on the violence a little bit and make what some people think will be a great game?
Zeus the God @ Jun 21st 2007 6:09PM
This AO rating is proving to be damn near censorship.
manic @ Jun 22nd 2007 7:46AM
HI GUYS. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I PLAYED MANHUNT 1 NOW IM A SERIAL KILLER AND STUFF ITS REALLY COOL I'M MENTAL I TORTURE EVERYONE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I SLASHED THIS GUYS THROAT WITH A SHIV THE OTHER DAY AND I USED PLASTIC BAGS TO SUFFOCATE SOME PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!
YES MANHUNT HAS MADE ME EVIL!!!!!!!!!
Note: This message is reserved for idiots; this post may contain elements of sarcasm.
Fraser @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:32PM
@8: Yep, it's a strange system. Getting Up was refused classification not for any violence but for being about graffiti. Meanwhile, violent and controversial games like GTA were released here without a murmur of controversy.
The lack of an 18+ category is a hangover from the days when the balance of power in the Australian Senate was held by a particularly reactionary Catholic from the backwaters of Tasmania (Brian Harradine). He was the guy who could break a deadlock for either side, so he got to make all sorts of deals, and he was big on censorship.
The review board itself is actually pretty reasonable, they're not on any sort of crusade, but they have to work with the rules they're given.
benoooo @ Jun 24th 2007 6:52AM
IF DIS DONT COME TO THE LAND DOWN UNDER (australia) IMMA KICK SOME ONE IN THE NUT n serios i saw the first one and it looked kool but if this one does come thru imma kill myself