BBFC seeks to keep Manhunt 2 banned

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 17th 2007 at 11:00AM }

The British Board of Film Classification is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to Manhunt 2. The BBFC is going to the next level and seeking judicial review after the Video Appeals Committee overturned the BBFC's decision to reject giving Manhunt 2 a classification -- essentially creating a de facto ban.

The BBFC believes that overturning their original decision, which was essentially not to make a rating decision on Manhunt 2, will have "fundamental implications with regard to all the Board's decisions." According to the BBFC statement, the Video Appeals Committee decision undermines its power to judge "unacceptable levels of violence." Manhunt 2 now waits in limbo again as the BBFC attempts to overturn the VAC's decision.

Tags: bbfc, british-board-film-classification, manhunt2, vac

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 11:02AM

I wonder how much money is being consumed fighting this issue. Probably more than the game will ever actually make.

Neil @ Dec 17th 2007 11:06AM

Let's hope the court goes in the BBFC's favour, if only to punish Rockstar for trying to exploit a framework which is exemplary to the rest of the world and to the industry as whole.

Ted @ Dec 17th 2007 12:18PM

Give it an 18 rating, anyone over 18 should not have to be subject to some arbitrary unrepresentative board deciding what adults have a right to see! Books or films do not get this treatment! Just think of the SAW films for god's sake! I hope the BBFC gets a well-deserved slap in the face for this whole fiasco.

Godmil @ Dec 17th 2007 12:35PM

actually films are subject to similar treatment, the BBFC is pretty liberal, but will edit film content if it sees fit (they will cut any glorified sexual violence for example).

I still think it's in the industries best interest to not be releasing content that can be seen as sick or depraved, with no artistic merrit. The last thing we need is more attempts by the government to clamp down on violent videogames (see Germany and Japan) because the tabloids have been given a new posterchild for "evil video games".

Poisoned Al @ Dec 17th 2007 1:35PM

I have a feeling the BBFC didn't like the blatantly obvious use of their rating system to hype up Rockstars's crap, and this is just a warning to other publishers that want to advertise by generating "OMG BAN!!!" hype in the tabloids.

Marty @ Dec 17th 2007 11:12AM

I don't know about you guys, but I am so sick of hearing about the Manhunt 2 ban, I couldn't play the game even if I wanted to. Talk about beating a dead horse - anyone who wanted to has already played and beaten the game by now - the rest of us don't care, and never will.

xFenixKnightx @ Dec 17th 2007 11:18AM

+1 Im sick of hearing about this crappy game too!

Batzarro @ Dec 17th 2007 12:46PM

No your not! You comment on every Manhunt post!

Shagittarius @ Dec 17th 2007 11:13AM

Is everyone really this stupid?

Poisoned Al @ Dec 17th 2007 1:26PM

Well you own a PS3, so yeah.

Jon @ Dec 17th 2007 11:16AM

I am against censorship but so far I find Rockstar's lack of talent in producing good games mind boggling. Instead it courts controversial by making a shit game that revolves around violence just for the sake of it and hopes it sells to minors who jacks off to blood. Unban it BBFC and then ban it again for being crap.

BPM - The Revenge @ Dec 17th 2007 11:28AM

Keep fighting the "good" fight, BBFC. lol

My only issue with this is if this was a movie, instead of a game, noone would care...

gonk @ Dec 17th 2007 11:44AM

what pussies

Zootittles @ Dec 17th 2007 12:00PM

"The BBFC: Protecting the General Public from Overhyped Shitty Games for a Few Months Now"

Sidepocket @ Dec 17th 2007 12:11PM

UK, please just drop it. For two reasons:

1) No amount of violent video games are going to make Bristol more of a shit hole than it already is.

2) No one dies in Manhunt 2, because it was not real. Yet not only does the UK and its people have a huge violent and oppression streak thought history, but they are currently siding with us gun totting Americans in the bombing towel head department. As far as I am concern, no country should ban fake fantasy violence when each one of them have real blood soaked histories on their hands. Nazi Germany? Vietnam? Rape of Nanking. Ect.

anthony @ Dec 17th 2007 12:24PM

Are you comparing the the liberation of Europe from the hands of the nazis to this sick waste of space game???
If you are then explain your reasoning

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:17PM

I wouldn't count on it. Its much easier to snipe with phrases like "real blood soaked histories on their hands" than to actually back up that position.

Poisoned Al @ Dec 17th 2007 1:41PM

Correction: Only the government is on your side. Everyone else here fucking hates you.

Have a nice day!

Sidepocket @ Dec 17th 2007 4:06PM

@ anthony

Congrats on your (poor) reading skills and your (lack of) knowledge of history. I said all countries have real blood on their hands and listed 3 examples: Nazi Germany (Extermination of People), Vietnam (Torturing and Killing on Both Sides with the US being the needlessly lead aggressor), Rape of Nanking (Japan torture, raping and killing Chinese).

Were the hell you got "comparing the the liberation of Europe from the hands of the nazis to this sick waste of space game", I have no fucking idea.

But if you want to know the horrible things the UK have done and are still doing, all you need to do is Wikipedia British history. Lets put it this way, were do you think Americans learned how to be bloodthirsty and greedy for power from?

Also, you know were they get the ideas on how to kill people from? Watch the news for awhile. You will know. If any of you are wondering why our media is violent, then just look in the fucking mirror.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 4:37PM

You know, sidepocket, if the thought of your ancestors, or anyone elses ancestors having blood on your hands disturbs you so much, why don't you go do something about it.

Oh wait. You can't. How about you learn to deal with it and bitch less. Human history is written in the blood of the losers. Deal with it.

Sidepocket @ Dec 17th 2007 5:08PM

@ Crono

Fuck yea I am doing something nice about it. It's very simple really. I am going to respect people for who they are. I am going to try to solve life's problems though the legal way. I disdain real life violence and killing unless it is survival in its up most and purest form. I am also going to teach my kids this way and other so hopefully in a few generations, at least 5 people will start being like humans instead of animals.

So what you are saying is because history is written with the blood of the users that makes it right? So systematically killing a bunch of Jews, hay they were Nazis. Its natural this kind of cruel shit should happen, so people should not be upset over it. Hay, we should be thanking Hitler! He let the natural cycle go on!

You see how fucked up and stupid that sounds?

Not to mention we are in a real problem right now. The UK has tons of Chavs and Street Gangs, people I know that live there get robbed and fucked up on a daily basis...and they are worried about a fucking video game?

Degrading the impact of Real Life Violence while making a big deal out of Fantasy Violence is not going to do a good service to our species. At all.

In short, a 8 year old child could have came up with a better thought out retort than you Crono. Nice try, you get a free sample of our home game.

Sidepocket @ Dec 17th 2007 5:21PM

@ Crono

Also more on how weak your retort is. You expect me, living in this day and age, to some how magically time travel to humanities past so that I can undo all the mistakes that have been done. Sorry but as of now time traveling is impossible. If you have the powers to do that, then fuck, you go ahead and do that all wize Crono.

Oh wait, you can't. Not to mention, FIXING WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPEND IS NOT THE FUCKING POINT DIPSHIT!!!

The point is that humanity has been violent before video games. Its built into our DNA. We do have an amazing gift to actually chose most times when we can be violent, but most of us like you Crono are so stupid and short sighted that you just let the instinct take over.

We cannot undo the past but we can shape our future. Banning violent video games will not help. Being actual humans instead of reverting to our animal nature will.

Oh, and the whole point of bad history is that I find it ironic that the most censored nations are the ones that are/were the most bloodthirsty.

"Oh Timmy, do not play the fantasy violent game that is not reality! It's not good for you. Here, instead read about how we set sail on boats and stole countries. Exploited people for slavery and made some of the best serial killers known! That is WAAAAAY more appropriate than all this fantasy stuff!"

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 5:22PM

Funny, it sounded more like you were pissed that every nation on earth has been responsible for killing somebody else. And then bitching because of it.

Sorry, but you just come across as a whiney emo kid who can't stand who he his, where his parents came from, or how they got there.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 5:27PM

"Here, instead read about how we set sail on boats and stole countries. Exploited people for slavery and made some of the best serial killers known! That is WAAAAAY more appropriate than all this fantasy stuff!"

See its that kind of stupid crap that makes me unable to take you seriously.

And the whole point was YOU CAN"T CHANGE WHERE YOU CAME FROM. So nagging and bitching about HISTORY is pointless. Hence, you need to learn to DEAL WITH IT. Congradulations on finding the point, but not finding the point, in your second retort.

Feel free to try and create this great society of pansies unwilling and unable to fight for what they believe in. Then, when you clash with a society that is will and able, feel free to perish and go extinct.

We can all dream about the happy future where everyone is happy and nobody gets killed in war or domestic violence, but its never going to happen, ever.

Organic_Shadow @ Dec 17th 2007 12:25PM

Wow what a bunch of pre-schoolers. They're calling "no takesy backsies!" now?? So if Manhunt were all of the sudden changed to a game where you run up and hug people and give them a 'ticket out of hell' coupon it would still get a perma ban?

They should just change the name of the game. It would probably legally force them to have to do the process again and they would have to judge it based on it's content all over again. Just pester the heck out of them Rockstar!

James @ Dec 17th 2007 12:36PM

Rockstar leave the piss in the toilet and work on some proper pipe like GTA games.

XGM @ Dec 17th 2007 1:24PM

I mean whats the use, banned or not you can still get it on the internets.

Nekura @ Dec 17th 2007 1:48PM

This is why we need to keep rating out of the government's hands. Can you imagine the kind of censorship and red tape would be created if we let the yahoos in charge decide this stuff? They can barely run the country, let alone fairly judge game content.