Posted by Rodney Flectcher on June 27, 2007 1:34 PM The iPhone is nearly here...
Finally, a line in the sand is drawn as Manhunt 2 gets (temporarily) kicked into touch Banned by the British Board of Film Classification and given an AO rating by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board, Take-Two Entertainment, the game s creator, has coyly announced it is temporarily suspending plans to distribute Manhunt 2. However, the company says this is a game that fits squarely within the horror genre and was intended to do so and the game is a fine piece of art . The BBFC called it a game of sustained and cumulative sadism and that it encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing .
Neither Sony nor Nintendo are impressed. AO games are not permitted on their consoles and it has been restricted from release. And well Nintendo should, given its biggest plug for the Wii was that you could feel the action with the remote control.
As such, someone playing Manhunt 2 on Wii (if the game had been released) would enjoy the feel of sticking a syringe, a pen, a knife or a shard of glass into a victim s neck. And let s not forget the part of the game set in a brothel where the main character is encouraged to kill prostitutes using a variety of objects. I do wonder if the people behind Manhunt 2 are familiar with the meaning of the word misogynist .
Of course the crew at Take-Two are squarely within the horror genre so perchance they feel that portraying sustained violence against women is acceptable - gosh, even normal! Defenders of Manhunt 2 could well point to the many horror/slasher movies Hollywood has churned out in the past and claim the game is simply how entertainment has evolved. And if you are going to target violence, you have to ask yourself just what was the final body count from the Rambo movies starring Sylvester Stallone.
Movies though only last for 90 or so minutes, don t actively encourage participation and physical engagement and do not involve the option of without-a-break watching that can stretch for hours. Here s a question for those of you with children. If your son, let s say he s 17, announced that to stay awake for an early Sunday morning sporting event he and three friends were going to watch the first three Rambo movies would you object?
What if one of your son s buddies had downloaded an illegal copy of Manhunt 2; would you let them play it? I wouldn t, because I think the very concept of Manhunt 2 is morally wrong and I applaud the BBFC for stopping the game in its tracks. I call the ban common sense.
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