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Calif. Sen. Leland Yee favors AO rated games on consoles
Why have an AO rating if it can't be used? As Joystiq reported during the height of the first round in the Manhunt 2 controversy, AO rated games won't even be licensed for consoles. Forget retail and rental, the consoles themselves won't allow AO rated games, so there is a rating floating out there only available for PC games. Architect of the California game law, Leland Yee, is wondering what's going on there and why console manufacturers won't allow the rating and so is Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost.GamePolitics got a statement from Senator Leland Yee's office saying, "The ESRB just refuses to use the AO rating for violence despite the descriptor calling for such a rating when there are 'graphic depictions of violence.' ... Combined with the use of the ambiguous term 'Mature,' many parents are left with a false sense of how violent an M-rated game may be." Now if Yee had been focused on forcing console makers to allow AO rated games on their systems instead of making unconstitutional game laws, that's something adult gamers could backup and go along with. Many games deserve an AO rating, how those determinations play out would still happen behind closed doors at the ESRB, but at least publishers wouldn't consider an AO the absolute kiss of death like they do now because the game would at least be able to play on the systems. It's a far deeper and more complicated issue involving educating retailers on what a new version of AO would mean, but at least this weird self-imposed censorship would fade into the distance.
ESRB responds to Manhunt 2 rerating complaints
The ESRB is moving to put out the bizarrely intense flaming body of controversy caused by rerating Manhunt 2 as M rated. The re-rating happened following review of a "modified version" of the game. Advocacy groups like CCFC and political-crusader Leland Yee have demanded US government intervention by the Federal Trade Commission. The ESRB has now released a statement (full text after break) attributed to ESRB president Patricia Vance.Vance says in the statement, "The FTC, the national PTA, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Peter Hart Research have all found that parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the ESRB rating system. Rather than publicly second-guessing what is unmistakably a strong warning to parents about the suitability of a particular game for children, which presumably neither Senator Yee nor CCFC have personally reviewed, we feel a more productive tack would be to join us in encouraging parents to take the ratings seriously when buying games for their children." Yee and the advocacy groups would have such a better leg to stand on if the movie industry in the US were handled in a more "transparent" way. The Motion Picture Association of America has had a secret society for decades rating movies (see This Film is Not Yet Rated for more details). It just doesn't make sense to hold the video game industry to a completely different standard than films, especially considering the prevalence of torture porn is far less in video games.[Via Press Release]
Manhunt 2: conspiracy theories from AO to M
With the re-rating of Manhunt 2 from AO to M, some people are livid, some excited, others just want to make a tub of popcorn and watch the sparks fly -- then there are the conspiracy theorists. GamePolitics has a rundown of their theories following people's concerns that the Halloween release date of Manhunt 2 is just a little too perfect; many believe the game probably would have fallen underneath the radar this holiday season without its saga of controversy. One GP commenter said, "The whole timeframe stinks to high heaven ... Its gonna sell several times the number of copies than it probably deserves."Find the conspiracy theories after the break
Manhunt 2 trims down to Mature rating for October release
The New York Times called this one -- a slimmer, sleeker, and we can only guess happier Manhunt 2 will hit shelves, appropriately enough, on Halloween. The ESRB issued a new rating for the game, lowering the Adults Only tag to Mature, which clears the game for release. The game's fate in Europe, where it was banned in several countries, is as yet unknown, but we expect to hear some news on that front soon. The entire debacle, though cleared up, is still disheartening. With the number of adult gamers increasing all the time, and comparisons between game and film content demonstrating the vast difference in standards, we hope that someday, something in the system will change. For now, however, it seems publishers and developers, and indeed, all of us, are at the mercy of the ESRB and the standards of Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. [Via Joystiq; image found here.]%Gallery-3148%
The chilling effect of the AO rating
Game|Life's Chris Kohler has written a feature for Wired about the effects of the Adults Only rating on not only Manhunt 2, but the development and marketing of all mature-oriented games. He contends (accurately) that because the AO rating reduces to near zero the ability of a company to sell games, and because more attention has been paid to adult content in games since "Hot Coffee," publishers are trimming back the adult content of their games out of fear of the AO. This, of course, means that the rating that was nominally put in place to remove any need for censorship is instead creating that need.The most shocking example is the Leisure Suit Larry Collection for the PC, which is incomplete because of concerns that Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail!, which contains a single scene of brief nudity, would push the collection into AO territory, despite the fact that the game had already been given an M rating in 1996. Well, that's not the only omission. The collection also doesn't include the original EGA version of the first Larry game, nor does it appear to include The Laffer Utilities or Leisure Suit Larry's Casino, but we chalk that up less to censorship and more to Vivendi just being lazy.
Take Two chairman speaks about Manhunt 2 and Wii at E3
Take Two's Strauss Zelnick sat down with Dean Takahashi recently, where his new role as company CEO was discussed. Of course, Dean also finds time to grill him on hot topic Manhunt 2. Then the discussion moves along to companies he admires, as well as the Wii and E3. As far as interviews go, it tackles a lot of ground.Zelnick has some interesting things to say based on the ESRB ratings, though, especially when it comes to the subject of self-censorship. Zelnick thinks that, in regards to the AO rating, "I'm not sure it is good for consumers either. The AO rating was not intended when it was developed to mean a non-rating. That wasn't the point. If you can't market it because you aren't allowed by the licensors or the retailers won't carry it, then the rating doesn't have any meaning." [Via Go Nintendo]
Manhunt 2 looks a lot more fun since the ESRB incident
It appears that rather than attempting to appeal the ESRB's AO rating, Rockstar has decided to lose some of the violent content from Manhunt 2. In fact, they've gotten it all the way down to E. In our opinion, the changes seem to be for the better. We play games about killing dudes all the time. But when was the last time you played a game where, using the Nintendo Wii's innovative motion controller, you held someone down and forced them to take an adorable puppy? Never, that's when. This is the kind of thing we want to play-- creepily-intense-niceness simulators. Put us down for one copy.... yeah, we know. [Via Level Up]
NY Times says R-rated movies are gorier than AO Manhunt 2
The NY Times got to get their hands on Manhunt 2 recently and they walked away wondering what the whole AO fuss was all about, as they say most R-rated flicks have got way more gore. Writer Seth Schiesel says that "banning the original version of Manhunt 2 may be a good way to demonstrate that the industry can police itself. Side by side, though, movies seem to be way ahead of games in delivering top-notch gore." How does Schiesel come to this conclusion?He rents a copy of Saw II for comparison's sake. He says the first scene (we never watched it) has "a young man in a bleak cell being taunted to find a key by digging into his own oozing eye socket. If he does not yank out the key in 60 seconds, his head will be crushed in a spiked metal 'death mask' around his neck." Schiesel says the game probably got the rating because the ESRB only saw footage from the game and didn't actually play it (GASP!), and believes that it won't be hard for Rockstar to edit the game down to a Mature rating in time for the holiday season.See also: NIMF hails Manhunt 2 rating as 'victory' for parents[Via Joystiq]
NIMF hails Manhunt 2 rating as 'victory' for parents
The National Institute on Media and Family, an advocacy group that tasks itself with monitoring media for content they deem dangerous to children, is pleased with the ESRB's decision to rate Manhunt 2 as AO. They have previously criticized the ESRB for their lack of use of the Adults Only rating in their 2005 Video Game Report Card.In their statement, the NIMF said "Hopefully Take-Two has learned from its Manhunt 2 experience and will undertake preventive measures to ensure its future games, including Grand Theft Auto IV, are appropriate for families and gamers." Does that sound like a threat to anyone else?The fact that the AO rating basically bans the game isn't directly mentioned, but we think that might have something to do with their advocacy of its use. But since the game can no longer be released in its original form, the only "victory" here is for censors, which the NIMF explicitly claims not to be.
Newsweek's Croal, MTV's Totilo hands-on with Manhunt 2
Newsweek's N'gai Croal hasn't been afraid to defend his tastes on his LevelUp blog. The site's Vs. Mode debates feature some of the best back-and-forth gameplay analysis to be found anywhere. So when Croal and MTV News game writer Stephen Totilo got to play the first few levels of Manhunt 2 at Rockstar's office, you know the resulting conversation is going to be good.Totilo's portion includes some graphic descriptions of the asylum escape in level one, which includes scenes of public urination, in-cell hangings and stealth kills via syringe and axe-based decapitation. The protagonist isn't completely cold to his role, though -- Totilo describes how he "watched Daniel vomit because of his quick-passing guilt."Most of the discussion so far, though, deals with the game through the lens of comparative media studies, comparing it to controversial movies like Natural Born Killers and Taxi Driver. Croal and Totilo both harp on the idea of organizations like the BBFC and IFCO and companies like Nintendo and Sony imposing content decisions on consumers. As Croal aptly puts it, "Unless they have good reason to believe that this game is an imminent threat to the public order, or that it will in and of itself incite adults to violence, [the BBFC and IFCO's] decision seems to me to be based on taste, and I will never believe in substituting anyone else's tastes for my own." Amen!
Remembering Thrill Kill, the 'other' violent AO-rated game
Searching the Entertainment Software Rating Board website by the Adults Only rating yields only two games without strong sexual content or mature sexual themes: Peak Entertainment Casinos for featuring "gambling" and Thrill Kill for Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence.Game Revolution has found a video of the PlayStation One title which never saw the light of day -- not a good sign for the recently AO-ed Manhunt 2. More information can be found on the Wikipedia entry; video (NSFW) embedded after the break.[Via Game Politics]
Take Two's Zelnick: Manhunt 2 is 'fine piece of art'
Following the lead of developer Rockstar, Manhunt 2 publisher Take Two has come out in support of the game in light of restrictions on its sale in England, America, Ireland and likely bans in Australia and Germany. Take Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said in a statement that the game's content "fits squarely within the horror genre" and "is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers."A fine enough defense, but Zelnick went even farther in support of the game, saying it "brings a unique, formerly unheard of cinematic quality to interactive entertainment, and is also a fine piece of art."We haven't played the latest Manhunt game so we can't really judge it on its artistic merits just yet. That being said, the whole idea of games as art is a pretty thorny subject as it is. Throw it in with the "do game cause violence?" debate currently raging around Manhunt 2 and you've got a perfect storm of controversy liable to melt message board servers the world over.Which is, of course, what Take Two probably wants right now. Remember that 2 Live Crew's "As Nasty as They Wanna Be" went on to sell over two million copies due in part to the controversy over its racy lyrics. If Manhunt 2 is eventually released for sale, in any form, you can bet all the controversy surrounding it will only make it more desirable to its potential audience.
Wii Warm Up: If gamers are aging, should AO games be okay?
With all the recent controversy over Manhunt 2, we can't help but think that maybe it's time to relax a little when it comes to games rated AO (Adults Only). The average age of the modern gamer is rising all the time, and we all know that games are no longer just for kids. The Entertainment Software Association has some interesting statistics on just who is buying -- and playing -- games these days; according to them, 83% of all video games are purchased by someone who is over 18, and 69% of the gamers themselves are over 18. Despite the growing number of adult gamers, however, the industry still remains behind the times on the issue of mature titles. We're interested in hearing what you have to say on the issue. It's not about whether or not we think this particular game is appropriate -- we know some of you are pretty anti-violence, and we respect that. It is, however, a matter of intellectual freedom. In America, we have movies that are restricted to adults, and books and magazines that are restricted to adults ... so what's with crippling games for adults?
Nintendo says no to AO Manhunt 2
We take it back -- Manhunt 2 is in a more dire situation in the US than we first thought, because Nintendo will not even license or allow playback of the controversial title with an AO rating. Looks like Pachter was right: Rockstar is going to bleed money over this title, because they're either going to have to scrap the game altogether, or simply edit Manhunt 2 down until they can wrangle another rating. It's not just Nintendo, either -- Sony's taken the same hard line on Manhunt 2. Looks like poor Daniel Lamb and Leo Kaspar are at risk from more than just the Pickman Project.
Nintendo and Sony won't touch Manhunt 2 with AO rating
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_and_Sony_won_t_touch_AO_rated_Manhunt_2'; Forget retail and renting, if Manhunt 2 maintains its AO rating it won't even be allowed licence or playback on Nintendo's Wii or Sony's PlayStation. In Nintendo's own Nintendo Buyer's Guide the company clearly states, "Please note that Nintendo does not sell or license games that carry the ESRB rating 'AO' (Adults Only)." Joystiq also spoke with Sony spokesman Dave Karraker who stated, "Currently it's SCE's policy not to allow the playback of AO rated content on our systems." Manhunt 2 won't be available on Microsoft's consoles.And that's the ballgame: Rockstar can either edit Manhunt 2 or -- given its current AO rating -- leave it as a game that can't easily be played or obtained on the PlayStation 2, PSP and Wii consoles. Given the options available to Rockstar, it looks like they'll have no choice but to edit the game or just end Manhunt 2's life and move on.We asked Microsoft to comment on their AO policy, but they had not yet responded by the time of publication.Update: Full statement from Nintendo regarding this story after the break.
The shunning begins for Manhunt 2
Our esteemed colleagues at Joystiq spoke with the excellent online rental service GameFly about their plans to carry Manhunt 2, or, more to their point, their plans not to. According to a GameFly rep, "GameFly as a general policy does not carry AO rated titles." That makes sense, since they only serve customers 18 and up and deliver games directly to said customers' homes. And to be clear, by "makes sense" we mean "doesn't make any sense at all."Blockbuster isn't going to carry it either, but that's less of a surprise. Blockbuster has a long-standing policy of not carrying NC-17 or equivalent movies.
Manhunt 2 gets AO rating from ESRB
After being rejected by the BBFC in the UK, Rockstar's Manhunt 2 is seemingly getting banned in America as well. According to Game Politics, the "murder simulator" is getting an AO (Adults Only) rating, which effectively bans it from all major video game retailers.Take Two games will certainly fight this decision as fiercely as possible in the coming days. Remember, the game's release is supposed to be only a few weeks away ...[Via Joystiq]
Manhunt 2 rated AO by ESRB
Manhunt 2 isn't in as dire a situation in the US as it is in the UK, but it's close. The ESRB has labeled Rockstar's controversial game with an AO "Adults Only" rating. If the game ships with this rating, most retailers will refuse to carry it, cutting sales massively. The only other console game to have an AO rating in stores? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was re-rated following the Hot Coffee scandal, and quickly re-released in an edited form.Rockstar has the option to appeal the rating, or they can edit the game and resubmit it. We doubt they'll release the game at AO, because they like selling their products.[Via Joystiq]
