Manhunt
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QuadrigaCX's missing millions is the messiest Bitcoin saga yet
If there's one thing the internet excels at, it's helping people forget the rules of Occam's razor. For many, there are usually no simple explanations for anything, and everything is a signpost to a grand conspiracy to do others harm. In the wake of one man's death, people on the internet have indulged their worst instincts, although what's worse is that this time, they might have a point. QuadrigaCX was one of Canada's largest Bitcoin exchanges, controlling assets believed to be worth around $200 million CAD. Unfortunately, Gerald Cotten, its co-founder and CEO, passed away in December 2018. Cotten was the only one who could access the company funds, leaving it unable to pay its creditors.
Humble is selling Rockstar Games on the cheap to save the rainforest
Want a way to pick up a bulk of Rockstar Games' back catalog and help a good cause? Then head over to Humble where donating $1 or more will get you Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: Vice City and the grisly stealth game Manhunt. Bumping up your pledge to $8.13 adds Bully: Scholarship Edition, GTA IV, GTA: San Andreas, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 to your haul.
Fujitsu's AI can help catch criminals on the run
When it's not being an austere provider of corporate IT services, Fujitsu likes to try its hand at a little bit of mad science. The latest project to come out of the firm's labs is an artificial intelligence that'll assign police units to specific locations during large-scale manhunts. Given that cities are large and there are never enough police around, the idea is to co-ordinate their efforts using big data and game theory. The only downside to all of this is that we might have seen the end of the bellowing police chief screaming orders at maverick cops with nothing to lose.
Sony brings PS2 classics 'Manhunt' and 'Bully' to the PS4
It was a big deal when Sony introduced PS2 backward-compatibility on the PlayStation 4 with the launch of Star Wars: Battlefront, but it's already old hat, apparently. With its latest PlayStation Store update, the company released Rockstar titles Bully and Manhunt without a lot of fanfare. As before, the games get "full 1080p up-rendering and enhanced features such as trophies, shareplay, remote play, activity feeds and second screen support for game manuals with 'PS Vita' or PS App." That means you'll get nearly the same experience as on a PS2, though Sony adds that "some features may not function properly."
PSN Tuesday: Metro: Last Light, Dust 514, Jacob Jones
It's quite the week for content on Sony platforms, with several major releases making their debut on the PlayStation Network today. Metro: Last Light, the 4A Games' sequel salvaged by Deep Silver, launches today. If you haven't had a chance to read our review yet, be sure to give that a gander. It's joined by CCP's EVE Online offshoot (get it?) Dust 514, available free to all PSN users. Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery eases its way onto PS Vita today as a $3 download, while Rockstar makes good on its promised Manhunt for $10. PlayStation Plus subscribers' freebie this week is Knytt Underground, which is flanked by discounts on both Metro: Last Light and a special pre-order price on Grid 2. For the full list of what's in this week's content dump, hit up the PS Blog through the source link below.
Manhunt goes to PS2 Classics on May 14
Rockstar North's stealth slash slaughter game, Manhunt, launches on PSN next week on May 14, available in the PS2 Classics section for $10. European PSN users will have to wait until Wednesday, when their store is updated. In the announcement post, Rockstar also says the next game up for re-release is The Warriors. Manhunt joins Bully, Midnight Club 3, Red Dead Revolver and various Grand Theft Auto games, all available on PSN now. The PS2 Classic generated much controversy when it launched in 2003 for its gruesome murder scenarios and animations – a few examples include suffocating enemies with plastic bags, strangling them with wire and eviscerating others with table saws. In 2007, Rockstar produced a sequel in Manhunt 2, which was banned in the UK for almost six months before it was cleared for launch.
RuneScape rings in the new year with 39 manhunts
It's almost over. RuneScape's year-long celebration of its 10th anniversary is coming to a close, and Jagex has great, wonderful plans to end it with a bang. Naturally, this translates into "developer manhunt" because why not? During New Year's Eve, players are encouraged to be on alert as the clock strikes midnight 39 times in each of the time zones across the world. Every time this happens, a special moderator's in-game location will be made known through Facebook, on Twitter and in RuneScape itself. Those who can hunt down and find this mod in time will be treated to a special celebration. The first clock to strike midnight on New Year's Eve is in Tokelau on Saturday, December 31st, at 5:00 a.m. EST. RuneScape players may wish to note that not all 39 "midnights" occur on the hour (this helpful website lays out the precise order). [Source: Jagex press release]
Rockstar collection 50% off through Steam this week
Haven't picked up Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City? For about the same price as the retail console version of the GTA IV expansion packs, you can get every nearly single Rockstar game in one massive, discounted bundle. The "Rockstar Collection" includes 13 titles, including Bully: Scholarship Edition, Manhunt, Max Payne, Midnight Club 2, and every Grand Theft Auto for PC -- including The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. This week, the bundle will be discounted to a mere $42.49, a considerable savings over the suggested $169.90 value for all the games combined. Considering the bundle includes rather new content, one can even consider this package ... a steal. [Via BigDownload]
Proposed Swiss game ban detailed, won't target all violent games
Until very recently, there had been a massive void in our knowledge about the violent game-banning bill which was recently ratified by Switzerland's National Council. With language stating it would outlaw the sale of games featuring "cruel acts of violence against humans and human-like creatures for in-game success," we feared it would constitute a ban on, like, everything. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case -- Swiss politician Evi Allemann recently explained in an interview with Swiss news site 20 Minutes (via GamePolitics) that the bill would only affect around 12 "individual games" with extremely graphic content, such as Manhunt and Mortal Kombat. Allemann commented that PEGI is "not enough," stating that Switzerland or even Europe needs its own body for video game ratings. Apparently, not everyone agrees -- the 20 Minutes article includes a link to a petition against the bill, as well as its adjoining measure which would outlaw the sale of PEGI 16 or 18 games to minors. We'd like to remind these petitioners that Swiss 16-year-olds can legally drink beer, so hey, let's not get greedy.
ESRB rates 'AO' version of Manhunt 2 for PC
Violent game poster child Manhunt 2 is headed to Windows PC according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board's online database. It appears to contain slightly different content from that found in 2008's M-rated console releases, as the PC entry has been rated "AO - Adults Only." Manhunt 2 initially had an AO rating in the States, but it was later changed to Mature (thus allowing it onto store shelves). Will the PC game feature all of the stuff that was deemed too mature for consoles? We've put in word to Rockstar for clarification and will update the story when we hear something.
Counting Rupees: Does controversy sell?
Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming: Another day, another video game banning controversy. Proponents of the ban, unsurprisingly, argue that eliminating the sale of controversial games prevents them from harmful exposure. Yet one of the main arguments against banning games is that they make them even more popular, causing people to take notice of the title and thus spurring more sales than if it had been ignored in the first place. So, what exactly is the impact of game bans on sales in the first place?Ideally, we'd be able to compare the sales of games pre- and post-ban and see how the regulation impacted them ... after accounting for all the other factors that might have also influenced sales at that time. The data we have don't really let us do that, though, so this is a slightly less scientific attempt to answer the same question, using some of the most controversial games of the past few years.
Manhunt 2 controversy rules out Saints Row Wii
The controversy that was whipped up over Rockstar's naughty Manhunt 2 may be more far-reaching than we originally thought; for example, it's pretty much scared Volition right off the idea of producing a Saints Row game for the Wii.Volition's Dan Sutton thinks that a Wii iteration of the crime epic would create little more than an unwanted hoo-hah, particularly with motion controls thrown into the mix. "With games like ours you get much more controversy when you add motion controls like you saw with Manhunt 2," remarked Sutton to CVG, before going on to explain how motion-controlled chainsaws and satchel charges probably wouldn't win many friends in the various regulatory bodies.So where do Wii-owning, virtual-hooker-killers turn now? Take-Two has already played down the idea of a Grand Theft Auto game on the Wii, and now one of the next best alternatives has been emphatically ruled out. Ooh, how about a True Crime game? Actually, just not caring sounds like a better option to that.
Manhunt 2 in the UK: Rockstar knows nothing about it
A lengthy, to-and-fro legal battle between the BBFC and Rockstar prevented Manhunt 2 from being released in the UK, with the BBFC eventually giving up and granting the game an "18" certificate in March. Having won its right to lop limbs clean off be released in Britain, it was no surprise that the title appeared in Nintendo's latest European release schedule this morning.But wait, for there's another twist to this twistiest of sagas! A Rockstar spokesperson contacted Eurogamer earlier today to reveal that it "has no confirmed release date set for Manhunt 2 in Europe." Ho boy. If any Europeans out there are beginning to feel particularly indifferent about Manhunt 2 at this stage, we can't say we blame you.%Gallery-3148%
Many call for BBFC to step aside from games following Manhunt 2 ordeal
Many folks think the ratings board should discontinue its work with video games, as they voice concerns over the decision to allow Manhunt 2 to be sold in the country. They feel the games classification process in the UK has some major issues. Many are even expecting the report of Dr. Tanya Byron, one of the country's most popular psychologists, to support a different ratings institution when she releases it later this month.Darren Waters, editor of BBC News' technology index, rips apart the BBFC, stating "The grudging nature of the BBFC's statement, that it now has "no alternative" but to grant the title a certificate, coupled with the fact the body went to the High Court, twice rejected the game itself and tried to overturn the original judgment of the VAC leaves the organization with its credibility bruised."Others have come through to voice their concerns, as well. General consensus seems to be that the new classification system will fall squarely on the shoulders of PEGI (Pan European Game Information), another games classification system that is completely voluntary on the part of the game developers.%Gallery-3148%[Via Go Nintendo]
The Manhunt is back on in the UK
Well, for those of you in the UK who wanted to enjoy the murder sim latest game from Rockstar, your time will come. Even with all of the fuss about the game going down in the UK, the BBFC's decision to ban the game in the country has somehow been overturned by the VAC (Video Appeals Committee), who have decided to affix an age 18 certificate to the title (meaning you have to be that old to purchase it).Although we've really heard nothing but bad things about Manhunt 2, surely some of you in the UK are happy to hear about this new state of affairs involving the game? Not like it matters, because thanks to the Freeloader, you could have just imported the game from North America.%Gallery-3148%[Thanks, Jon!]
Manhunt 2 UK ban officially lifted
After a tumultuous history of appeals, appeals, and more appeals, the British High Court has finally lifted the ban on Rockstar's controversial title Manhunt 2. The PS2 and Nintendo Wii versions of the game have been cleared for release in the UK, and will carry an "18" rating.The Video Appeals Committee has stood its ground regarding the release of the censored version of Manhunt 2, stating that it depicts no greater violence than any other release in Britain bearing an 18 certificate. The British Board of Film Classifications has finally seen the light, so it seems, and recognizes that the title will indeed land on shelves without further interruption.No word yet on when Manhunt 2 will finally be released in the UK, or if anyone still cares about last year's controversial game.
Manhunt actually getting released in UK
The perpetually banned Manhunt 2 will finally be released in the UK, after a lengthy battle against the BBFC. David Cooke, president of the BBFC stated: "As I have said previously, we never take rejection decisions lightly, and they always involve a complex balance of considerations. We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. "However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."Rockstar must be relieved that their game can finally be released -- however, after all the legal battles, we wonder if anyone will buy the poorly-reviewed title.[Thanks, Bill!]
Trucha Signer paves the way for game mods
Presented with a new toy to play with, Wii hackers have gone right to work producing a variety of game mods with the recently released Trucha Signer. For those of you out of the loop, the application allows programmers to run augmented games on chipped Wiis -- the gore-enabled Manhunt 2 mod is a good example of the software's possibilities.So far, a lot of the developments focus on making it easier to play pirated copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but there are a few non-piracy-related modifications, too: Change the credits and increase character speed in Mario Strikers Charged Play Manhunt 2 in Italian or German Swap character movesets in Super Smash Bros. Brawl Invincibility mode in Manhunt 2 So, once you're tired of pirating Super Smash Bros. Brawl, make sure to test these out!
Trucha Signer opens new Wii hacking possibilities
The Trucha Signer is the latest tool to hit the Wii hacking scene, enables kids at home to "modify the contents of a Wii ISO and then re-sign it with an electronic signature the Wii will accept." So, does this mean you'll be able to play pirated games without modding your console? No, not at all.From what we understand, whenever someone alters the code of a Wii game, the resulting product will not match its signature, and the disc will be rejected. Using an undocumented bug, Trucha Signer will resign the code of an adapted ISO (disk image for storing data on a CD-ROM), allowing you to load the disc successfully onto a modded Wii. We're not sure yet what's possible with this new development, but we've already heard a wide range of fantasy scenarios -- downgrading firmware, copying VC games, switching regions, etc.Already, GBAtemp forumer Mr.O has posted instructions for "enabling gore" in Manhunt 2 (chipped Wii required). Keep in mind that Nintendo can patch this exploit at any time with a firmware update. [Via GBAtemp]
Manhunt 2 one step closer to British unbanning
In America, it was quite the saga getting Manhunt 2 from AO-rated, system-excluded game an eventual, mediocre M-rated release. In Great Britain, though, the battle to get the game released continues to this day, though it is moving in Rockstar's direction.GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Rockstar has won its appeal of the BBFC's decision to refuse the game classification by a four to three vote. The game's not out of the woods yet, though -- the BBFC could still continue to defend it decision through further appeal to the High Court. "We won't make a decision until we've seen the full printed judgement," a BBFC spokesperson told GI.biz.
