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Manhunt 2

October 30, 2007 5:39 PM

(First off -- Forgot to post this quick GMA set-up piece on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee from this morning…)

Right now I'm crashing on an even shorter spot for World News on the latest offering from self-styled bad-boy videogame makers Rockstar Games.

"Manhunt 2" doesn't go on sale until tomorrow (Halloween) but it's already prompted the children's advocates/watchdog group Common Sense Media to warn parents to keep it out of the hands of kids.

Rockstar insists that the game "fits squarely within the horror genre and was created to be an entertainment experience specifically for those players mature enough to appreciate it."

That said, Rockstar did make changes to the game after it was given an "Adults Only" rating over the summer -- meaning many retailers wouldn't carry it. A castration scene was removed. Some of the more intricate depictions of graphic detail were blurred. Ouila -- the M rating came, opening up shelves at Circuit City, WalMart and Best Buy.

We were originally given 1:45 to do this story. Now we're told it needs to be even shorter -- closer to a minute! Yikes. We'll see if we can pull it off.

One last item before I go: I just emailed a spokesman for Rockstar whether gamers can stab people in the eyes with pens, strangle them with wire, or set fire to them?

His response?

"To describe a particular physical act in any form of entertainment, separate from the plot, is not representative of the complexity of the story line."

It's funny because it's true.

-- jpt

UPDATE: Here's the DOT-COM piece we wrote on the subject and our spot for the WEBCAST.

October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4)

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"Building" and creativity, although much more rewarding is seen as time-consuming, "geeky", etc. Until we convince the majority in our society that it is far more noble not to destroy then...?

For me? (and I love video games), this is so disappointingly, soul destroying!

Posted by: Human_Plain_And_Simple | Nov 7, 2007 5:36:15 AM

What is bad is that Manhunt 2 has received horrible reviews from the gaming community

plus this game is on the same level as many "torture horror" films such as the popular Saw series and Hostile. the movie rating system is nearly identical to the game industry since both have similar cut offs in age and no legal teeth. an once again those torture films are just as easy to get into kids hands and probably will more often then manhunt.

the worst part is these news reports are probably what will spark kids interests in the game.

Posted by: Matt Lucky | Oct 31, 2007 3:38:33 PM

And the complexity of the story line of Manhunt 2" would be comparable to that of "The Forsyte Saga"? The spokesman from Rockstar apparently was utterly unaware of the irony of his reply. In an industry where one of the more successful titles of several years ago
was "MDK" ("Murder, Death, Kill"), Rockstar is obviously giving the people what it wants. It's a pity that the public doesn't want something better.

Posted by: chuck | Oct 31, 2007 9:40:32 AM

I'm all for freedom of speech, but I'll admit, on a visceral level, I find this very disturbing.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Oct 31, 2007 8:41:41 AM

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