Those of you who are fans of the original Manhunt for the PS2 might have been looking forward to the sequal planned to be released on Wii and PS2. The problem? Frist, if you live in Europe your out of luck anyway. The game has been banned in Europe because of its extremely grpahic violent content. Which may be the reason that it is going to recieve an AO rating. This is bad news for those of you waiting for the game, becuase Rockstar is not going to release the game as it is now. They cannot release an AO game, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will not sell an AO game on there system. The big stores like Walmart and Target will not carry AO games. This means that Manhunt 2 will likely be delayed, but not cancelled (the game is pretty far along). Rockstar will have to tone down the content and hope the ESRB will give the game an M rating.
I've never played Manhunt (and I'm not sure I want to), but it is a prime example of why the AO rating is flawed. Shouldn't an AO rating simply mean you can't purchase the game unless you are over 18 years of age. Instead an AO rating means you will not be able to purchase the game. Why does this rating exist if that is its sole purpose? I know that it is fairly easy for some kids to get there hands on Mature and Adults Only content, but does the game really have to be toned down or axed altogether, never to see the light of day. Kids are already protected from this graphic content because of the rating system, M and AO rated games are not to be sold to minors, and the store clerk usually enforces this rule. Plus, the parents have a say in what content there kid has access to. My first M rated game was purchased Sunday, June 25, 2007. I'm fifteen years old. Most of my friends have been playing M games (and watching rated R movies as well) before they were even 10 years old. Just goes to show that parents have a lot of control over there kids.
