14 DAY TRIAL // Back in June, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) banned Rockstar's violent horror title, Manhunt 2, while the ESRB gave it an AO (Adults Only) rating as far as its console versions were concerned. The developer of course reduced some of the graphical detail in order to give it a proper launch on consoles and so the ESRB approved Manhunt 2 for release in the states. The BBFC however, still hold their position towards the game's negative influence and this time, because of the gameplay itself.
The report comes courtesy of website ninty.net, which quotes David Cooke, Director of BBFC as stating the following:
"We recognise that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version. The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient. There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the 'execution kills', but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature."
Cooke added that they "did make suggestions for further changes to the game, but the distributor has chosen not to make them, and as a result we have rejected the game on both platforms." Both platforms being...? "The decision on whether or not an appeal goes ahead lies with the distributor," he concluded.
I may be wrong saying this, but on a scale from one to ten, I'd give this situation a 9 pointer for putridness. There's no way in hell Rockstar is altering their product again, only to appeal the BBFC. More than that, David Cooke himself stated that "the distributor has chosen not to make" any more changes, while this hasn't been classified as official word from Rockstar.
Guess you'll have to find other means to play your sadistic title now, European console gamers!