Manhunt 2 Approved for Launch in the UK

Not long after the Video Appeals Committee allowed the appeal by Rockstar against the board's rejection of Manhunt 2, "the violent video game featuring blood-spattered scenes in an asylum is set for release in Britain," according to Yahoo News. Reportedly, its makers finally won an appeal against censors on Monday, and so UK gamers are getting their chance to play it.

It's well known that Manhunt 2 is the first video game in a decade to be banned in Britain. However, the game was rejected not once, but twice by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) this year, on the count of demonstrating "casual sadism" and an "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying."

However, as the same report goes, the game's creators, Rockstar Games, "famous for producing the acclaimed 'Grand Theft Auto' series, were successful in an appeal to the Video Appeals Committee which overturned the BBFC's decision," not saying much about how exactly they managed to turn things their way. Still, it has been confirmed that the actual reasons for the ruling will be published within the next few days.

A Rockstar spokesperson even stated that the company was pleased with the decision (nhaaa...!), adding that Rockstar was committed to marketing its products "responsibly." Well of course they're pleased with having their game released where demand is great.

Anyway, just so you know, Manhunt 2 has had an uncertain future since the first trailer and screens were out. When the BBFC first banned the game in the UK, North America's ESRB granted it an AO (Adults Only) rating, crippling it for life. No way this game was going to sell having an AO mark stamped on it. As such, Rockstar went back to the drawing board and tweaked it up, or should we say, tweaked it 'down' a bit, as far as the gore went.

The final version of the game still looked too violent to the BBFC and so they decided to reject it again. The ESRB on the other hand, indulgently gave it an M for Mature, allowing its release for consoles in the States.