By now, the news surrounding Manhunt 2 and the hack that made it possible for PSP gamers to "unlock" the AO content within the game has circled the world. The news has of course hit retailers' ears as well and one retailer in particular has recently pulled Rockstar's violent title from its shelves, because of the respective hack allowing gamers to view content not approved by the ESRB.

A Target spokesperson was tracked down by GameSpot. He has revealed the following:

"Target strives to provide merchandise that will appeal to a wide variety of guests. We also want guests to be comfortable with the purchasing decisions they make at Target," the company spokesperson stated.

"All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) - from early childhood through mature audiences. While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code. As a result, we have decided not to carry the game," he added.

In an earlier piece of mine, I tried as much as I could to remain objective while speaking about the AO content within Manhunt 2 from an editor's point of view. A video depicting dozens of cruel and sadistic ways of rendering victims lifeless in this game of Rockstar's shows exactly why the BBFC (UK's rating board) has banned the game not once, but twice from the market.

Games such as Silent Hill Origins and Resident Evil (Biohazard) 4 feature quite similar display of violence and suffering, yet the context says it's the bad guys who do it, while you merely try to escape the terror. In Manhunt 2 however, players are not only thrown in the shoes of a character capable of some of the most gruesome acts of murder, but the game's plot doesn't fully explain why the casual sadism is necessary.

With respect for the renowned developers of the GTA series, we can only contend retailers pulling the PSP version of the game from their shelves, for they themselves will keep a clean record, while gamers will have a clear impression of what is right and what is wrong in this already messed up society of ours. Taking a human life so easily and moving on to the next kill isn't something teens today should be taught by a video game. Not so graphically explicit anyway...