14 DAY TRIAL // No wonder Jack Thompson is keen on killing the Manhunt franchise. I have to hand it to him, he may be right about this one, but not as much as he likes to believe. As it turns out (no, this piece of news is not about Thompson's crusades), the BBFC has rejected Manhunt 2, which basically means that it cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK. That's final.
The official post says that this is the first video game to be refused a classification since Carmageddon in 1997, when that decision was overturned on appeal by the Video Appeals Committee. Now, both PS2 and Nintendo Wii versions of Manhunt have been submitted. The decision was taken by the Director and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Lord Taylor of Warwick and Janet Lewis-Jones. Don't even ask...
Here's David Cooke, Director of the BBFC saying that:
"Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board's published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."
And they're quite right. Have you seen some gameplay footage, from the first installment? Scroll below to check it out, but be advised that you should not watch this if you're not of appropriate age. BBFC's Director continued:
"Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game's unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified '18' in 2003, before the BBFC's recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category."
The first Manhunt wasn't all peaches and pie either. Sometimes, I wonder how they let that one on the loose, too. GTA is... GTA, Manhunt is something else. I wrote a little piece on how games such as Manhunt (for the Wii in particular) can transform the console into a personal killing teacher. Check it out!
Of course, distributors do have the right to appeal the Board's decision regarding the rejection of Manhunt 2, but only under the terms of the Video Recordings Act. Quite frankly, I don't see a way out of this one for Rockstar.