14 DAY TRIAL // UK life has not been easy on Manhunt 2. It's a positively violent game and the Brits tend to frown upon the kind of gratuitous violence Manhunt prides upon. And the BBFC, the British Board of Film Classification, has initially ruled that the game posed "a significant risk of harm" that made it unsuitable for sale in the UK.
In the United Kingdom, the BBFC is the sole organism responsible for rating media products so as to limit their availability to some audiences, be the products movies or games. When a product is deemed to dangerous for release, the Board can refuse to issue a classification and effectively ban the release of the product. Manhunt was first submitted in June 2007 and the graphic content depicted in-game has been cited as the reason for the game being refused a classification.
Rockstar at once stated that there was no difference between the level of violence in Manhunt 2 and the level of violence which could be found in other products that are rated 18+, like the popular Saw movie series. It then submitted an edited version of the game for evaluation, which the BBFC also rejected.
After a rather lengthy legal battle, which involved the Video Appeals Committee and a judicial review of certain decisions, the BBFC is now obliged to rate the game 18+ and then grant it permission to be sold in the United Kingdom.
The decision states that the level of violence within the game is not greater than the level of violence within other media products, mainly movies. The double standard which was originally set for Manhunt 2, on the basis of it being a videogame, have now been eliminated. In the UK, the decision regarding Manhunt 2 sets a legal precedent and makes it harder for censors to restrict the sale of games that depict violence.