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Tuesday, June 19 2007 @ 10:10 AM CDT
One of the most anticipated Wii games so far, Manhunt 2 from GTA-makers Rockstar, has officially been given the thumbs-down by the British Board of Film Classification today. According to the BBFC, because of the game's "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism", it will not permit the game to hit the UK market...unless Rockstar makes the necessary amendments and re-submits the game for classification.
"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.
"[Manhunt] 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.
“Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public."
The last video game to be rejected was Carmageddon back in 1997, although that decision was later overturned on appeal by the Video Appeals Committee.
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