Manhunt 2‘s development began in 2004, a year after the release of the original Manhunt. The title was wracked with controversy almost from the start.

In March 2007, Manhunt 2 became one of Jack Thompson’s pet projects to bar its distribution along with Grand Theft Auto IV. However, Thompson gave up on that lawsuit after he was charged with contempt of court during his previous suit to have Bully, another Take Two game, blocked. In exchange for his promise not to attempt to block any other Take Two games, the contempt of court charges were dropped.

As information trickled out about Manhunt 2‘s release the following months, we discovered it was incredibly gory and incredibly sadistic…

Manhunt 2, Rockstar’s newest videogame, has been banned in Britain for “unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying”, according to the British Board of Film Classification. They have refused to give it a rating, essentially prohibiting businesses from selling it. Manhunt 2 is scheduled to be released on July 9, 2007, in the US for the Wii, the PS2, and the PSP. The ESRB hasn’t yet announced a rating for the game.

The only other game that was ever refused classification in the UK was Carmageddon by SCi, and that was eventually overturned on appeal. In the meantime, Carmageddon was released in an edited, toned down version.

Manhunt 2 features the main character being continually…