Rockstar’s always controversial Manhunt series is back in the news. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) currently lists the PC version of the game with an “Adults Only” rating. The console version of Manhunt 2, released in 2008, initially received the same rating before Rockstar made changes that earned the game a “Mature” rating.

The 2008 game was banned in the United Kingdom and Australia because of its violent content. That led everyone from anti-violent game activist Jack Thompson to Sen. Hillary Clinton into battle to get the game banned in the states.

Confirming something most of us already know, a new study coming out of Villanova University indicates that motion controls do not increase aggression in people who play violent video games.

Certainly inspired by the controversy controversy surrounding the Wii release of Manhunt 2, a study titled “An examination of psychoticism and motion capture controls as moderators of the effects of violent video games” (Patrick M. Markey and Kelly Scherera, 2008, Department of Psychology, Villanova University) examined the “hostility and aggressive thoughts” in individuals while they played Manhunt 2 as well as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

According to the European Commission survey, Ireland is now banning violent video games.

The reason for banning violent games, according to the EU’s study of the implementation of Pan European Game Information ratings, is that many of the EU nations are not enforcing the age limits on the games identified by PEGI.

The only game currently known to be banned in Ireland is…

PC Authority writer Alex Kidman listed what he believes the five most violent games in last 25 years in a recent article. Instead of jumping to attention getting titles that have only been out for a few years, like Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat or Silent Hill, Kidman does his research and goes after some games which truly deserved their mature ratings. The five titles he lists as most violent/graphic are Custer’s Revenge, Night Trap, Carmageddon, Thrill Kill and Manhunt.

In the ongoing battle between the United Kingdom and Rockstar Games over the controversy of Manhunt 2, the legal battle over whether or not UK gamers get to play the less-than-stellar title has taking yet another turn. A UK high court has ruled that the Video Appeals Committee, which had granted Manhunt 2 an 18-certificate release in the UK, should reconsider their decision.

This new debacle comes from a interpretation of the word “harm” which the BBFC claims had been misinterpreted, resulting in an grave error of the law. This is just the latest round of back and forth debates and arguments between the…

The controversy that’s heated up the gaming world all summer has just received something of a happy ending. Rockstar and Take Two announced today (August 24, 2007) that a modified version of violent action title Manhunt 2 was awarded an “M” rating and an October 31, 2007 release date in North America. It will still bear content descriptors for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs” but the AO has been lifted.

Manhunt 2, (for those who have been living under a digital rock), was previously slapped with…

Poor, naughty Take-Two. The game company that gamers love and everyone else loves to hate has been served with a Wells notice by the SEC. That basically means T2 has an opportunity to try and convince the US Securities and Exchange Commission to not file charges against for previous stock practices. T2 received the notice more »

For those gamers who’ve followed the tragically comic progression of Manhunt 2 through the various dens of censorship, the announced death of the game’s launch date just goes to show that ignorance and arrogance are alive and well in the minds of the opponents of the video game industry.

These are the people who told you that the Columbine shooters wouldn’t have snapped if they hadn’t played Doom. These are the people who told you that rap music and the Sopranos are to blame for violence on the streets of urban America. These are the people who made a living pointing fingers and shifting blame. These are the people who peddled a crackpot theory of an inherent inability in the minds of young people everywhere to distinguish between fantasy and reality, between the pixel and the real world.

Bull…

Rockstar’s upcoming Wii game, Manhunt, will certainly be the topic for many heated discussions when it is released early this summer. But until then you can get your sadomasochistic grove on by hitting the link and checking out the recently released pics. From what I could tell it looks like the plastic bag of death more »