Manhunt's "M" Rating: What Are We Really Missing?
Late last month it was announced that Rockstar Games had bypassed the ESRB "AO" kiss of death for their upcoming game Manhunt 2. Its predecessor did contain an excess of carnage in ways best suited for mature audiences free of mental defect, but like many people I consider an Adult Only rating reserved for games best described as pornographic. This perception has also led myself and possibly other to wonder what exactly was revised to constitute a reevaluated "M" rating.
The folks over at IGN covered just this question in their article Manhunt 2 Wii Update. Having previewed both the AO and M revisions of the titles, we are told about how little about the game itself has changed. The mechanics are still the same, players are still given a gesture killing system and carnage still splatters on Danny's (the protagonist) clothing. Things that have changed since the revision can both be described as completely reasonable to mildly disappointing.
One of the most reasonable changes I can think of required one death scene to be removed. The sequence in question involves Danny, armed with a pair of pliers, forcibly removing a mans testes. This is one of those things that in retrospect makes perfect sense. The let down involves the parts that didn't get removed. Portions of the game of extreme violence have so heavily censored that their presence is almost needless. A heavy blur filter and darkening of scenes obscure thing so heavily players will almost have to guess what is happening. While I don't personally take pleasure in watching people get mutilated the game is designed to provide these animations as a short-term reward system.
Rockstar has always pulled through as far as satisfying their fan base while skating the fraying edges of ESRB rating system's limits. What is left in tact should keep fans of the previous title happy and provide them with exactly what they would expect from a sequel. Manhunt 2 is scheduled to be release on October 31st. The target platforms include the Wii, Playstation 2 and the PSP.
[via Joystiq]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 12 September 2007
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: comparison, manhunt, ratings, wii
wow, the PSP version of this should be awesome. Portable mutilation, torture and murder.
Why do game developers make games with the adult rating?