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Rockstar Games gets Manhunt 2 green lighted for release

Rockstar Games’ much maligned horror title Manhunt 2 appears to be on track for a release this Halloween.

Manhunt 2 was originally slated for release on the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP on July 10 but was temporarily suspended from release following ESRB rating the game AO for adults only. Rockstar Games was left with few options as it is Nintendo and Sony’s policy to not allow AO content on its systems. (Microsoft also carries the same policy, though there is no Manhunt 2 planned for the Xbox 360.)

Publisher Take 2 Interactive and developer Rockstar Games last week announced that it had submitted a modified version of Manhunt 2 to the ESRB, who has now rated the title "M" for Mature for ages 17 and older. The new rating is now acceptable by Sony and Nintendo, which paves the way for the game’s upcoming release this fall.

"Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games. "We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

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No 360 Version?
By FITCamaro on 8/27/2007 4:49:51 PM , Rating: 2
I wouldn't buy it since I'm not into that kind of game, but why wasn't there a 360 version made?




RE: No 360 Version?
By MattCoz on 8/27/2007 5:29:11 PM , Rating: 2
Why would they port a PS2 game to the 360?


RE: No 360 Version?
By Samus on 8/27/2007 6:59:49 PM , Rating: 3
I don't think Rockstar had devkits for 360 or PS3 during the final stages of production for Manhunt, so porting it wasn't budgeted. Keep in mind Manhunt has been under developement for almost two years, before the PS3 devkits were even released to developers... It might happen someday, it depends how successful it is at retail. But, I doubt it.


RE: No 360 Version?
By helios220 on 8/27/2007 5:34:00 PM , Rating: 3
If you look back at the article, the game is coming out for PS2, PSP and Wii. It's not that Rockstar is excluding the Xbox 360 as it is not coming out for the PS3 also.

It's just not coming out for those two particular next-gen consoles because the game is based off the engine from the earlier PS2 Manhunt game, i.e. it's not pretty enough to release as a PS3 or Xbox 360 game without Rokstar probably expending more effort than they would like.


RE: No 360 Version?
By encryptkeeper on 8/27/2007 6:00:30 PM , Rating: 2
Rockstar also isn't bound to exclusives for any console. GTA and (I think) Bully were ported to other consoles than the PS2 and so was their table tennis game (ported for the Wii).


RE: No 360 Version?
By FITCamaro on 8/27/2007 8:45:31 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah. I saw a 3 instead of a 2. My bad.


Unlocked content?
By davebeneteau on 8/27/2007 4:34:37 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder how long before someone "unlocks" all the supposed AO content. Im sure rockstar didnt bury it too deeply.




RE: Unlocked content?
By GoodBytes on 8/27/2007 4:42:46 PM , Rating: 1
The unlock content are:
- proper colored red blood.
- more of it.
- bone cracking SFX's

:)


RE: Unlocked content?
By GoodBytes on 8/27/2007 4:45:57 PM , Rating: 2
[edit]
NOTE: What said above is not true, rather a supposition.
[/edit]


RE: Unlocked content?
By Ringold on 8/27/2007 4:48:21 PM , Rating: 2
I'd almost buy a PC copy, if one existed, just to see what had all the censorship crowd so upset. Carnage much beyond Counter Strike, regardless of the quality of graphics, just gets ridiculous and starts being almost amusing anyway. That's if one finds such things amusing anyway; personally I get bored, more a 4X fan myself.

In fact.. I bet this thing will sell like mad, thanks purely to all the bad press -- created by people who hoped to see it buried. I love it.


Rockstar Sells Out
By GhandiInstinct on 8/27/2007 5:14:48 PM , Rating: 1
They know Manhunt 1 didn't sell well. They know they are tapping a niche market of gore fiends.

So why would they not distribute this online? The sales wouldn't make a difference but distribution costs would be lessened if they did it online.

So they decided to compromise art for a quick buck, they won't make more through retail than online on this since they're tapping a particular market, as they touted how the original was a work of art where a dedicated team spent so much time on blah blah blah.

I know like me, most of us would buy it for Wii or PC just for the brutality. Now that that's gone, I'll pass on Manhunt 2.




RE: Rockstar Sells Out
By kamel5547 on 8/27/2007 5:24:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
So why would they not distribute this online?


Because it isn't a retailer issue, it is a platform elegibility issue. FOr the PC they could potentially do something like this as there are no "acceptability" standards. For the consoles, you must obtain a license to sue the system as it is proprietary.


RE: Rockstar Sells Out
By TheCurve314 on 8/27/2007 9:16:34 PM , Rating: 3
Were the sales of the original so poor that they've decided to make a sequel? Modern game development -- especially with projects that cover multiple platforms -- is not exactly inexpensive. If sales are expected to be disappointing with this game and it costs a fair amount of money to make the game, I don't think anybody on the Manhunt team would be thinking about making "a quick buck." Unless you've got numbers to support yourself, I'm pretty sure Manhunt was a pretty successful seller, though "successful" is obviously a relative term, particularly when compared to the GTA series.

You say that Rockstar is compromising art, and I won't necessarily disagree with this. But remember that it was the ESRB who decided to rate the original cut AO and Sony and Nintendo (and Microsoft) who choose to not allow these kinds of games on their systems. So who is really at fault for this compromise of art? I don't think it's fair to single out Rockstar.

If the ESRB has stayed true to its history, the M-rated version will still be considerably violent. Why? The ESRB has traditionally placed the AO rating almost exclusively on games that contain some sexually-natured content (with the exception of one gambling game that I can think of). The game edits are likely only those that have some sexual element to them (such as severing a man's penis with pliars, a scene in the original cut), while the ones without any sexuality in them should stay. Of course, the brutality is reduced because of this, but you are kidding yourself if you honestly think it will be "gone" with the M rating. I'm guessing you've never played the original, which is rated M, and I think the controversy it generated (not to mention its banned status in multiple countries) speaks for itself about how gruesome it is.

Finally, if the sequel is like the original, those seeking out this game just because of its controversy should be prepared to be surprised. Manhunt, in my opinion, was actually a pretty solid game; several critics would agree with me. It was challenging, creative and, like most good games, fun. Here's hoping the sequel continues this.


By Beavermatic on 8/27/2007 6:07:04 PM , Rating: 2
I'm 110% positive the unedited, AO-rate version of the game will be released after mainstream popularity and $$$ flows in from sales on this version of manhunt 2...

It will wind up being some sort of "Directors Cut", "Special Edition", content...

better yet, they could just as easily dump it in a optional patch AFTER they sell the game... as making it mandatory would be illegal for altering the game back to AO, theres NOTHING wrong with releasing it via a downloadable (even for an additional fee if needed) optional "gore" pack for those that must...

or, as mentioned, just unlocked :)




By gyranthir on 8/27/2007 10:02:03 PM , Rating: 2
Since it won't be coming out for the consoles, the only option is PC.

If it does come out it will come out as a download only option. Like they did with the last Leisure Suit Larry.

I hope they do put out an adults only version for the PC and it sells so many copies that the console makers crap themselves over it.


"Well, we didn't have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system." -- Nintendo of America Vice President Perrin Kaplan

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