AO-rated Manhunt 2 would be unacceptable to Nintendo and Sony
Nintendo tried with the GameCube to
shed its image of being a video games system strictly for children by promoting
games such as Resident Evil 4. With the widespread success and family
appeal of the Wii, Nintendo may be facing another challenge on coming up with the
appropriate mix of games for the mature crowd and everyone else.
While Nintendo may be hoping that its
developers make mature games for the Wii, it may be getting more than it
bargained for with Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2.
In what could be the game with the
most controversy stirred before release, Manhunt 2 is already banned from sale and distribution in the UK,
recently also banned in Ireland, and is tentatively rated as AO for adults only by the U.S.-based
ESRB.
Although AO-rated games are legally
sellable in North America, the approval processes of Nintendo and Sony do not
allow such games to appear on its systems. Manhunt 2 is under development for
the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP, though the game would not be approved for
release by Sony or Nintendo.
“Games made for Nintendo systems
enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the
reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of
people,” read a Nintendo statement to the press. “But as with books, television
and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the
ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before
they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any
AO-rated content on its systems.”
Sony Computer Entertainment of
America responded to inquiries with a similar response, saying, “Currently it's
SCE's policy not to allow the playback of AO rated content on our systems.”
Of the 23 games ever to be given an
AO rating by the ESRB, only one has ever appeared on a home console. Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas, also from Rockstar Games, had its M for mature rating
changed to AO following the sexually explicit “Hot
Coffee” incident. Copies of the AO rated game were recalled from
retailer shelves and replaced with a version of the game without the adults
only content.
Even if Sony and Nintendo were to
allow the AO version of Manhunt 2 for play on their systems, retailers such as
Wal-Mart have a policy of not selling explicit media, which would severely
limit the game’s exposure to the buying public.
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