Posts Tagged ‘ifco’

Manhunt 2 To Be Released in the UK

Friday, March 14th, 2008

The controversial video game, Manhunt 2, is set to be released in the UK after the British Board of Film Classification, (BBFC), was forced to issue the game an 18’s certificate.

Following two previous rejections, the game developers, Rockstar Games, appealed the BBFC decision to the Video Appeals Committee. The appeals committee upheld a previous decision that an edited version of the game could be released. Based on this latest decision the BBFC had no choice but to issue the certificate that allows Rockstar to start selling Manhunt 2.

While the game may now be legal to sell in the UK, there still remains the issue of which retailers will be prepared to carry the title. Given the previous publicity about the level of gratuitous violence in the game, many of the larger game sellers may refuse to stock Manhunt 2.

This latest twist to the Manhunt 2 saga also raises issues for the Irish Film Censor: if the game is now “acceptable” within the UK, should the IFCO reconsider their decision to ban the game in this country?

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Media, Software, Windows | 2 Comments »

Manhunt 2 Banned in Ireland, UK

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

Manhunt 2, published by Rockstar Games, has become the first game to be banned in Ireland. It’s also become the first game to be banned in the UK.

In his decision the head of the Irish Film Censors Office, (IFCO), John Kelleher stated that “in certain films, DVDs and video games, strong graphic violence may be a justifiable element within the overall context of the work. However, in the case of Manhunt 2, IFCO believes that there is no such context, and the level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence is unacceptable.”

The Director of the British Board of Film Classification, (BBFC), David Cooke stated that “Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.”

The original game in the series caused a furore in the UK, when the parents of a a murdered school boy blamed Manhunt for the death of their son. Following the murder, some of the largest retailers in the UK withdrew the game from their shelves.

Rockstar games have 6 weeks to appeal the decision in the UK.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Media, Shopping, Technology | 1 Comment »