Most mass retailers, but it's in no way a ban. No more than porn or NC-17 movies are banned. Anyone (of age) who wants this game (and internet access) should have no problem finding this.

I'm sure that Rockstar will appeal or edit the game though. They would definately lose sales by not having it at mass retailers.

Yeah, I like the AO rating for this type of game as M rated games are sold so laxy by many stores (either selling outright to kids, or not explaining to parents that GTA might not be appropriate for their 8 year old who's standing next to them when they are buying it).

But the fact that most stores won't carry AO ratings complicates matters and isn't really fair.

While Manhunt is repulsively violent IMO, so are movies like Hostel and those get an R rating and are sold in the mass retailers rather than getting hit with an NC-17.

I've preordered this through Amazon. Will they still ship it since it has an AO rating?

I'm not sure about Amazon. I'd think they'd still get it even though they don't carry adult items, but who knows.

A far bigger problem than retailers is the fact that Nintendo and Sony's license agreements probably don't allow AO games. So Rockstar either a) wins the appeal, b) cuts it to get an M, or c) goes PC-only.

They've finished the games. They're due next month. No way they're going PC only with the Wii and PS2 versions already done. It sounds like they're only giving the Wii version an AO though?

They'll appeal.. then they'll edit. That's my guess.

I think the difference is, with this, you're actually in charge of the killing. I think that's why they banned it.

It's very interactive; even moreso with the Wii remote I imagine. You're basically performing the act with your hands in a way.

That's why I'm guessing it's banned. A movie you're more just watching. Not saying that's mentally healthy either, but I'm guessing that's what the difference is. It's not really interactive -- except for certain people who get off on playing "pocket pool" during the mass murder sections. I've encountered that before, and it's really why I don't see many films at the theater anymore.

I do agree that is is "worse," I'm just not sure it's enough "worse" to warrant stores not carrying it when they carry movies with content as bad or worse.

Pretty sure the rating is for all versions.

Man, that is some sick, nasty crap. I don't mind violence generally, but these games just seem...well...evil, for lack of a better word.

If they stay with an AO rating, I might consider buying it just to support the AO rating. I'd love to see more AO rated games.

The first one was a game that my buddy brought over when it first came out. It was pretty brutal but it got us thinking about how we didn't think games could really get more violent. I am certainly renting this one to see how they proved me wrong.

Sure, but everyone seems to be cool with chainsawing fuckers, Curbstomping their heads, and blowing their damn heads off in Gears of War. How many parents bought GOW for their kids, I wonder.

Oh yeah, the Manhunt series is "Evil". I see no difference between the 2 games, Violence is Violence....


This post isn't really directed towards you Anubis. Also, I love violent games.

Manhunts violence is just more "realistic" I guess. With the way it is depicted, the moaning, reactions etc.

Gears is much more "cartoonish" and over the top I guess. Espeically since most of the game is you killing insectoid beings.

It's the same with movies. The violence in something like Planet Terror doesn't bother me nearly as much as in something like Hostel.

Now I don't think either are wrong, should be banned etc. I just can't stomach some of it and stay away from it personally.

I hear you but still, Manhunt is no less "cartoonish" or "over the top". Both games were meant to give, "What the fuck did you see that?!" moments when killing enemies

I guess, but Manhunt doesn't give me that "what the fuck did you see that" reaction as it's just sadistic and repulses me.

Same with movies like Hostel.

Well, then what would you do if you found yourself stuck in a snuff film?

Killing aliens and killing humans are 2 completely different things as far as the ratings boards are concerned. It would be easier to compare Manhunt to Condemned: Criminal Origins, also on the 360 and easily available in the shelves.
You still kill humans in that game, in very violent ways, but maybe it's ok cause they all attack you first, and it's self defense.

Yeah but in Condemned you were killing bums, killing humans and killing bums are two different things as far as the ratings boards are concerned.

um... ok....

Gears of War, you are killing aliens, stopping an alien invasion. You are the good guys.

Manhunt, you are a convicted killer, released from death row on one condition: to make the best snuff film ever made. You are not out to save the world. You are not a good guy at all. You are a serial killer.

No difference huh?

Yeah I get that. It's like when George Romero said in the Dawn 78 dvd commentary that the cheap looking blood they used probably kept the censors off his back since it didn't look real.

Like I said, to me there's no difference between Humans and Aliens/Monsters. It's graphic violence either way. Not that I mind the violence because I can take it. but i'm just not buyin' the, "it's a different kind of graphic violence" BS.

True dat. It's the point of the game.

If you have to be 18 to buy the game, I really don't see the problem

There's nothing to buy here, it's just differing opinions. Or maybe more specifically, different emotional reactions people have to the content.

Maybe I'm just odd, as everything else equal I'd choose to play a less violent game (i.e. both a great, but I had more fun with Zelda than Gears of war, and being less violent is probably subconsciously part of that).

But again, I just can't stomach playing as a convicted murderer going around and very brutally murdering (many times essentially torturing to death) innocent people for a snuff film.

Both the motive for the killings, and they way in which they are carried out and depicted are just sick, demented and repulse me and shock me that people can play it without being repulsed.

In something like Gears, or most FPS games, the violence is often also a little to much for me. But I can stomach it as it's less graphic, it's usually a good vs. evils story so the motive is less repulsive, the people you're killing are usually trying to kill you etc. Again, I'd usually prefer to play something less violent, all things equal, but I can at least stomach these games.

To ME their is a clear difference in the types of violence, as they evoke totally different emotional reactions from me. So I can see the need for an AO rating for something like this as to me it seems far "worse" that the average violent game.

At the same time, I realize that such content doesn't repulse others and they can play it and get a kick out of it. While that disturbs me, I'd never call for it to be banned etc. Different strokes for different folks. I'm an adult and have the sense to avoid games and movies whose content repulses me. But I have not problems with the ratings reflecting the level of content.