I bet Rockstar is extremely happy with all of the press Manhunt 2 is getting. There will be many people who buy the game just to see what all the fuss is over (I'm one of them, lol).

What a load of crap. It's called parental responsiblity, if I had kids I wouldn't let them play this game but as for me I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Maybe Manhunt is different, but.......

Stupid Rockstar and their lack-luster games. I wish I could program mediocre games and still sell millions of copies to a legion of hardcore fans. Rockstar has been at the focal point of the media ever since GTA 3 first became available. Little publicity stunts like this are what make their games popular. Seriously, how violent can a game be [sic]? QUIT MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT! Anyone who isn't a wannabe member of the 700-club or the "moral majority," knows that video games are harmless, regardless of violence, language or content. All this BS (for lack of a better acronym) is fodder for a bunch of old men to reach into your pocket, make some laws, and further restrict what we can/can't do in our FREE country out of public ignorance and fear. If they wouldn't get that old man in Florida all wound up, P.R. stunts like these would go completely unnoticed.

Seriously, if one day you saw a new game called R.A.P.E (Rape And Pillage Everything), would you buy it? What if it was a completely terrible game, bad graphics, horrible mechanics, almost unplayable, no-name company, and it looks 5 years old but it glorifies raping women? Something tells me that it would just get put on the bottom shelf, nobody would buy it, and nobody would even care what it was about. Maybe a few articles would get written, but nobody would really care. It wouldn't get banned, no commotion, nothing. But what if it were released by Rockstar? I guarantee that it'd have been banned in every country with a government, leaked to the internet, they'd release a "toned-down" copy, someone would hack it to its original state, everyone would get all up in a fit about censorship, and the cycle would repeat until nobody cared anymore.

Just like the Playstation 2's dubious "could be used to power an intercontinental ballistic missile (yeah, a Pentium 3 would've been far to slow for that [rolling eyes]), GTA 3's "dead-hooker reward system," GTA: SA's "hot coffee," Bully's "bully system," or, well, EVERY Rockstar game except that terrible ping-pong game and some old or obscure titles that nobody knows/cares about. ROCKSTAR IS A PUBLICITY WHORE!!!! Like a shaved-head Brittney, they cry for publicity to sell their average-at-best titles.

Now, I completely agree on PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. Do your job as a parent and don't let your kids do things that aren't acceptable by your standards. But don't try to stop ME (an adult) from enjoying whatever it is that may amuse myself by creating laws, banning products and acting like...well....CHILDREN! Go stick your hand in someone else's pocket. Put your money towards an education instead of a lawyer.

Listen closely, people: No matter how "responsible" a parent you are, your kids will actively seek out "good and bad." Take it from someone who used to peddle porno magazines and cigarettes in middle school: Weather it be death, violence, sex, drugs, music, or whatever you think is inappropriate; your child WILL find these on their own if THEY WANT to. Children are amazingly resourceful; I guarantee, that nearly all you parents out there would be GREATLY surprised at what knowledge your child has about things they "shouldn't know about." Try not to be like my parents were. Take your head out of the sand and try to TEACH your children these things instead of protecting them from the inevitable.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...The only reason that they are having such a problem is because of the Hot Coffee mod. There have been times in the past that an artist (I use the term loosly) has been repressed because of previous content. When albums first started to recieve the Parential Advisory stickers, an artist's (I can't remember who, saw it on VH1) album was given a PA sticker...even though it was an instrumental album (no words at all).

In all honesty, I agree with the Tom's Hardware video review saying that the preview that they saw was no more violent than the first Manhunt (I believe they said that it seemed to be less violent). The game is probably less violent than the first, but because of the first Manhunt and the Hot Coffee mod, our wonderfull bureaucracy (note, I did not say government) deemed it AO.

Maybe it's just me, but when an organization that is responsable for the rating of a game, doesn't even play the game (they just look at a few clips and pictures) they shouldn't be allowed to rate the game. I'm all for a rating system (mostly because some parents can't keep an eye on what their children are watching, playing, or listening to), it keeps minors from being exposed to something they can't handle (because of their maturity level...something a parent should understand/know about). Make it stiff grading process, but also make the rating on a finished product (so the programers know where the problems are)...a product that the rating board should play.

Also, M shouldn't be 17, it should be 16. In all honesty, what's the difference between 16 and 17, and 17 and 18? Yeah it's a year and a lot can happen in a year, but that "a lot" only happens to a few, not the majority. Having an M rating at 16 seems more resonable because more kids would have a "change" in two years rather than one. As I said, if a kid is not mentaly prepared the night before their 16th birthday, will they be in the moring...will they be in a year...

"given Rockstar’s history of creating and selling irresponsibly violent and graphic content – you need look no further than Grand Theft Auto and the infamous Hot Coffee incident for evidence"

Talk about a logic fallacy. This guy is talking about Manhunt 2 - a violent game - and mentions Hot Coffee. Yes, he says "graphic", but considering the violent nature of Manhunt, Hot Coffee is completely irrelelvant. It really makes me mad when people can't even be logical in their arguments. I don't think I'd buy Manhunt, but I do hope alot of other people do, just to stick it to the man.

I think they should eliminate ESRB, and just let games fly with M ratings... If only MS, Sony, n Nintendo would be ok with AO ratings.. Then it would be all good. There are more gamers that are 18+ then 17 and below.. The MPAA should totally get bashed as well.. I think this is just sad that a movie like "Hostel" can get away with crazy unbelievable footage.. Yet a game that is far away from being real yet just as crazy can't be released... Its non-sense.. The ESRB doesn't even play games, that said, they shouldn't even have the right to RATE them either.. I think perhaps turning this over to actual gamers who play games to give it its ratings should be the ones to give it its proper rating.. absurd BS!!! thats my 2 cents.

The game is rated M, which means no minor under 17 may buy it. I don't see what the fuss is about. No kids will be playing this game unless their parents buy it for them. Heck I am 19 and was carded picking up Gears of War a couple of weeks ago.

An M rating on a game is no different than an R rating for a movie. I don't see anyone freaking out about black christmas, chainsaw massacre, hostel 1 or 2(particularly bad), or the hills have eyes 1 or 2. You know why? These movies are for adults 17 and up... same as an M rated game.

These stupid senators are just looking to pick up votes with these 'video game crusages' they keep going on. This is no different than the claim we always hear from presidential hopefuls: "We need to put more money in the education system and lower taxes!"

I move that Black Christmas be stricken from your list due to how bad of a movie it was. I wouldn't even classify it as a B movie. I'd say it's a porn without the sex.

"Take your head out of the sand and try to TEACH your children these things instead of protecting them from the inevitable."

Right on. The poster who said this about sex and all other things has it right. Children and teenagers ARE curious about sex and 'negative' (a value judgement by the most conservative) and ARE going to find a way to experience those things.
It's time to realize that children are JUST AS ABLE OR UNABLE to deal with negative things as adults are.
We have to realize that and allow children to experience things and make their own value choices in most cases, especially concerning sex and who they do it with or whether they do it at all.
Now, in regards to violence, I have no problem with children seeing extreme violence in games or movies. I just tell them that it is okay in games and movies, but NOT in real life, and 99% of them understand that.
The 1% who don't, usually have home lives where actual violence in real life is a common occurrence and is accepted, so they have problem with what I try to teach them.

Why can't Rockstar release the game as an AO game? Todays market isn't about just going to gamestop and buying your favorite game. There are so many more methods of obtaining a game. You have online retailers, direct-2-download, game rental stores/sites, that will be more than happy to reap the profits of this game if Walmart and GameStop refuse to sell an AO game.

Just take the leap Rockstar!!! Be the first to stick it to the man!!

Would Andy Warhol have colored his paintings differently if Rooms2Go said it was too bright?

Would Rob Zombie calm his music down if WALMART asked him to?!

Did Micheal Bay remove the flames from Optimus Prime because the ENTIRE WORLD wanted him to?!

NO! They did it their way and they all have achieved!

BRING BACK THE AO RATING AND YOUR DIGNITY!!!

"No kids will be playing this game unless their parents buy it for them."

Sorry, but that is not necessarily the case. Some places do not card for M-rated games at all, if a child is with a parent or someone who looks over 18, they will let them buy the game in question.

Frankly, the problem with violent children is NOT violence in games, movies, music, etc. The problem with violent children is that they have usually seen violence in real life, and have come to think that it is acceptable in real life, when it isn't ever acceptable.

I appreciate the author's candidness that the criticisms about the ESRB are well founded. However, the argument that it is hypocritical to care about the ESRB when the MPAA is also broken is a classic "look over there" fallacy.

The MPAA's broken system doesn't in any way affect the broken state of the ESRB.

Personally, I believe MSFT, Sony, and Nintendo do gamers a disservice by disallowing the AO rating. The AO rating has a purpose, but (like NC-17 for the MPAA), the rating has no meaning because it is virtually assured no game will bother publishing under that rating.

Parents, who may not be gamers, have a right to decide what their children should be exposed to in gaming. A parent has the right to buy an M or even AO game for their child if they believe it to be appropriate, but a good ratings system is the first step towards achieveing that. Instead of governments or game console makers effectively banning AO content, they should allow the content. That way, a game like Manhunt 2 or any other game can make it to the shelves with the proper designation.

Let's be honest, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas deserved an AO. Gears of War deserved an AO. It's beyond the M rating. These aren't violent or sexual themes. These games depict violence and sex at high levels. As an adult, I don't mind purchasing games with the AO rating (if it really existed). I am an adult. I can make up my mind. But parents need to see these two games have real implications, and should have had the ability to see they have adult content... then they can make the same decision for their children.

The industry does us a disservice by stigmatizing the AO rating.

Doesn't the M rating on a game means it's only for persons 17 and up? The ESRB has held up their end of the bargain, whatever the flaws in its rating system may be, which is only to rate games based on content. It is not their responsibility to police the retailers.