"Adults Only" rating forces 'Manhunt 2' suspension

Parents are responsible for the upbringing of there children. Which includes: Teaching them the difference between right and wrong, The setting of boundaries and rules. Which includes telling them what games, shows, and music they can or cannot view.( Children are not mature enough for all civil rights. That is why they do not have them.) and the punishment of your children if they do not follow your rules. (Whether it be a time-out or a spanking.)

Your children are not your friends, buddies, chums... They are your children!!! Teach them how to act because Paris, Britney, and Lindsey are not doing the best of jobs.

Hrmm let's see what we have on our plate we have... Water being polluted daily - terrorists who want to kill anyone, a war with no direct point, China censors the net for their people, starving children, homeless men and women

And .. the governments twiddle about all day debating Video Games? Christ.

The people who'll blog about their "rights" to have a video game that depicts a character (from the first person) brutally murdering people will be the same people who scream for gun control when a psychotic kid blows away 30 or so people on a school campus! Should we be removing the tools that can be used by murderers (and there are LOTS of tools) or should we be trying to keep the seeds of murder from being planted???

An ounce of prevention...

1.What are the values of this game? In my opinion, it looks horrible and worthless.

2.Who is exerting power over us that we so obviously resent? The industry.

3.What's the solution? Buy your stuff online. Use a PC. No one can tell you what you can and cannot do with your pc. There's nothing you can't get online. Consoles? You don't own that hardware. It's that simple.

anyone find any substantial scientific proof that video games cause violence....nope didn't think so- governments you have no right to ban this

theres one argument that i would like to make. do games, such as manhunt 2, get rated far too harsh or do movies, say grindhouse, get rated far too easy? it seems like whats ok for movies is not ok for video games. well, shouldnt they have a similar standard for what is alright and what isnt? there have been movies which are somewhat in the style of manhunt 2... like the movie "bundy" which is all about the killer ted bundy. that movie included sex with dead people, brutal killings... everything. yet that was ok. i hope Take 2 doesnt back down from this. they can only loose their reputation if they do

It is wrong to desensitize young people to violence and death and it is wrong to provide psychopaths with a "community" in which they feel "normal". I'm all for imagination and creativity but the makers of this smut are just hiding behind those labels.Go out into the world today and smile at someone.

People want this game i want to buy it. Game is put on hold now. How can i purchase something i want ? I've lost my freedom of choice because of others. If someone doesn't like something then don't buy it. Noone is forcing them to play this game but they have forced me to wait to purchase something i want. And if you think it's bad parenting for a child to play such a game don't complain about the game violence complain about bad parenting.

Remember when you were a kid and you went outside to play "guns" with your friends. Wasn't that the exact same type of "simulated" killing that we're talking about here.

How about a game where we kill Iraqi civilians and then show it on the news. Oh wait... we already have that game.

If you truly believe that violent video games contribute to the creation of violent people then I want to know what games Cheney and Bush are playing, those games must be f'd up games because what they condone is straight up murder... which they coveiniently label with the term "collateral damage".

I would be willing to bet that a majority of the people whining about the violence in this game are supporters of the war in Iraq. By the way those are real people dying who just had the bad luck of being born in Iraq. Liberate Iraq... kiss my A$$. How about if some other country decides to come liberate you and kills your whole family while chasing down some worthless piece of Sh!t suicide bomber... are you still ok with that?!

... and to every single person who says "get a life and go outside once in a while" F**** Y**! Mind your own Goddamn business! Don't you dare tell me what to do with my life.

The Government is in fact not the one censoring this game, but the gaming industry itself. Sony and Nintendo refused to publish the game long before governments started banning it. This is evidence of the industry's leaders doing Quality Control. Any game that has to rely on absurd sadistic violence to provide an enjoyable playing experience is the product of a company with no creativity. The level of graphic violence in this game is not needed to maintain the gameplay nor the experience, its purely mindless gore. Rockstar should just remove some of the gore to reduce it to an M Rating. This would in no way detract from the experience of the game because the gore does not add anything to begin with except an AO rating. I agree the governments should stay the F*** out of this industry but i aplaud Sony and Nintendo along with Walmart, Target, and BestBuy for taking responsibility for maintaining quality in the gaming industry because it is indeed their responsibility, not the governments.

Redneck arguments of 'My Rights, Censorship, Freedom to Do Whatever I Want' is old & idiotic banter. Plain & Simple, right versus wrong. This game only preaches violence and gives suggestion towards what is wrong in this world. Who cares if your old enough to view it or play it, it's simply immoral. It's a stupid video game, go out & get a life.

If you think for one moment that this game will not get into the hands on young people in this country then you are really ignorant. It is the youngest gamers in this country that will be trying the hardest to obrtain this game at whatever means. These are the same kids that are effected the most by the useless violent nature of the game. It is these kids that we need to protect and I think other countries have it right. It is time to take the stand and say No to this garbage they are trying to call entertainment. Useless, useless, useless garbage only intended to make them a bunch of money with no thoughts at all about hos it might effect our youth. Total irresponsibility!

I dont normally believe in the govt. deciding which this or that we should have access to, but with the recent school shootings just barely over the horizon, I'm thinking its a good move at this point.
Unfortunately, too many people get caught up in these games and it comes to a point where they have trouble deciphering fiction from reality. The problem is, you cant just "restart" the game in real life, or click "Undo" for a mistake you've just made, it just doesnt work that way.
If it saves one life, then I'll support the trash bin for this game.

If parents did their job of actually being a parent to their children this would not be an issue. It is the parents job to teach kids right from wrong, not a television program or video game. Why is it that the US is the only country with issues like this where all the blame is placed on the media? Take a look at the stuff children watch in Japan and tell me media violence has an effect on kids. If the media had an effect on crime then Japan would be the most dangerous place on earth. Why doesn't Canada have the same problems as the US since the media in Canada is nearly the same as what the US views.

If governments want to ban it there's probably a reason. Maybe they see the moral decay in the fabric of society being contributed to by things such as this and figure that they don't need more wanton violence and mayham within their socities.

Studies indicate that playing violent video games desensitizes a person to violence, until they feel nothing at watching it.

Avid violent video game players probably think it's no big deal. Of course they constantly bombard their minds with the violence and it becomes second nature to them. No doubt they relish in the pleasure of murdering and maiming people and enjoy watching the goreyness on TV. Of course the Movie industry knows society enjoys violence, gore, and murder, that's why they entertain them with it in the movies constantly.

It's interesting to note that one of the programs Hitler used with his soldiers to desensitize them was to have them watch pornographic movies.

That this game is even banned in several countries in Europe is a joke. Anyone even under the age of 18 is free to explore graphic violence, porn, bomb-making, etc., it's called the Internet.

Now then. Here we have a game where you can play as murderous psychopaths. I'm not saying the game is exactly on moral high grounds or anything, but the people should be free to choose what kind of entertainment they buy. What is the point of an AO rating if most major retailers wouldn't even carry it? Might as well get rid of that rating altogether since's it's just not a financially viable option for the developer.

Also thank you Gammer you are right on with you comment. If people stopped blaming the entertainment industry for their failures, and actually took personal RESPONSIBILITY for their actions...the world would be a better place.

It is not any government's place to dictate what morality is so why do we continue to put up with this garbage.

Look at the facts as presented by the article. Take 2 is the one suspending the game. In the US, it has not been banned, only given an AO rating. The reason Target, Best Buy, Walmart, etc do not sell AO games IMO is because there is typically not enough profit to make up for their image. By their studies and their customer demographics, they lose more customers by selling AO content then what they attract. This has nothing to do with free speech or big brother censorship, but rather than capitalization and what the consumer wants. Thats the country we live in.

Do you honestly believe that this type of violent content has no affect on young minds? Would you want your 12 year old son playing games where they can participate virtually in sex, gruesome bloody murders, and foul language exposure? If you have kids, you'll likely say no. Constant stream of these images dull our sensitivity to these issues. Instead of being repulsed and shocked by murdering images, we slowly become desensitized to the point where we ask ourselves "whats the big deal?"

Game content has become incredibly realistic and submersive and have come a long ways from killing nazis with a blocky gun in Wolfeinstein 3d. In manhunt 2, from what I have read, the player isn't attacking aliens, or some generally supported group of bad individuals that have to die (nazi's, drug lords, vigilante's, etc) with futuristic weapons, or even just guns. The image that sticks with me is the pyschopathic killer with a double bladed axe ready to slaughter a guy huddled up on the ground. This is not an image of shooting someone else in self defense (kill or be killed), this is a slaughter fest.

Do we have a right to view and participate in this type of content? As long as we do not infringe on the rights of others we are free to an extent to pollute ourselves with whatever we choose.

My mind is starting to wonder off subject. In summary, Adult Only is a legitimate rating. Graphic violent content in movies, books, and games has some effect on us in addition to other environmental influences (parenting, peers, teachers, etc). A pack of cigarettes won't kill you, but it sure doesn't do anything to improve health. If game developers pushes to the extreme on content, then they will get the extreme rating in addition to all of the commericial implications. There will be swarms of people buying the game, just because it is taboo and has an AO rating. There will also be many who will never casually pick it up at a local store and will never even know it existed. Do G rate movies make more than R rated movies? It's all in the consumer demographics. If this is the direction Rockstar wants to go and the content they want to invest in, then they must live with the world we live in.

With the many violent crimes taking place in society now days, these types of games are being taken seriously by the government. Of course these games are not the sole cause of violent crimes. No one element of a criminals life leads to crime, but I do believe violent video games contribute to a violent attitude. Good for the UK, Ireland and the US governments for sending a message to the video gaming industry.

We are in uncharted waters in the world today. Never in history has a generation been exposed to these graphic images of violence like the teens and children of today are. There is no history of study how repeated and prolonged exposure to these types of things can effect people. It could very well be that some of these things are influencing the thinking of young people. It desensitizes them to violence.

You all agree that the game deserves an AO rating yet you rail against the gov't. for censorship. Best Buy, Target and Walmart are not the government. It is their right not to carry this product. The gov't. did not even issue the rating, the industry did.

Get a real life and go outside once in a while.

Couldn't agree more with the comment above. All of this boils down to people growing up with rules, and not morals.

I say, if they are going to suspend it from sale, stick it to the man, and offer it as a free download for PC's.

We need to accept that the scenes and media we absorb, whether in a video game or in a porn magazine or a newspaper, affect our outlook and feelings. I for one think games such as these have no place in society. We do not need or want people imitating psychotic killers. Embracing these images can in no way be productive or inspiring of greater understanding. I fully embrace the censorship of this game. And if I stand with enough people in this issue, no cries of free speech are worth a damn. Democracy does not have to embrace every lurid thought of its constituents, quite the opposite, it can choose to suppress those it finds counter to its goals as a society.

I can't believe they're still making this game, the first game was awful. I'm glad they're whipping out an AO game, but you think they could do it on a better series... GTA:pr0n, maybe?

Chad, I like where your heart is, but you don't know what you're talking about. The rating system is run by the gaming industry, not the government. Furthermore, those who want this game in the US can get it from dozens of outlets, both online and in brick and mortar stores. Retail outlets are free to lose business to other outlets if they do not wish to carry certain categories of products. That's not censorship, and cannot be, since retail chains cannot prevent you from going elsewhere for the product. Letting the gaming industry police itself, and letting the market enforce it, is a whole lot better system than leaving it to a government to regulate (which *is* censorship).

manhunt 2 should come with a free ounce of heroin inside the cover.
That's the only good reason i can think of for suspending it

This is just stupid. Manhunt 2 is a game designed for adults. What is an adult? In the US at the age of 18 you are allowed to go to Iraq and kill people FOR REAL! So, give the game a rating of 18 and over and fine stores that sell it to anyone under 18 just like you would cigarettes or alcohol. End of debate. Stop censoring material intended for adult gamers and stop wasting my time by acting like this game is so extraordinary.

If we ban anything, we should ban old people from playing Grand Theft Auto and then making a run to the Farmers Market ;)

This game may be vile and repulsive but I dont need any government to decide what is best for me. As far as sale in the U.S. is concerned, a AO rating may be completely warranted. However, in this case I hold the major retail outlets (Best Buy, Target, Walmart) responsible for granting the government a censorship power it does not have by refusing to sell AO rated games.

This is ridiculous. No one wants to take the blame for their own issues. They just point fingers at the entertainment industry. A kid kills another kid and instead of blaming their mental issues, parents, or the environment in which they grew up in, they blame movies, video games, and music. "Oh no... It couldn't be my fault, or the fault of my peers who didn't do something when they saw a real problem arising. It's because they played a video game." It's trash and people need to start taking blame for their own actions or the actions of those in which they are responsible for. If someone has the mindset to kill another person, it doesn't matter what they see or what they hear, they're going to just do it. They have mental issues that need to be addressed and people need to start taking responsibility for themselves and those they are responsible for.