Manhunt 2, the controversial torture-athon from Rockstar which has had every problem known to man, from
suspended distribution to
unthanked developers, may finally have found itself a friend in the ESRB.
There was a great deal of concern for developers when it very quickly emerged that wilful hackers in Russia had found a way to add
the censored content back in after the developer had been forced to cover it up in order to get a US release. Would
Manhunt 2 get it's own
hot coffee?
Apparently not - the ESRB has decided to stand by the Mature rating awarded to
Manhunt 2 and will not be changing the rating based on the modifications made by gamers.
"
Our investigation indicates that the game's publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content." the ESRB said in an official statement.
"
Manhunt 2's rating makes it unmistakable that the game is intended for an older audience. The unauthorized hacking into the code of this game doesn’t change that basic fact," said ESRB president Patricia Vance.
When asked about how the situation differed from the Hot Coffee situation in
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Vance told
GI.biz that objections with
GTA had arisen because material was unlocked which had not been presented to the ESRB. That was not the case here.
Have you played the game or are you as sick of it as I am? Let us know in
the forums.
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