The National Institute on Media and Family, an advocacy group that tasks itself with monitoring media for content they deem dangerous to children, is pleased with the ESRB's decision to rate Manhunt 2 as AO. They have previously criticized the ESRB for their lack of use of the Adults Only rating in their 2005 Video Game Report Card.
In their statement, the NIMF said "Hopefully Take-Two has learned from its Manhunt 2 experience and will undertake preventive measures to ensure its future games, including Grand Theft Auto IV, are appropriate for families and gamers." Does that sound like a threat to anyone else?
The fact that the AO rating basically bans the game isn't directly mentioned, but we think that might have something to do with their advocacy of its use. But since the game can no longer be released in its original form, the only "victory" here is for censors, which the NIMF explicitly claims not to be.
NIMF hails Manhunt 2 rating as 'victory' for parents
Posted Jun 25th 2007 2:45PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
Tags: adults, ao, ban, banned, esrb, manhunt2, nimf, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, rating, rockstar, wii
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-25-2007 @ 3:07PM
kraoro said...
"...are appropriate for families and gamers."
It was going to be rated M; it's not supposed to be appropriate for families.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:13PM
MIKE said...
This is a victory for all parents who are either too stupid or lazy to raise their own children. I agree the rating system has a purpose, to inform non-gaming parents what the content of a game is. However for older gamers who are able to decide for ourselves what to buy and not to buy, their stupidity hinders us all.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:18PM
Necroticism said...
That's awfully stupid. GTA 4 will NEVER be a family-friendly game, even if you censor every single drop of blood. Hell, after all you control a small fry that wants to become a mafia boss! It's like trying to make a "children version" of Pulp Fiction... total nonsense.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:21PM
Aaron said...
The game is worthy of an AO rating, plain and simple. How could it reasonably be rated anything less, what with the developers so brazenly admitting that the game is a murder simulator, complete with Wii remote stabbing and sawing gestures!
If Rockstar doesn't want their games to be rated AO, then they need to follow the guidelines. I do see this as a sort of victory. The ratings are supposed to mean something.
However, the comment about GTA4 needing to be "appropriate for families" is laughable. The M rating will work just fine for that game, I'm sure.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:33PM
JC Fletcher said...
You're right. The ratings are supposed to mean something. They're supposed to mean that you can create games for adults and sell them to adults.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:51PM
Aaron said...
Well then JC Fletcher, go take your crybaby attitude to Wal-Mart, or GameStop, because they won't sell you - an adult - a game specifically for adults.
My point is this. Don't blame the ESRB, or groups like NIMF, for celebrating the obvious. That a game clearly marketed towards adults and no one else, should have an AO rating.
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6-25-2007 @ 3:57PM
MIKE said...
This is a victory for all parents who are either too stupid or lazy to raise their own children. I agree the rating system has a purpose, to inform non-gaming parents what the content of a game is. However for older gamers who are able to decide for ourselves what to buy and not to buy, their stupidity hinders us all.
Reply
6-25-2007 @ 5:40PM
vagabond said...
I am happy it got an AO rating, as it should have. In my opinion I think many game company's have gone to far with there content, and its not good for anyone. I know this game isn't for family's or children, but honestly, I don't think "Adults" should play it either. This also includes other games that go to far by objectifying women and ruining the correct attitudes toward sex by abusing it, and even the ultra violence. I liked playing GTA and driving around and what not, but they just go to far anymore. And most people(gamers?) now a days don't realize how much this content affects them, how much they are desensitized toward certain issues in the world And the things I mentioned before(i.e. someone gets murdered, or a woman gets raped, people that have played a lot of crap like this and subjecting them selves to it are not gonna care as much about it as some people who hasn't played this stuff would. By no means am I saying its gonna make you go out and do it, but your less likely to act properly towards it). If game company's took out the content that I said before, like take GTA for example, it wouldn't make it any less of a game, and more people could play it, and take two would make more money, instead it seems every one just wants to corrupt everything anymore. sigh.... well, I hope they make better use of that AO rating in the future, and be a little more strict with it(i.e. GTA3SA should have been AO before even the hot coffee mod IMHO). well, there be my 2 cents I guess.
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6-25-2007 @ 6:20PM
kdM said...
Wow, I didnt know so many people were glad that this game got an AO rating. Aaron and vagabond, you are RAD. I bet you live in "VERY NICE HOMES" dont you? I bet you don't like people who own guns either. Well, people like violence. People like scary stuff. Maybe you like care bears, who cares? If retailers would card people purchasing the game, and parents do their half, then who cares? If your kids sneak off to play a video game, then punish their asses...even though you ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES will probably just put them in "time out." I think there is a lot more stuff to worry about your children doing, not worrying about a video game. Yes, it may be innappropriate, and vulgar, and violent...but that's life. It's in our music, our televisions, our bible, our games and our art. There is other stuff out there for the other half of us to look at though, too. Now go play candyland, SIR.
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6-25-2007 @ 6:26PM
JC Fletcher said...
kdM: The AO version of your comment was replaced with an M version. I'm not a fan of censorship, but personal attacks are inappropriate on my site.
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6-25-2007 @ 7:22PM
Aaron said...
I worry about the sanity of you poor gamers who are so outraged that you will never get to play your utterly mediocre Manhunt game.
Seriously folks, give your money to game developers with talent. Anybody can slap together some gorefest just for the sake of being violent. Did you even play the first Manhunt. It was terribly boring. Looks as though the sequel was heading for the same poor reviews.
You suckers are being bought and sold by 40-year-old men in suits at Rockstar who think they know how to sell a game to a 15 year old. Don't reward this garbage.
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6-25-2007 @ 7:31PM
Wii lova said...
The world is full of prissy babies that are afraid of anything "SCAREY", Im not buying this censored piece of expression because of sissy soccer moms who messed it up.
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6-25-2007 @ 9:00PM
Kenny said...
With all due respect, the game was not censored. Manhunt's shelving was a perfect example of Adam Smith's "invisible hand" of economics; namely the public's interest was served by not having a murder simulation game released because the companies that own the platforms the games were developed on decided not to license the game. In order for the game to be censored, a government group would have had to tell Take Two to take certain elements out.
I echo the sentiments of those who are glad the game was shelved. It's a freaking murder simulator and there's no need for a game to go so far to be entertaining.
Further, anyone who thinks being anti-overt, excessive violence means being born and raised in a safe environment, think again. I would think anyone raised in a ghetto environment who watched friends of theirs be shot to death would be against a murder simulation as well.
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6-25-2007 @ 10:22PM
An Adult Gamer said...
While I can respect Nintendo and Sony for not licensing any AO rated games, I think it's assinine for people to expect that all games are geared "towards families." No one in their right mind would apply that same dynamic to movies or music, so why gaming?
I would love to play this title and don't feel that anyone should be pushing their values of what is or is not appropriate onto others.
I hope that Take Two does edit the game down to BARELY an M rating and this game sees release. Although I played the original and wasn't really impressed with it, I would purchase this title just to support free speech.
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6-26-2007 @ 12:05AM
Calvin said...
The problem that I have with groups such as NIMF is not that they only object to a particular game, but in their minds everything must be family and kid friendly. I am a grown ass adult who works hard and I shouldn't have to have people tell me what I can and cannot consume media wise. The other problem that I have with these groups is that once they get going they will not stop to make sure that things are done their way. I wouldn't be surprised if they started saying that games that are rated for Teens and up are inappropriate for anyone. These kinds of groups need to be ignored; if we give them an inch they will take a mile guaranteed.
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6-26-2007 @ 10:46AM
Gennaro said...
This doesnt make any sense to me at all. You restrict something that it takes a certain age of people to buy, and bring home and play, and yet its still entirely possible for people to bring their 2 year old and 6 month old to a screening of Hostel 2. (Google it, its on the net somewhere, it happened). Not to mention I myself have witnessed families brining their toddlers into a horror movie and expect them to sit still and be silent. How about restricting that instead of a game that I can enjoy in the privacy of my own home.
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6-26-2007 @ 11:55AM
Calvin said...
Gennaro I agree with you completely. Just like our country, a lot of groups such as NIMF are built on hypocrisy.
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