Australia seems to love it's censorship. So much in fact that the Aussie AG has indefinitely halted the introduction R18+ rating for games. Censorship ministers back in March agreed to collect public opinion on the proposed introduction of a R18+ classification for games and release a report on the issue. However, it seems one man want's to take Jack Thompson's place. South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson refused to allow the report to be published. The reason. Well see, Aussies have to protect their kangaroos kids from buying R18+ games. Now wait a second. If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Australia already have a 15+ rating? Why can't the R+18 rating be forced like the 15+ rating that is already being enforced?

"Games may pose a far greater problem than other media - particularly films - because their interactive nature could exacerbate their impact," Mr Atkinson said. "The risk of interactivity on players of computer games with highly violent content is increased aggressive behaviour."

Right. Because we all know that people don't imitate stuff from movies, TV shows, and books...right? Never fear. The issue is on the agenda for discussion at the next Standing Committee of Attorneys General meeting commencing next month.

Source: TheAge

It's been a long time since the BBFC was forced to see the light in court and give Manhunt 2 it's rightful rating. After which, Rockstar went silent about a Manhunt 2 release in the UK. That has changed today as Rockstar has finally dated Manhunt 2 for release in the UK. When will you finally be able to corrupt your mind with pixels? October 31st, 2008 is the date you should mark. Until then, be sure to play Manhunt 1 to freshen up your skills. Happen to have Manhunt 1 for PC but Vista gives you errors when you try to run? No problem. Just use this simple little patcher!

Source: IGN

Hasn't been much news regarding Manhunt 2 since it's announced release in the UK (very soon too we are hoping). However, MCV had an exclusive interview with BBFC director David Cooke yesterday, the interview's main focus was, you guessed it, Manhunt 2. Cooke says they are still a little disappointed that the game was passed for release after all the work they did examining the game to become familiar enough with it to make a valid decision. Considerably more time than the VAC who passed the game apparently.

MCV: Has the whole Manhunt 2 experience changed the way the BBFC works – in terms of culture or processes?

Cooke: Not fundamentally. The reason for that is obviously we thought it was the right decision, or we won’t have reached it. It hasn’t affected the fact that we still base our decisions on thorough gameplay. In the case of Manhunt 2, by the end of it all, we probably spent over 100 examiner hours on the game - including more than a few hours of mine.

We actually got a fairly substantial benefit from the Manhunt episode, We went to the High Court, and it clarified the harm test – actually a benefit that flies across a whole range of games and film.

It all gets quite technical, but for instance, it showed it was not necessary for us to show devastating effect, which was what the arguments had said previously.

MCV: Are you still disappointed with the decision?

Cooke: We absolutely accept that if you have an independent judicial tribunal, like we do with the Video Appeals Committee, you have to abide by its findings and there’s no point showing sour grapes. I guess we’re still disappointed because we put quantifiably more examining hours into getting familiar with the game than the VAC was able to do, so in effect, they were substituting their judgement for ours on the basis of familiarity of the game.

Read the full interview at MCV.

It's been a long, hard, tedious battle but it's all over now. Rockstar now has their hands on a ratings certificate for the censored version of Manhunt 2 with a rating of 18+. The Video Appeals Committee has come to a decision that their previous OK of the game will still stand forcing the British Board of Censorship Classification to rate the game 18+. Rockstar has released a statement saying:

"We are pleased that the VAC has reaffirmed its decision recognizing that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18+ rated entertainment. Rockstar Games is committed to making great interactive entertainment, while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system."

Now that the rating problem is out of the way, Rockstar should be announcing a release date soon pending manufacturing. Personally, I hope everyone gets and enjoys Manhunt 2 as it's a great game regardless of the reviews the game has received.

Thanks to Gareth and the BBC

Well for the moment it looks like the UK banning of Manhunt 2 will stick. If you'll remember back, the ban was overruled by the Video Appeals Committee, but this week the High Court’s Mr Justice Mitting stated that the VAC had made an error of law regarding the meaning of the word ‘harm’. So the saga continues, the celebrations of the VAC win look to be over, and Rockstar don't seem to happy with this turn of events:

“We believe the Video Appeals Committee decision was correct and do not understand the court's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the British Board of Film Classification's18-plus ratings certification.”

What do we think? We think it's about time the UK listen to the people and look at what is common in the 20th century. One of them is digital entertainment, the other is the freedom to watch and play what you feel is right for you and your family...