We'll go right to the point. Some major sites have posted their reviews for Manhunt 2 and sadly it's not looking so good. Some of the reviewers state that the blurring that Rockstar were forced to do did ruined the experience a bit. Here's a quote from IGN:

The ESRB has forced Rockstar to make content changes which have in turn significantly reduced the impact of the franchise's trademark executions...

We couldn't agree more with this. Manhunt 2 had some stellar previews of the Uncut version but with the modified version it seems it ruins the experience. Odd part is some of the critisism is coming from people who said prier to this that Manhunt 2 uncut was too violent, and now it's not violent and gorry enough because of a few modifications? Well look at it this way, it's either these small effects to make it less visable during gore scenes or no game at all, which would you rather? I know which I would rather. Here's the reviews:

 Expect more reviews later in the day,  until then that's all folks. Remember Manhunt 2 is being released tomorrow ( or check out the discussion of it on our forums where staff member, Aj Collins, got it a day early ) on the Wii, PSP and PS2. Order it, line up for it, but what ever you do don't miss it!

As we expected, the internet today is swarming with discussion of Manhunt 2. Not all is good though, the usual groups of people who believe hitting buttons is just as bad as pulling a trigger are at it again, putting forward their opinions on Manhunt 2. I say opinion as that is all they are, and just because they say it doesn't mean it's true. We learned this back with Jack Thompson's attempts to have countless Rockstar titles banned, however with his situation at the moment others are trying to take over that "right". We all have a right to an opinion yes, but the fact most of these opinions are made on the old "violence is bad" statement is getting a little old. We also all have the right to decide what is best for us, or in children's cases, what is best for the child is decided by the parent. Ratings are guides, and blood and gore is pixels and models in games. At the end of the day if the parent can't decide or control there child, who can? It certainly shouldn't be the responsibility of the mature gaming industry, such as Rockstar Games.

Never the less, game lobbyist groups will be a big influence on people over the next week, all I can suggest is that any parents out their, make the decision based on what you believe is okay for your child, not all children are the same and some people react differently to violence then others. That shouldn't mean those that are the opposite get crucified should it? I don't think so, and I think Rockstar would agree. This is a mature gaming industry, for mature persons, however whether a 15 year old is mature or not should be decided by you, the parent, not some group of bias representatives.

If your interested in reading about the article by Associated Press to do with discouraging people from purchasing Manhunt 2, particularly parents, you can check it out here.

Reported earlier this week was an interview with Manhunt 2 producer Jeronimo Barrera, well today MTV got an interview with him also, and discussed with not only the possibility of a Manhunt 2 PC release, but a PC (maybe consoles also) future multiplayer Manhunt.

There are certainly no apologies coming from Rockstar and no indication that the house behind everything from "GTA" to a well-received table-tennis video game is going to avoid volatile subject matter in the future. Asked if the team had considered making a multiplayer "Manhunt" game, Barrera said, "That's a very interesting question. ... Who knows where the 'Manhunt' series is going to go? And that's definitely something that warrants some exploring on our part for sure."

And then there's the call from some gamers who think Rockstar should make an end run around the ratings boards and release the original version of the game on the PC, where, unlike on Sony and Nintendo platforms, an AO rating is still permissible. "We have always considered the feedback of our fans," Barrera said. "We believe it is very important, but at this point in time, we have no announcements to make."

This can only be a good thing, and will certainly add to the fun factor of the franchise that, thanks to it's banning of number 1 and number 2 in some countries, has added to it's success and become very popular. Lets hope, cross our fingers, and pray this isn't just a dream.

Thanks MTV for the terrific journalism work.

Get ready America, for in one more day you'll be playing the game that we've all be waiting over a year for...Manhunt 2 by Rockstar Games. The red tape has finally been passed in the US, just the UK, Australia and New Zealand to go. Hope everyone enjoy's the game and lives up to your expectations, as I'm sure it will.

Check out RockstarBoard for our Manhunt 2 discussions, guides and news and let us know of what you think of the game, or send us some information/guides and well open it to the world wide web here on RockstarWatch!

GameSpot yesterday posted an interview with BBFC examiner Jim Cliff, discussed primarily was of course the Manhunt 2 banning. The bad news for the UK is they believe the appeal will run into next year, and finish next year at the earliest:

Can you tell us a little about the decision to ban Manhunt 2?
This is going to sound like a cop-out, but I can't talk about it because it's under appeal. You know they submitted a modified version and had that been passed, then obviously I would have been able to but I can't right now as it stands. Sorry!

When is the appeal likely to finish?
Sometime next year, I really don't know specifics unfortunately.

However if your looking to import the game from the US:

Just as a theoretical thing, Manhunt 2 has been rated as an 18 in the US. So if I imported a copy of the 18 version, would I be breaking the law?
No, but if you sold it to anyone, then you would be.

So you are legally allowed to import it, remember though that you will require an American console, or a legal work around such as SwapDisks (Swap Disk Magic) which play NTSC games on PAL consoles and so forth. I'm not sure on how legal importing is for Australians is, as in the past games such as the banned Manhunt predocessor (Manhunt 1) has been banned from imports too. Good luck with whatever you choose to do, and be sure to let us know if you have any luck.

In a newly published interview with GameSpot, Manhunt 2 Producer Jeronimo Barrera said Rockstar Games never considered scrapping the Manhunt 2 project. He continued by saying that

"The challenge became how we were going to get the game out with the vision and story intact. The problem was that we didn't really get any direction. You don't get a list from the ESRB."

He also says that Rockstar and the Manhunt 2 team are happy with the outcome of the modified game, which was in response to the videos posted here and on IGN yesterday of the new blur effect in six gory  videos. The team also believed, and still do believe, that the original game and it's content was well within the limits of an M rated game.

"[We] still believe that the original submission was well within the bounds of an M rating."

That said, don't forget to be ready for the release of Manhunt 2 next week. If like me you were a die-hard fan on the first game, or the game style, be sure to pick it up on PlayStation 2, PSP or the Wii on October 30th at all good retailers. For discussion of the game, visit our forums. Stay tuned to RockstarWatch as in a few weeks we will have a walkthough. Also, if an uncut version does end up getting released in the Netherlands, we will have a comparison to the cut version in the coming weeks as well.

Thanks for the heads up Kotaku and the interview GameSpot.

Performing the perfect executions is a real talent, it can't be taught, it can only be learned by experience. You need patients, time and the right weapon. IGN today has posted a total of 6 videos on different executions from Manhunt 2, they all show how the new "blur" effects work to cover the gore and violence, it doesn't seem as bad as first stated however it isn't the prettiest thing ever seen, hell the gore is nicer. The blur effect is also a little different in the PlayStation 2 version compared to the Wii version. Executions shown are - Pistol, Pen, Manhole, Crowbar, Syringe and Telephone. You can click the Weapon name to see the video, or use the  tool below to see all 6 right here, enjoy!

So at the moment we're all a little unhappy about the re-banning of Manhunt 2 in the UK which seemed more like a personal vendetta then a professional rating by the book. But what if all that meant nothing in the long run, and those living in the UK could get their hands on Manhunt 2 through a legal download of the game from Rockstar Games themselves? Well Phill Carnell, a lawyer with legal firm CMS Cameron McKenna revealed to Register Hardware that due to an loophole in the UK's 1984 Video Recordings Act this is the case. Downloadable games do not need a classification as the Act only covers physical products, obviously as 1984 was long before the Internet or even Computers had really taken off.

A BBFC spokeswoman said “that would be legal and not contravening the Video Recordings Act” for Rockstar Games to sell Manhunt 2 online as a downloadable game, and added that many games the BBFC ban or don't have a BBFC rating are sold online to UK residents. However as she stated following that, most developers go for a rating as well as a physical product will sell more then an online product, which I imagine would be true. However it's final option Rockstar have at their disposal, and a good one at that. They still have US sales and sales in other countries that will no doubt be high.

Carnell added that the loophole is "ridiculous and dated", as I said before. He believes Take-Two are most likely aware of it and that the real obstacle is having Sony and Nintendo support the game.

Today, Rockstar released the final trailer for Manhunt 2. Manhunt 2 is set for a release in the US this Halloween. Sorry Europe, you will not be getting Manhunt 2 any time soon.  You can thank the BBFC and their biased against games for the no Europe release. Australia has still yet to rate the game.

Official Site
Pre-Order: Manhunt 2 (Rockstar Warehouse)

Back in early September we reported that an un-censored beta version of Manhunt 2 had been leaked on to the net. Rockstar has been pretty quiet about it until now. Today, Rockstar confirmed to GamePolitics that they have found and "sacked" the leaker of this version of Manhunt 2. The interesting part is, the leak didn't come from ANYONE at Rockstar, it came from someone at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe! Here is a statement from Take2 Interactive to GamePolitics.

"Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that a former employee of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has acknowledged his responsibility for the unauthorized online distribution of an unrated play-test version of Manhunt 2 submitted for the European PAL PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system."

It's interesting to hear that the leak came from Sony instead of someone at Rockstar. It seems Sony needs to tighten up their security a little bit. All this does not currently have an effect on the release date and Manhunt 2 is still set for a Halloween 2007 release.

Source: GamePolitics