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!

GIANT Magazine is running a competition for any Table Tennis masters out there, so if your familiar with Rockstar and the Nintendo Wii, you may wish to enter. The question isn't exactly difficult and you could certainly find the answer through Google and Wikipedia. Good luck never the less, and remember to read the rules.

Are you the control pad crown holder? Join GIANT Magazine in the “Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis” Giveaway. Keep your streak of video game victories going.

Participate by answering the following question:
“What was the original name for the Nintendo Wii?”

Easy right? I'll definitely be entering, so if like me you want to get your hands on this killer game, read the rules and enter via the website. Good luck!

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.

The Golden Joystick Awards ceremony will be streamed live today at 2:00 PM [UK time] thanks to CVG. So we will just have to wait and see whether Rockstar bag themselves some worthy awards. They manage to sum it up better than I do, so here it is.

The Golden Joystick Awards are voted for by you, gamers, and it’s your opportunity to heap accolade on your best of the best that have entertained you over the last 12 months.

 UPDATE: Well done Rockstar [Leeds], they managed to win handeld game of the year. I am a little dissapointed though that they didn’t win developer of the year but in our books, you are!

Games Radar Handheld Game of the Year - GTA Vice City Stories

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.

The first trailer for Midnight Club Los Angeles is now available to download on the PlaystationStore in full HD glory. It's also free to download so what are you waiting for? Go now! For those of you who haven't seen it yet (Why not?) or don't have a PS3 then I've embedded the trailer below.

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)

Rockstar recently updated the official site for the Japan version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories with a release date. According to the official site, the game is set for a release on December 6th, 2007 for both the Playstation 2 and the Playstation Portable.

Official Site: Japan Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories