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
"...Love & Money, organised jointly by the British Council and UK Trade & Investment, features twenty projects and designers that balance business ambition and commercial success with the invention and experimentation for which Britain’s creative industries are internationally renowned."
Grand Theft Auto is considered by many to be a benchmark in not just the gaming industry but also modern design values. It's nice to have a brilliant franchise like GTA to be recognised so positively. Well done Rockstar! :)
Today, Rockstar released 3 new videos of the hunters in Manhunt 2 via IGN. Keep watching the front page for more information on the three new hunters.
The Pervs
The Project
The Asylum
Today, Rockstar officially released Rockstar Presents Table Tennis for the Wii. For more information on the Wii port, see the news post below.
The Wii port of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is now out in North America with a suggested retail price of $39.99. If you don't have a 360 and have yet to play Table Tennis, this port is really worth getting. Sorry Europe, you'll have to wait until Friday to get a copy. In case you missed the game play videos, here they are again.
Buy Now: Rockstar Warehouse (Directly from Rockstar Games)
This is one of those rumours you love to hear but fear that it may just not be true. Ever since GTA IV was delayed we wondered what was the problem. Now we may have stumbled across one of the possible causes, Online Multiplayer! According to GamingExcellence.com Rockstar is planning to support 16 players online:
Rockstar’s man on the scene told GamingExcellence that they had begun testing the various plots and that the developers were considering the possibility of having an open world completely unlocked from the start of the game. We also understand that the game’s multiplayer mode, unseen in the GTA franchise since GTA2 in 1999*, is aiming for at least 16 simultaneous players, with more than just the usual deathmatch mode.
It's also intresting to note that the whole world may be unlocked from the start. What do you make of all of this?
Published October 15th, 2007 at 2:59 PM PST | Posted by AJ Collins | Added to Midnight Club: Los Angeles »
A few people recently got a chance to play Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the Xbox 360. Luckly, they where able to take some video clips and post them on YouTube for us to enjoy. In one of the videos, you can see the person changing the radio to a song called "Running From Love" by Freddie Cruger. You can listen to the full song at his MySpace. In the videos, you also get a peek at the "finish" tune that plays and the map. If you are not planning on getting Los Angeles, you still might want to watch the videos as this might very well be our first glimpse at what driving in Grand Theft Auto IV will be like.
Published October 9th, 2007 at 6:00 AM PST | Posted by Dazza | Added to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas »
I was inside the store 'JB Hi-Fi' yesterday and I stroll over to the games section just to have a look, and what do I see? Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (PS2) in the third spot for highest selling games. I was dumbfounded and proud that a game from 2004 is still topping a highest selling list. Great work on San Andreas, still topping charts Rockstar.
It seems the edited version shown to the ESRB isn't good enough for the BBFC. Today, the BBFC announced that it has deemed the edited version of Manhunt 2 not censored enough. Rockstar commented to IGN that the ban on the edited version is unacceptable and they also said that they are continuing to appeal the latest ban. Let's just hope that Manhunt 2 doesn't have to end up on people's import list.
"The changes necessary in order to publish the game in Britain are unacceptable to us and represent a setback for video games. The BBFC allows adults the freedom to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in movies and we think adults should be similarly allowed to decide for themselves when it comes to horror in video games, such as Manhunt 2."
We couldn't agree more. Also, in movie rating news. The movie Hatchet, considered by some people to be one the best horror films to date, has been given an 18 rating by the BBFC with out having to make any cuts.
IGN - Rockstar Responds to Latest BBFC Ban
BBFC - Manhunt 2 Rejected Page 1
BBFC - Manhunt 2 Rejected Page 2
Published October 2nd, 2007 at 6:00 AM PST | Posted by AJ Collins | Added to Bully: Scholarship Edition »
Today, GameStop and Game.co.uk updated their release date listings for Bully: Scholarship Edition. GameStop now lists the release date as 1/08/2008 for the US and Game.co.uk lists the release date as 1/11/2007 for the UK. Game.co.uk must have made a mistake on the year though since we are way past January 11, 2007. We still have yet to hear anymore details on the ports as Rockstar is keeping tight lipped. Table Tennis for the Wii, which was announced at the same time, is still on track for a release on the 23rd of this month.
GameStop - Bully: Scholarship Edition
Game.co.uk - Bully: Scholarship Edition
