Rockstar Games will finally release its long-awaited sequel “Manhunt 2” in North America after the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated the title “M” for Mature for ages 17 and older. Along with the Mature rating, the ESRB also assigned the following content descriptors to “Manhunt 2”: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs. As a result, “Manhunt 2” will be released for PS2, PSP and Nintendo Wii in October.

“Manhunt 2” is the debut title from the newly formed Rockstar London studio, which is developing the game in conjunction with series creator Rockstar North.

In June Rockstar Games decided to suspend the release of the horror title when the ESRB issued an AO (Adults Only) rating. The ESRB decision was equivalent to a potential financial disaster because the retailers like WalMart or BestBuy will never sell an AO-rated game.

Two years ago, when Rockstar was caught in a middle of a scandal due to a sex-minigame hidden in its GTA: San Andreas, the game was re-rated as AO instead of M. Take Two decided to recall the game rather than sell it with the new rating.

Also Rockstar Games was forced to modify its game because Nintendo or Sony had said they won’t support on their gaming platforms an AO rated-title.

"Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems." a Nintendo spokesman said in June.

Sony adopted a similar position. "It's currently our policy not to allow the playback of AO-rated content on our systems." stated a Sony official two months ago.

So, in order to get the “M” rating Rockstar Games has submitted to the ESRB a modified version of “Manhunt 2”

“Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we’re glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience,” said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games. “We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it.”

Also two months ago, Manhunt 2 became famous as the first game to be banned in UK in the last ten years after it was rejected by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) the British equivalent of ESRB.  

"Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board’s published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible," David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said in a statement at the time. Ten years ago, BBFC banned Carmageddon, but the initial decision was overturned after SCi’s appeal.

Also, shortly after BBFC’s decision, Manhunt 2 was banned in Ireland.

Earlier this month, Rockstar Games confirmed for MCV that it has appealed the ban of Manhunt 2 in UK, but for the moment the status of the appeal is still unknown.

Manhunt 2 seems to have the same gameplay as the original game, but there are two playable characters, Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper. They both must escape from Dixmor Institute for the Criminally Insane in order to find out their true identities.

Manhunt, released in 2003, was also criticized for its explicit violent scenes and the vulgar language, but apparently those elements were also what ensured the game’s success on the market. Manhunt was rated as 18+ in UK and Ireland, and M in US. Shortly after its launch the game was banned in Germany and New Zealand.