Escape asylum, stab nurse, kill prostitutes. Not here you won't, say British censors


· Manhunt 2 is first video game banned in 10 years
· Classification board cites 'casual sadism' of sequel

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent
Wednesday June 20, 2007
The Guardian

In the world of video games, few companies have baited parents and politicians quite like Rockstar.

In Grand Theft Auto, for instance, it created a virtual American city where players assumed the identities of gang members and committed random acts of extreme violence against pimps and prostitutes. All directed from the safety of their bedrooms.

But after years of courting controversy - and earning millions in the process - the company finally fell foul of the censor yesterday. Its latest release, Manhunt 2, was banned amid claims it was an "unrelenting focus on brutal slaying". It is the first video game to be banned in a decade.

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The game, which was due to be released next month, was refused a rating by the British Board of Film Classification, which oversees the age limits for movies and games in the UK. The move makes it illegal for any shop in Britain to sell the title.

Dubbed a "snuff stealth thriller" by one website, the game puts the player in the position of a scientist who has been subjected to a series of terrifying experiments. After being imprisoned in a dark and menacing asylum, the main character escapes and players must help him fight his way to freedom.

It features extended scenes of extreme violence - including a section in a brothel where the main character is encouraged to kill prostitutes using a variety of objects. BBFC director David Cooke said that the game had no redeeming qualities to set against its "sustained and cumulative casual sadism". "Rejecting a work is a very serious action, and one which we do not take lightly," he said. "Where possible we try to consider cuts or modifications which remove the material which contravenes the board's published guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible."

Rockstar refused to discuss the decision, but issued a statement in which it rejected the BBFC's claims.

"While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision," the company said. "Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror - the subject matter is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers."

The company said that games were treated unfairly in comparison with violent horror films and TV shows, although the BBFC pointed out that Manhunt 2 is the first game it has banned for 10 years.

The last time Rockstar attracted controversy was two years ago, when it was discovered that a secret level inside Grand Theft Auto allowed players to engage in a series of sex games. The revelation led to an embarrassing climb down by the developers, but while it led to the title being temporarily taken off the shelves by some shops, the games industry remained generally supportive of the company.

Yesterday it was struggling to garner any sympathy. Many experts said it had pushed things too far with a game that was clearly intended to cause a media storm.

"A decision from the BBFC such as this demonstrates that we have a games rating system in the UK that is effective," said Paul Jackson, the director general of the games industry body Elspa. "The important thing to know is that all games are rated according to age suitability."

The first Manhunt game also caused controversy, after the parents of a schoolboy murdered in Leicester claimed it was responsible for the death of their son. The family of Stefan Pakeerah said his killer, 17-year-old Warren Leblanc, was addicted to playing Manhunt when he stabbed his victim in February 2004.

Police and prosecutors did not draw a link between the game and Leblanc's attack, but Stefan's mother, Giselle, has kept up her campaign against Rockstar, and yesterday said she was "absolutely elated" by the decision.

News of the ban will come as a crushing blow to Rockstar and its parent company, US-based Take-Two Interactive, which has been hit by financial problems. Take-Two has recently replaced its executive team after serious irregularities emerged in its share dealings, while profits have withered in the absence of a big hit.

If Rockstar does appeal against the decision, the BBFC told the Guardian that it would stand by its verdict, which was the result of extensive testing by half a dozen experts."What we're concerned about is the whole tone of the work corrupting and creating a sense of callousness," said a spokeswoman. "The only thing on offer is going around killing people in the most gruesome ways possible."

Review

In Manhunt 2, the main character, Danny, needs to escape an asylum past guards and other inmates by sticking closely to the shadows. Getting past the guards is fairly straightforward, but soon he comes face to face with one of the other inmates who smacks him in the face. Danny has no option but to beat him to a bloody pulp.

Although Danny professes a fear of violence, he sticks a syringe right into the neck of a nurse who is blocking his escape. Danny also has a friend called Leo who talks him through his escalating spree of ultra-violence to help him out of hospital.

As Danny makes his way out of the hospital he can stick a pen in somebody's eye, or stick a knife or some shards of glass into a victim's neck. When Danny finds a shotgun he can stop sneaking through the shadows and pistol-whip the interns or just shoot them in the face.

Another new feature which Rockstar was keen to show off was "environmental kills". This refers to the ways in which Danny kills using items around him such as toilets, telephone cables or fuse boxes.

It was at this point in the demo that I found myself questioning the point of Manhunt 2. The animations were hilariously over-the-top with gore - I can imagine playing the game for the first time and squealing with perverted delight at how well-executed these moves were.

· Adam Hartley is UK editor of games website Spong.com

By the way...your LostHighway9 Chief will SO be playing this July 10th.