The Manhunt 2 controversy grows ever deeper today.
Nintendo and Sony have come together as unlikely allies to ban the game from appearing on their consoles should it retain the cooties-ridden AO ESRB rating that now resides on its shiny new case. GameSpot says Manhunt 2 and its glass shard to the head theatrics will not be on a Nintendo or Sony system unless the rating is lowered to the much more friendly and anti-Hot Coffee rating of M. Whatever you think of all this press that Manhunt 2 is getting, you have to agree the game is getting a hell of a lot of something in the media today. Oh, yeah, it’s called attention. Rockstar sent out bloody demo kits to advertise this thing with the press. They know what they’re doing.
GameSpot has confirmed with Nintendo and Sony that one of those options, which would be to accept the ESRB’s judgment and release the game with the AO rating, isn’t an option at all. Both companies forbid licensed third-party publishers from releasing games rated AO for Adults Only on their various hardware platforms. Though Manhunt 2 isn’t slated for any of Microsoft’s systems, the company has also confirmed that it does not allow AO-rated titles on the Xbox or Xbox 360.
So we know Rockstar will be appealing or toning the game down in post production, but what I want to know is: Does this mean another Leisure Suit Larry is out of the question?