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Target May Discontinue Manhunt 2 Sales

Posted by Zonk on from the too-hot-to-handle dept.

Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog is reporting that retail giant Target may be pulling Rockstar's Manhunt 2 from store shelves and their online storefront. "This could be an interesting case: there is no content in Manhunt 2 that goes above and beyond what we've seen in other M-rated games without the extensive hacks needed to unlock the more graphic content. If Target wasn't seeing high sales of the game though, it wouldn't hurt the company financially to pull the game, and it gets to look family-friendly. From a public relations standpoint that's a win-win situation. My question remains: would Target be as quick to pull the game if it were a runaway success? " GamePoltics has up a discussion of the issues surrounding this move, with commentary from analyst Michael Pachter.

71 comments

  1. No Big Deal by Fozzyuw · · Score: 1

    Target is a big box retail often found in the same cities as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, ShopKo, etc. and games stores like GameStop/EBGames, etc. No big deal if they pull them. Consumers will just walk next-door and pick it up. Now, if Wal-Mart pulled it, that would be something because a LOT of those other stores will follow Wal-Marts lead when they do things.

    It's just more copies for the stores that are selling them.

    Cheers,
    Fozzy

    --
    "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
    1. Re:No Big Deal by shlepp · · Score: 1

      I thought Wal-Mart censored all the stuff they sell, Movies, CD's and Games? I don't shop at Wal-Mart, last CD i baught from a Wal-Mart was a Rancid album and it was full of censoring..

    2. Re:No Big Deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only music. Which is pretty amusing, since they'll edit the profanity out of an Eminem CD but then sell Pulp Fiction or South Park right next to it.

  2. Would it really bother us? by Drakin020 · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Would it really affect us that much? Most gamers pick there stuff up from GameStop or Walmart. You would think the extra games could just be shipped to those locations. It's not like were going to run short because one company wants to stop selling the game.

    Also...Don't hand me that "The game is not selling well" bullshit. I swear if I see a "Barbie goes to the mall" video game, I know that Manhunt 2 has to be selling better than that.

    --
    The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
    1. Re:Would it really bother us? by Tridus · · Score: 1

      You know that based on what? A game like that might sell well to parents of little kids. The "casual" gaming market is actually pretty big, and a lot of it is on the PC. It just doesn't garner much press.

      Far as I can tell, pretty much nobody is actually playing Manhunt 2.

      --
      -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
    2. Re:Would it really bother us? by MBGMorden · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Indeed. If IIRC, the video game withe most copies ever sold is: Deer Hunter. A bargain bin queen sold mostly at Wal-mart.

      Now, personally, I actually do hunt deer in real life, but the GAME was stupid. You click, get into the game, and these huge deer walk up to you within seconds (in game you'd never go more than 3 minutes without a monster buck walking up. IRL, it's not uncommon to go days without seeing ANY deer, and those huge trophy bucks are a once a decade thing, assuming you're not just paying some rancher to shoot big deer inside of his fence). Anyways, you shoot the deer, a "Good job!" sign pops up, and you do the exact same thing, again, and again, and again.

      This thing sold in DROVES because it was a) cheap, b) easy, and c) didn't require any time investment.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    3. Re:Would it really bother us? by mpathetiq · · Score: 1

      [I]t's not uncommon to go days without seeing ANY deer...

      Would you really want to sit staring at a monitor for days on end when playing a GAME?

      This thing sold in DROVES because it was a) cheap, b) easy, and c) didn't require any time investment.

      Sounds like a perfect casual game to me!

      --
      Post-rock/Ambient/Drone and other noise.
    4. Re:Would it really bother us? by Fez · · Score: 1

      Would you really want to sit staring at a monitor for days on end when playing a GAME? Not for me, but judging by the number of WoW addicts, I'd say that is a "yes" for a fair number of gamers.
    5. Re:Would it really bother us? by mpathetiq · · Score: 1

      I suppose I should have clarified... "Would you really want to sit staring at a monitor for days on end without any action when playing a GAME?"

      --
      Post-rock/Ambient/Drone and other noise.
    6. Re:Would it really bother us? by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      Would you really want to sit staring at a monitor for days on end when playing a GAME? It's not that such a thing should be implemented, it's that everything that makes hunting enjoyable doesn't translate into a game very well. It's the simple, repetitive, and completely unchallenging nature that is stupid to me. Pick any other game genre like puzzle games or something, and there are goals (however trivial), and a progressive level of difficulty. Deer Hunter to me is like playing Tetris with only square blocks. Sure you win all the time, but that isn't accomplishing much.
      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    7. Re:Would it really bother us? by tepples · · Score: 1

      Indeed. If IIRC, the video game withe most copies ever sold is: Deer Hunter. Citation needed. Did it sell more than 8 million (Half-Life), or more than 16 million (The Sims)? Did it sell more than 33 million (Tetris for Game Boy)?
    8. Re:Would it really bother us? by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      You'll buy your daughter a "Barbie goes to the mall" game on a whim, whether she wants it or not, and not worry about it much. You'd buy manhunt 2 for your child only if asked.

      I think it's a pretty plausible explanation. Effectively this is just buying karma for when you need it later (like Manhunt 3, which everyone wants, and features full body degloving!).

  3. Woohoo! Forbidden Fruit! by erroneus · · Score: 1

    That'll just make people want their game all the more! Thanks Target!!!

  4. Looks like ... by ThirdPrize · · Score: 1

    there is such a thing as bad publicity.

    --
    I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
    1. Re:Looks like ... by Some_Llama · · Score: 1

      "there is such a thing as bad publicity."

      Tell that to Hitler. (or should i say Joseph Goebbels?)

  5. I think I speak for the majority.... by Borealis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think I speak for the majority of gamers when I say "Who gives a rat's ass?"

    I mean seriously, when the major marketing point of a game is whether it's banned, not the graphics, gameplay, and technical merit, one has to wonder whether anybody besides Jack Thompson is ever going to bother with the game.

    Can we stop talking about this lame and pathetic excuse for a game now? Violence as part of a game is shiny. Crappy games that use it to sell instead of actually being decent suck, let's move on.

    --
    Unbreakable toys can be used to break other toys.
    1. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by superbus1929 · · Score: 1

      Who was the nimrod that modded this down? This guy nailed it perfectly; most gamers out there don't give a crap about this game (no numbers yet, but I'm betting it's not selling well, despite the publicity and decent reviews), it's really just an average game if you don't count the gore, and if you want gore, there's better alternatives.

      --
      Let's stop dilly-dallying and just change "-1: Overrated" to "-1: Disagree" or "-1: Doesn't Subscribe to Groupthink".
    2. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The fun part is that the only ones who actually give a rat's ass are media hype agencies who want to make the frontpage, thinkofthechildren activists who would love to regulate everyone's life to bubblewrap our kids and people without a purpose in life who try to find something sensible to do. And of course people like Jack who're all that rolled into one.

      Has anyone ever heard a gamer talk about it? Good or bad? Anything? Anyone here who cares? I mean, about the game, not the issue of freedom of speech.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      If you don't like it, don't buy it. But people are bothered because of attempts at censorship.

      Here in the UK it is not even legal for me as an adult to buy the game. Normally I wouldn't give a "rat's ass" about this type of game, but I do give a rat's ass that a nanny state decides to tell me what I can and can't play.

      Crappy games that use it to sell instead of actually being decent suck, let's move on.

      Given the trouble it's having being sold in stores, or even at all in some countries, I hardly think it's using it to sell it. But I commend them for trying to stand up to censorship.

    4. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by ClamIAm · · Score: 1

      Well, as a Minnesotan, it certainly gives me a good subject for a snarky editorial I can send to the Strib, e.g.: "It's disappointing that Target, one of Minnesota's most visible corporations, feels it must censor the artistic medium of electronic games just to win some 'think of the children' points" ...you get the idea ;)

    5. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by Borealis · · Score: 1

      Technically they aren't censoring, they are simply deciding not to sell it. Since they are not a government agency, this is entirely within their rights. You, of course, are free to point out that it is entirely the right of the shopping public to protest this. Honestly though, while I share a disdain for censorship, I feel that this is not the fight to make a stand for requiring retailers to stock lemons. Target could just as easily have decided not to sell Bioshock, a game that allows you to kill little girls (albeit rather creepy little girls), yet they did not make that choice because Bioshock is actually a darn good game. If Target chooses not to pick up this title for lack of redeeming features that's their business, and probably a wise move.

      --
      Unbreakable toys can be used to break other toys.
    6. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by Borealis · · Score: 1

      In the UK it is heinous that you are not able to buy it, because that is dictated by your government. Government has no business telling you what games you can and cannot play, and I fully sympathize. In the United States however, this is not a matter of government interference, it is Target deciding not to carry it. Given the absolute lack of merit to anybody I think that's probably good sense. The only option we could have to remedy this solution would be to force retailers to carry all games, regardless of their merit, and that will never happen.

      Customers are free to express their displeasure with Target's choice, and that is essentially the best way to steer any retailer. That said, I am glad that Target is not wasting their money on this piece of crap game.

      Like "Postal" before it, Manhunt 2 is purely violence for the sake of violence, without any effort at making the game anything more than a simulation of over the top sadism. While I am sure that will appeal to a portion of the population, I think it is unlikely to appeal to a wide audience. Games like "Overlord" or the old "Syndicate" appeal to the dark side of our nature as well, but they do it in a fun and entertaining way that is challenging and stimulating (even for non sadists) and appeal to a vast number of gamers. I'm not likely to cry over the difficulty in finding this one.

      --
      Unbreakable toys can be used to break other toys.
    7. Re:I think I speak for the majority.... by ClamIAm · · Score: 1

      Technically they aren't censoring

      This is a matter of debate... it depends on your political/economic philosophy. :)

  6. Re:Woohoo! Forbidden Fruit! by techpawn · · Score: 2, Informative

    If it's marked that only 17+ can buy and should play it because of stated reasons (I believe that's the target for M rated games). Unless it's just sitting and collecting dust what good reason does a company have for pulling it off their shelves.

    These are the same people who sell the "Unrated" version of movies to teenagers without a second thought but because video games are the hot button for "Think of the children" THAT'S what gets attention.

    --
    Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
  7. Producers, not WalMart by PadRacerExtreme · · Score: 1

    since they'll edit the profanity out of an Eminem CD but then sell Pulp Fiction or South Park right next to it.

    I don't believe WalMart does the editing. The record producers create a 'clean' version and an 'explicit' version (look on Amazon, they sell both version). WalMart is choosing to only sell the 'clean' versions.

    However, in the movie world, there is only one version, the 'explicit' version. I recall about a year ago a couple of companies that were doing the editing for parents (buy the movie, send it to them, they send you back a clean version), but I can't find a link to any of them right now. And I recall the movie studios going crazy because people were editing their movies.

    Which I find humorous. Movies are edited for TV all the time. But you can't buy the TV versions of movies. I think there is a large group of people who would buy the edited versions of movies if they could. Just like they buy the edited versions of CDs.

    --
    Just remember - if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
    1. Re:Producers, not WalMart by Walpurgiss · · Score: 1

      I doubt the record companies would expend the effort to produce the clean edits of the CDs if WalMart did not refuse to sell the originals though.

      It has to cost a lot of money to make clean edits, but it must cost a lot more to have zero record sales at WalMart.

      Costwise, it makes zero sense to produce clean edits yourself just to do so unless compelled to for a reason like WalMart refusing to sell explicit lyrics. Radio is really the only other venue that would be interested in such a thing, but they'd more likely do the edits themselves.

    2. Re:Producers, not WalMart by nharmon · · Score: 1

      They already expend the effort to product the clean edits for radio play. Compiling them into a CD costs nothing.

    3. Re:Producers, not WalMart by dosius · · Score: 1

      I know someone who asks me to tape (well, dvdcap) movies off WUTV all the time because they don't watermark. (Being free-to-air they of course show edited movies.)

      -uso.

      --
      What you hear in the ear, preach from the rooftop Matthew 10.27b
    4. Re:Producers, not WalMart by JCSoRocks · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Producers do the editing. The same "clean" version you get from Wal-Mart is the same thing you hear on the radio. Ever heard a DMX song on the radio? Every other word has to be censored, it's hilarious. But it's done using sound effects and such. However, there are also other artists / producers that will just create a "clean" (radio edit) version of the song. Replacing "bitch" with "girl" or "ass" with "thang", whatever it takes to get it played on as many stations as possible. Sometimes singles even include both the original and the radio edit. Probably for DJ types who may need to occasionally play the "clean" version of the song. (Right, like telling a girl to rub her "thang" on you instead of her "ass" is soooo much more PG). At any rate, I can guarantee you that no artist would want the likes of Wal-Mart doing their editing for them.

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
    5. Re:Producers, not WalMart by OldeTimeGeek · · Score: 1

      ClearPlay sells players that filters out violence/sex/whatever parents don't want their kids to see and GoodMoviesOnline (and others) take copies of movies and returns back a copy that's PG.

    6. Re:Producers, not WalMart by dintech · · Score: 1

      I can guarantee you that no artist would want the likes of Wal-Mart doing their editing for them.

      I bet that any musician who views their work as actual art would wouldn't allow editing of their songs at all. Surely to allow that would mean that the edited part was unnecessary to the work in question and that couldn't be, right? But wait, actually it's just manufactured garbage...

    7. Re:Producers, not WalMart by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 1

      That's only true for the tracks they think you'll play on the radio. Very seldom do studios release an entire album that has been sanitized; if some song gets big that was unexpected, the radio station will censor it themselves using whatever editing tools they have on hand.

      --
      ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
    8. Re:Producers, not WalMart by Applekid · · Score: 1

      Not all tracks are released for radio play. Each album typically yields one or two strong singles that get cleaned and trimmed for radio. Not only do remaining tracks would have to be similarly edited, radio edits also might trim spill-over from the prior song, extend the post so dj's to talk on top of the intro, and shorten to better hit the 2:30 sweet spot.

      Cleaning language is a primary goal of the radio edit, sure, but they take the opportunity to do more tricks.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    9. Re:Producers, not WalMart by edwdig · · Score: 1

      Radio edits are only done for the singles, which is at most 3 or 4 songs off the CD. Obviously the first single is known before release, but often the follow up singles aren't chosen until later on.

    10. Re:Producers, not WalMart by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Producers do the editing. The same "clean" version you get from Wal-Mart is the same thing you hear on the radio. Ever heard a DMX song on the radio? Every other word has to be censored, it's hilarious. But it's done using sound effects and such. However, there are also other artists / producers that will just create a "clean" (radio edit) version of the song. Replacing "bitch" with "girl" or "ass" with "thang", whatever it takes to get it played on as many stations as possible. Sometimes singles even include both the original and the radio edit. Probably for DJ types who may need to occasionally play the "clean" version of the song. (Right, like telling a girl to rub her "thang" on you instead of her "ass" is soooo much more PG). At any rate, I can guarantee you that no artist would want the likes of Wal-Mart doing their editing for them. What's weird is Wal-Mart also carries DVDs of the show Oz. I'd love to see the look on a Soccer Mom's face when she realizes that's not a TV series starring Dorothy and Toto.
      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    11. Re:Producers, not WalMart by Mr_Tricorder · · Score: 1

      I work for Target, and we sell a DVD player that will edit explicit content out of movies for you. It's called Clearplay, and you have to subscribe to their site to use the filtering technology. You just download the Clearplay filter library to a flash drive and plug it into the Clearplay DVD player, and it will use the library to determine what content should be filtered out of whatever DVD you're watching.

  8. If the game sucks, don't sell it. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Another week, another "Manhunt is, like, so XTREEM" article, eh? Someone in their PR department is due for a promotion.

    Would Target be as quick to pull the game if it were a runaway success?


    No. (Kind of a silly question, isn't it.)

    Players think the game sucks: they aren't falling for the enormous "carnage to the limit is cool" marketing campaign that's been going on here on Slashdot and elsewhere for six months. If anyone wanted it, the game would earn its shelf space. But...they don't, so buh-bye.
  9. Re:Woohoo! Forbidden Fruit! by westlake · · Score: 1
    That'll just make people want their game all the more! Thanks Target!!!

    More likely, the game will never be missed, as buyers are drawn to games like Bioshock - intelligent, suspenseful and the perfect compliment for the XBox 360 and HDTV.

  10. Of course not... by analog_line · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My question remains: would Target be as quick to pull the game if it were a runaway success?


    Of course not. That doesn't mean they wouldn't end up doing it in any case. See also: Don Imus' aborted radio career. It took an awful lot of pressure to bring him down, with all his political influence and the extreme financial rewards he reaped for his bosses. Manhunt and Take 2 have little to no political influence, and if their products aren't a financial success, who's going to be hurt if Target takes them off the shelves and sells them at firesale through another venue, maybe even eBay.
    1. Re:Of course not... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only problem is that Don Imus is getting his job back.

    2. Re:Of course not... by plague3106 · · Score: 0

      Well you should be happy to know that Imus is due back on the air next month. Of course he shouldn't have been fired anyway... especially not in the middle of doing a fundrasing event for charity.

    3. Re:Of course not... by analog_line · · Score: 1

      I'm not particularly happy or unhappy about Imus' return. I didn't listen to him, nor care that he got fired. He's rich enough to take care of himself, and apparently he has.

      I just used him as an example.

    4. Re:Of course not... by killjoy966 · · Score: 1

      See also: Don Imus' aborted radio career.

      The Biggest News Talk Radio Station in America Just Got Bigger!
      Shock Jock Don Imus Returns to Airwaves

      If I were you, I'd get my money back from the clinic.
      --

      Sigs are for suckers.

    5. Re:Of course not... by brkello · · Score: 1

      Imus was removed because he wasn't bringing in money anymore. It had nothing to do with pressure on his bosses, it had to do with the pressure on the advertisers. They pulled their ads from the show, the show wasn't making money, so they canceled the show. It really has nothing to do with political and everything to do with financial. That being said, Imus will be back in a few months.

      Of course, I agree with your initial sentiment that Target would not pull something that was highly profitable.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    6. Re:Of course not... by klipsch_gmx · · Score: 0

      See also: Don Imus' aborted radio career. It took an awful lot of pressure to bring him down,

      Others have noted that Don is back on the air, but with regards to the grandparent's point: note that Don Imus was alive and well only until the advertisers pulled out their support -- *then* he was toast.

    7. Re:Of course not... by plague3106 · · Score: 1

      I didn't listen to him either, but I did care about why he was fired, because its part of a distrubing trend of citizens trying to censor each other.

  11. The hypocracy (Irony maybe?) by BrianRoach · · Score: 1


    Walk into Target.
    Buy "Unrated" versions of Horror/Slasher movies on DVD.

    Because, you know ... those are perfectly fine. Those Evil Video Games, on the other hand ... ::sigh::

    - Roach

    1. Re:The hypocracy (Irony maybe?) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those Evil Video Games, on the other hand ... ::sigh:: You mean like this one? :)
  12. Target doesn't carry everything! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Posting as AC just in case I need to work at Target again...

    I worked at Target between jobs in the fall of 2001. Rez came out for the PS2, but Target never stocked it. The Sony rep didn't know why (was more concerned that the demo system was working and their display looked full than what we were actually carrying) and the district manager just said they only carry games Target's buyers get a good deal on and/or think will sell well.

    I don't know how Manhunt 2 passed that test while Rez didn't. They set which games go on which shelves, with the prime spaces going to titles of publishers cutting the best deals, not popularity. With the holiday shopping season coming up, display case space is scarce. Target is more than willing to pull a game/cd/dvd that isn't selling *and* have the distributor's backing.

  13. The game is too violent. by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Me and a friend were discussing this the other day and decided that we liked the concept of the original manhunt, but the game was just too violent to be worth playing. If the game involves violence but has another focus (Tenchu comes to mind, it's a very similar game style) then the violent is acceptable, it's there as a means to an end and fits the setting, but when that flows backwards (The game is the violence not the violence is part of the game) it just loses all interest to both of us.

    We're both 21, both been avid gamers since we were kids and both play games ranging from Mario to GTA:SA to Silent Hill, we're not the type of people to be overly conservative and avoid a game based on religious content or violence, but we expect a game to use these mediums and others in a way which enhances the game, rather than steals focus from it. If Manhunt was a good stealth game which just happens to be realistic in it's violence to the point of being uncomfortable we both would have picked it up, but being a violence game with a bit of stealth just makes it appeal to children (12-16 year olds) rather than appeal to the exact audience they claim to be aiming for.

    These manhunt stories seem like iPhone stories to me now. The hype is feeding the hype rather than the product. The iPhone was on Slashdot daily, it was going to spawn undead and be the new hot drug on the street, instead it just faded into the mists and rarely gets mentioned any more, the hype is no longer needed and the content of the product just isn't enough to stand on it's own two feet. That's how I feel Manhunt is going, it's unlikely we will see a third, or they will attempt to be even more extreme by which time the crowd will have gone "bored of you beating nurses to death with a fetus, I'm off thanks" and it won't get hype or sales.

    --
    I like muppets.
    1. Re:The game is too violent. by killjoy966 · · Score: 1

      The iPhone was on Slashdot daily, it was going to spawn undead and be the new hot drug on the street, instead it just faded into the mists and rarely gets mentioned any more, the hype is no longer needed and the content of the product just isn't enough to stand on it's own two feet.

      Although it may not be daily, it seems the iPhone still gets plenty of play on Slashdot.

      Good or bad, publicity is still publicity.
      --

      Sigs are for suckers.

    2. Re:The game is too violent. by ToasterMonkey · · Score: 1

      The iPhone was on Slashdot daily, it was going to spawn undead and be the new hot drug on the street, instead it just faded into the mists and rarely gets mentioned any more, the hype is no longer needed and the content of the product just isn't enough to stand on it's own two feet. Emphasis my own.

      You're gauging this solely based on Slashdot article submissions? I think you may have slipped up and meant Manhunt in there at the end, but...
      Using that guideline, can you tell me which US presidential candidates are hot now, other than "BUSH SUCKS"?

      Slashdot presents an awfully warped view of the world if it's the only place you get your news err.. opinions from.
    3. Re:The game is too violent. by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      I'm from the UK, I do not follow American politics, so no I could not, sorry. :)

      --
      I like muppets.
    4. Re:The game is too violent. by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      The difference is, we can legally go out and buy an iPhone. Hype means nothing when we can't buy it (here in the UK).

  14. Simple Solution by Tsu-na-mi · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they don't want to carry MH2, don't give them GTA4 (or any GTA titles) either.

    --
    I've built up so much character I have an alter-ego
    1. Re:Simple Solution by xero314 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah that will work. A Company with 1 billion (and falling) in annual revenue attempting to threaten a company with just shy of 60 billion (and rising) in annual revenue. I'm sure that the company that has been around since 1902 and is in direct competition with the worlds largest retailer is going to bow to the threats and demands of the 5 year old video game producer who is already on many peoples shit list for allow explicit content to remain hidden in there products. If Take Two has any brains at all they will let this slide, hope that sales from other retailers make up the difference, and then stop pumping money into a by gone franchise that never should have been (Manhunt was a interesting concept not a franchise in the making).

  15. Not here... by tkrotchko · · Score: 1

    "IRL, it's not uncommon to go days without seeing ANY deer"

    Come to my back and front yard. I guarantee you'll see 20-30 a day. They're a pestilence in the northeast.

    --
    You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
    1. Re:Not here... by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      I can see them that frequently here at night on the highways, but catching them in the daylight hours when you're allowed to shoot is what's hard for me. I also live in the Southeast (South Carolina specifically), where our forests are THICK. You can't see more than 50-60 yards from most deer stands I hunt, so if they're hanging out at 200-300 yards where in a lot of places people would be taking a shot already, I can't even see them :). Only exception is when I hunt in tracts cleared for power lines. In several areas there are these massive clearings through the forest for the high voltage/long distance power lines to travel through, and given that it's in a government hunt unit, you're allowed to shoot in the clearing (there is a lot of extra space between the poles and the woods, and the lines themselves are several hundred feet up, so there's not really a risk of hitting the infrastructure). In those sometimes I can get a shot up to 300-400 yards, but it's a very narrow gap to monitor for hours on end.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  16. As an artist, I'd sue by Opportunist · · Score: 0

    If you don't want to view or hear my art the way I envision it, don't consume it at all. How is this kind of content altering different from applying a crack to computer games? How can one be legal and the other be illegal?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:As an artist, I'd sue by OldeTimeGeek · · Score: 1
      I absolutely agree with you. Unfortunately it appears that enough people want the bowdlerized version that there is a large market for it.

      I seem to remember that the folks that bring you the expurgated versions say that they aren't modifying the original in any way, which is why they don't get hammered with the DMCA or any of the other copyright acts, but it seems a minor difference to me...

    2. Re:As an artist, I'd sue by Some_Llama · · Score: 1

      Why don't they sell both types tho, so people like me can buy the uncensored version?

      Something about hearing "old school" instead of "fuck you" in a rage against the machine lyric makes the song feel comical and not rebellious.

    3. Re:As an artist, I'd sue by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      So? Does a crack modify the original? If it can, I'd love to see it, it would be the proof that a DVD-ROM can write to an original disc.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  17. "Games are for kids" by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    That's what's still in the heads of many adults. Most games were actually played by minors until about ten or twenty years ago. But those gamers grew up and they stayed with it, and they want to play something other than Teletubbies in Lalaland.

    I'm honestly surprised the thinkofthechildren crowd didn't discover Anime yet. Considering that "cartoons are for kids" is another stereotype hard to combat, and that many Anime cover subjects that are even by my standards not suitable for kids. And I'm not even talking Hentai here.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:"Games are for kids" by techpawn · · Score: 1

      I'm honestly surprised the thinkofthechildren crowd didn't discover Anime yet.
      PLEASE! Don't give them any ideas...
      --
      Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
    2. Re:"Games are for kids" by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Give them Felidae, bad enough. Traumatized my sister. It has cartoon cats slicing each other's guts open and ripping the entrails out. What a joy for 5 year olds...

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  18. Horrible Solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That will cause lost sales for them, increased sales for their competitors, and probably no impact at all on Target.

  19. Manhunt not that Great by shlepp · · Score: 1

    I played the first Manhunt for about a half hour and i didn't find it that fun or interesting. So how could Manhunt 2 be any better? I highly doubt it's decent, but i wasn't a fan of the Manhunt either, I prefer GTA.

  20. Basic cable by tepples · · Score: 1

    They already expend the effort to product the clean edits for radio play. Compiling them into a CD costs nothing. They already expend the effort to product the clean edits for basic cable and free-to-air TV play. Compiling them into a DVD costs nothing.
  21. Square blocks by tepples · · Score: 1

    Pick any other game genre like puzzle games or something, and there are goals (however trivial), and a progressive level of difficulty. Deer Hunter to me is like playing Tetris with only square blocks. All the blocks in Tetris are square. Would you rather play with round blocks or hexagonal blocks?
    1. Re:Square blocks by aichpvee · · Score: 1

      I definitely prefer round blocks.

      --
      The Farewell Tour II
  22. Will not be sold. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Target will not be selling Manhunt 2. All stores are directed to return all shipments to Take Two games and do not put this title on store shelves under any circumstances. -Target Employee