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US Senators Take On The ESRB Over Manhunt 2

Posted by Zonk on from the hold-on-to-your-butts dept.

eldavojohn writes "Some US Senate members sent a letter to the ESRB asking for 'your consideration of whether it is time to review the robustness, reliability and repeatability of your ratings process, particularly for this genre of 'ultraviolent' video games and the advances in game controllers,' the senators wrote. 'We have consistently urged parents to pay attention to the ESRB rating system. We must ensure that parents can rely on the consistency and accuracy of those ratings.' The group of lawmakers were concerned that Manhunt 2 was only given an 'M' rating and instead feel that it should have the 'AO' rating — a rating that only 23 other games have been given and a rating that would cause Sony & Nintendo to restrict it from being released on their consoles."

4 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. The other AO games... by pathological+liar · · Score: 2, Informative

    All Nude Cyber
    All Nude Glamour
    All Nude Nikki
    Body Language
    Crystal Fantasy
    Critical Point
    Cyber Photographer
    Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy: Director's Cut
    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
    Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored
    Lula 3D
    Peak Entertainment Casinos
    Playboy the Mansion: Private Party
    Playboy Screensaver: The Women of Playboy
    Riana Rouge
    Singles
    Snow Drop
    The Joy Of Sex
    Thrill Kill
    Tokimeki Checkin!
    Water Closet: The Forbidden Chamber
    WET: The Sexy Empire
    X-Change

    All but three made the cut explicitly for sexual content. I think we can assume GTA:SA and Fahrenheit made the list for the 'violence' as well, but that's a weak stretch at best... if they're there, why isn't Duke Nukem 3D?

  2. Just FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    ManHunt 2 was originally given the kiss of death of an AO rating by the ESRB. After modifying game play and "cinema" to meet the request of the ESRB they were then certified with an M rating. The last point... It is a video game people... you know, not real life.

  3. Re:That's the whole reason why there is a problem by mpe · · Score: 2, Informative

    Game makers would be fine with AO ratings except for the fact that they are a kiss of death. For some reason, in everyone's mind, the highest rating = porno. So Walmart and others will sell R rated movies and M rated games, but if you get an NC-17 or AO hung on it all of a sudden nobody wants to distribute it.

    Which is ironic considering that one of the ideas behind NC-17 was to distinguish "adult" from "porn".

  4. Re:Did they actually play it? by slyn · · Score: 3, Informative

    They don't need to "take crack", but at least reading some of the literature on the subject might help.