The BBFC is applying for a judicial review of the Video Appeals Committee's decision on Manhunt 2.
The ratings body says, "The BBFC is applying for a judicial review of the decision by the Video Appeals Committee to overturn the Board's rejection of the video game Manhunt 2. The Board's challenge also seeks suspension of the Committee's decision that the game should be classified.
"The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgement because in the Board's view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act.
"The VAC judgement, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board's decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence. If the VAC's decision is suspended, then the game will not be classified before the outcome of the Judicial Review."
As our good friend Manhunt 2 said in another related article
so let me get this straight. The courts have given the game their backing. the VOC have given the game their backing. but the BBFC has decided that everyone else is wrong, and want to appeal.
BBFC really are a bunch of idiots that need to get off their high horses. They are willing to go through all this just to keep the parent backlash against them minimal.
Backlash from gamers from non release = minimal. Most just saying they arent bothered anymore or its a rubbish game. Forgetting the future knock on effects that are arising from this - No more Heroes, Condemned 2 & possibly GTA4 all getting cut down to make sure they are passed. & this is so far.
Backlash from parents & press if it gets released = Huge. They suffered that force with the original Manhunt & wont want to go through it again
Gamers need to stand against this not because its a great game but for the future of gaming. Weve got to make more noise about this & take a stand, not just write it off. This will have an adverse affect on the industry as a whole
Why oh why oh why do we have to put up with an old fashioned, out of touch ratings boards which stamps their feet when one of their decisions is challenged ?
I for one will no longer be watching anything produced by the BBFC.
Yours sick to the back teeth of old grey farts Mr Bedo Bristol
The BBFC banned the game because it was basically just a game full of violence for the sake of committing violent acts without any backlash for doing so. You were rewarded for commiting the violent acts.
GTA, Condemned etc are all completely different. They contain a story for a stat and the violence has consequences. Condemned 2 (loss of mental stability) GTA (police attention etc). What does Mnhunt do? Show you in great graphic detal how to kill someone using a plastic bag and a claw hammer.
The BBFC are right to stand by their decision. Its the only way to ensure stupid parnts aren't letting their impressional kids get hold of it.
Ridiculous..........sensorship is incredible we can show two guys at 6:30pm making out and people throwing up all day long but as soon as there is something physical 'I.E a disk with a rating' everything gets blown out of proportion.................personally i think its the bbfc getting back at rockstar for the wholle hot coffee thing.
I'm of the opinion that the BBFC have just got a personal vendetta against Rockstar and the Manhunt name. Would they have been so strong about banning it if it didn't have either the Manhunt or Rockstar names on it? I don't think so. I mean, for a game to be passed by other independent bodies (who apparently are of a higher power) and those who originally banned it to just have a hissy fit about it is ridiculous. Has anyone actually seen the censored version? You actually can't see any of the kills you do.
The BBFC banned the game because it was basically just a game full of violence for the sake of committing violent acts without any backlash for doing so. You were rewarded for commiting the violent acts.
GTA, Condemned etc are all completely different. They contain a story for a stat and the violence has consequences. Condemned 2 (loss of mental stability) GTA (police attention etc). What does Mnhunt do? Show you in great graphic detal how to kill someone using a plastic bag and a claw hammer.
The BBFC are right to stand by their decision. Its the only way to ensure stupid parnts aren't letting their impressional kids get hold of it.
Not this 'no story to hold the killings together crap again'
to quote myself on another related article
But this game does have a motive for the killings. He is suffering from amnesia & is mainly trying to survive & killing to find the truth. ] Yes its not a great story but its no worse than in any other game. 95% of games just ask you to kill with no moral or purpose beyond this type of wafer thin reasoning. Why has this been singled out?
Also other parties that have played the game have no problems & have passed it so it cant be that bad. It is only BBFC that are being stubborn about it.
why would you buy a game like this? If you get enjoyment from it, I pity you.
personally I think that safety labels should be taken off everything, hopefully the idiots out there will all kill themselves, and there will be noone left for R* to market this crap to.
Something like Hostel can get through no holds barred but somehow Manhunt 2 is going through some prolonged saga like it's going to bring the plague or something. The BBFC are now crying because they've been overruled and their ego has been hit.
why would you buy a game like this? If you get enjoyment from it, I pity you.
Personally I wouldn't touch this game with a barge pole, but that isn't the point. It's about the precedent that a ruling like this creates. Once somthing is banned by the BBFC, there will be calls in the press for other games to be hit with the ban hammer all using manhunt 2 as justification.
Oh, and on a seperate note:
Games do not turn people into murders, stop looking for a scapegoat.
BBFC are w****rs for starting this crap. I don't care for Manhunt 2 cos it sounds complete balls but the fact that futurre releases, most notably No More Heroes for, are to possibly be ruined really f***s me off.
Not only that, but Rising Star or whoever they are releasing 'Heroes' are a set of w***ers for bowing down so easily and going along with. I really hope the petition works.
What gets me the most is that this country is so retarded. They moan about such things like people drinking too much booze yet they extend the licensing laws to longer hours (as boozing isn't such a big deal in this country) and when it comes to something like this, they go so far to make a point...
why would you buy a game like this? If you get enjoyment from it, I pity you.
Personally I wouldn't touch this game with a barge pole, but that isn't the point. It's about the precedent that a ruling like this creates. Once somthing is banned by the BBFC, there will be calls in the press for other games to be hit with the ban hammer all using manhunt 2 as justification.
Oh, and on a seperate note:
Games do not turn people into murders, stop looking for a scapegoat.
I know they dont. But the BBFC dont want to end up blamed because STUPID parents let thir kids play these games.
With regards to films like Hostal the BBFC can pass them because parents are LESS likely to buy them on DVD for their child compared to a game.
If the game was about a man with amnesia having to go around and rape everyone in order to remember why he's their that would be okay would it? Where does the line get drawn between Gratuitous violence being okay and rape....even if its just implied rather then shown?
The BBFC banned the game because it was basically just a game full of violence for the sake of committing violent acts without any backlash for doing so. You were rewarded for commiting the violent acts.
GTA, Condemned etc are all completely different. They contain a story for a stat and the violence has consequences. Condemned 2 (loss of mental stability) GTA (police attention etc). What does Mnhunt do? Show you in great graphic detal how to kill someone using a plastic bag and a claw hammer.
The BBFC are right to stand by their decision. Its the only way to ensure stupid parnts aren't letting their impressional kids get hold of it.
Actually, I think you are the one who is missing the point. The purpose of the ratings board is to give people the best information about the content of a game before purchasing it. If the game has an 18 rating on it and some “stupid parent” buys it then that really isn’t their problem. You can’t start banning everything remotely offensive just in case an idiot shows it to a five year old. I can buy violent movies in any video store; I can even walk into a shop and buy hardcore pornography. But I can’t buy a major game release because the BBFC has taken that decision out of my hands?
I’m an adult, it not their decision. Their job is to say “only adults should view this” and then back off. I guarantee that people will look back on Manhunt 2 in a few years time and laugh at how anyone could have ever considered banning it.
But this is all crazy. Games will go the same way as the '80s video nasties, and eventually they'll find someone else to go "Mary Whitehouse" over and things will go back to normal.
But I saw Ewe Boll's Seed recently and if you can show a killer bashing a woman's head in with a hammer, there clearly is a massive difference in what the BBFC sees as being acceptable and what is not.
The BBFC banned the game because it was basically just a game full of violence for the sake of committing violent acts without any backlash for doing so. You were rewarded for commiting the violent acts.
Is Shadow Of The Colossus any different? Yes, it's not violent or gory or anything, but the entire, repeat, ENTIRE purpose of the game is to find creatures that have never endangered anyone, haven't provoked you in any way and in many cases don't even fight back, and stab them in the head, all for your own selfish needs. At no point up until the very very end of the game are you told WHY you have to kill these things, you're just told you do. Technically (and before anyone says it, yes I realise this is nitpicking), this is the same thing that the BBFC are accusing Manhunt of doing.
I know they dont. But the BBFC dont want to end up blamed because STUPID parents let thir kids play these games.
With regards to films like Hostal the BBFC can pass them because parents are LESS likely to buy them on DVD for their child compared to a game.
Ok, so because there are parents (and I use that term very very loosely) that have no idea what their kids are playing or watching, I should have my freedom of choice compromised ?
Bulls**t. It's like I've said before, that's what we've got a ratings system for. Perhaps it's about time we started really punishing the parents financially and even with a bit of jail time. That may sound extreme but it's about time that mum and dad started to realise that little Jimmy is their responsibility and not societys. It's 2007, if parents can't wake up to the fact that we have a ratings system for a reason then they shouldn't be f**king parents.
I know they dont. But the BBFC dont want to end up blamed because STUPID parents let thir kids play these games.
With regards to films like Hostal the BBFC can pass them because parents are LESS likely to buy them on DVD for their child compared to a game.
Ok, so because there are parents (and I use that term very very loosely) that have no idea what their kids are playing or watching, I should have my freedom of choice compromised ?
Bulls**t. It's like I've said before, that's what we've got a ratings system for. Perhaps it's about time we started really punishing the parents financially and even with a bit of jail time. That may sound extreme but it's about time that mum and dad started to realise that little Jimmy is their responsibility and not societys. It's 2007, if parents can't wake up to the fact that we have a ratings system for a reason then they shouldn't be f**king parents.
I completely agree, but that isnt likely to happen anytim soon so in the meantime the BBFC are doing whatever it can to save its own ass. And dont forget. The BBFC would be happy to pass the game providing it is toned down.
I know they dont. But the BBFC dont want to end up blamed because STUPID parents let thir kids play these games.
With regards to films like Hostal the BBFC can pass them because parents are LESS likely to buy them on DVD for their child compared to a game.
Ok, so because there are parents (and I use that term very very loosely) that have no idea what their kids are playing or watching, I should have my freedom of choice compromised ?
Bulls**t. It's like I've said before, that's what we've got a ratings system for. Perhaps it's about time we started really punishing the parents financially and even with a bit of jail time. That may sound extreme but it's about time that mum and dad started to realise that little Jimmy is their responsibility and not societys. It's 2007, if parents can't wake up to the fact that we have a ratings system for a reason then they shouldn't be f**king parents.
I completely agree, but that isnt likely to happen anytim soon so in the meantime the BBFC are doing whatever it can to save its own ass. And dont forget. The BBFC would be happy to pass the game providing it is toned down.
Yeah, but they're not there to save their own ass, they're there to rate media content. How they're perceived in the public domain should never ever factor into the equation.
The problem is that they've got too power hungry and lost the focus on what they were actually set up to do. They made a bad call and got 'caught'. It's time they shut up and backed down. They've lost the battle and really, really need to accept that.
I completely agree, but that isnt likely to happen anytim soon so in the meantime the BBFC are doing whatever it can to save its own ass. And dont forget. The BBFC would be happy to pass the game providing it is toned down.
There is no 'toning down' of this game - at it's core, you have to kill in Manhunt 2 to survive. It'd be like the censors telling George Lucas to remove the sci-fi elements from his Star Wars movies...
Once again we see that there are those on these boards that (quite reasonably) believe that movies and games should be seen as the same with regards to ratings, and those that can't understand why people want to play a game where you have to kill people.
As has been pointed out time and again, whether we would buy Manhunt 2 or not is utterly irrelevant. It's the fact that we are being told, as adults, that that game is unsuitable for us, whereas movies of a similar ilk, or usually worse, get 15 ratings (Starship Troopers was exceptionally violent, and was given a 15 rating at the cinema. Thankfully this was rectified for home release )! This is unfair to us, Rockstar, and the games industry in general.
It's funny how we can have reems and reems of World War II games out there, none of which get an 18 rating, and yet games like this are banned outright. All this sort of action will do is stifle creativity. There are films like Eraserhead, Driller Killer, TCSM etc out there, which show us serial killers in gruesome details, it stands to reason that some people might want to read a book, or yes, play a game revolving around such issues, and it is totally ludicrous that in one medium, this content is fine, and in another, it is banned outright.
Either ban any and ALL violent conduct in games, movies, books, television etc etc (heh, see the backlash then!), or let it all through. Stop trying to make an example of Rockstar!
A highly expert and experienced regulator of the moving image (especially film, video/DVD and video games)
This would suggest that they understand the content of both films and games and should, as any gamer does, see them as being equal in their need for classification. Why are violent games seen as being more dangerous than violent films? The law in the UK demands that 18 rated media is not sold to those under 18. Parents can not blame the game industry for the unfounded 'harm' these games cause to children as they should never have been able to get hold of them in the first place.
Again from the BBFC website:
We give the public information that empowers them to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care. We help to protect vulnerable viewers and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unsuitable content while respecting adult freedom of choice
What utter bulls**t! Aren't we losing the power to make our own decision when a game is banned entirely? This type of antagonistic scapegoat making can only lead to serious harm within the game industry. This can not be allowed to happen.
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)! This is unfair to us, Rockstar, and the games industry in general.
