GamerNode: News - ESRB keeps M rating for Manhunt 2

ESRB keeps M rating for Manhunt 2

In response to the news that some hackers uncovered some adult content within Manhunt 2, the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) remained firm in their decision to keep the M rating for Manhunt 2.

Simply put, the ESRB said that there's not enough unlocked adult content to warrant an AO rating. What was unlocked in the PSP version was not everything that was originally going to be put into Manhunt 2; it was just a tiny amount.

From the press release:

"We have investigated the matter and concluded that unauthorized versions of the game have been released on the Internet along with instructions on how to modify the code to remove the special effects.

"Once numerous changes to the game's code have been made and other unauthorized software programs have been downloaded to the hardware device which circumvent security controls that prevent unauthorized games from being played on that hardware, a player can view unobscured versions of certain violent acts in the game.

"Contrary to some reports, however, we do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content."

In regards to how Hanhunt 2 is different from the infamous Hot Coffee incident in GTA: San Andreas, the ESRB listed these reasons:

Manhunt 2's situation

1. Content that was programmed to be part of the game (i.e. visual blurring effects of certain violent depictions) is being modified.
2. The content was previously disclosed to the ESRB.
3. Unauthorized versions of software and/or hardware are required to play the modified content.

Hot Coffee situation

1. Fully rendered in an unmodified form on the disc.
2. Not previously disclosed to the ESRB during the rating process.
3. Easily accessible to all owners of the PC version of the game.

Patricia Vance, ESRB president, said, "Manhunt 2's rating makes it unmistakable that the game is intended for an older audience. The unauthorized hacking into the code of this game doesn't change that basic fact.

"Parents need to be vigilant about monitoring what their children are downloading on the Internet and ensure that they are not making unauthorized and oftentimes illegal modifications to software and hardware that remove the controls the industry has so diligently put in place for their own protection."

[Via FiringSquad]

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