Take-Two chairman, Strauss Zelman, fired of a few magnum rounds and blasted critics and game ratings boards for their unfair treatment and portrayal of Take Two Interactive and its controversial Manhunt 2 game.
The game has gotten its claim to fame for its extreme over-the-top portrayal of killing, slashing and violence.
Take Two vows to bring the title to publication.
It received an AO (adults only) rating from the ESRB and is now in the process of being redone to garner a lower rating of "M" for mature. Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK and was on its way to being banned by Nintendo and Sony if the game received an AO rating from the ESRB…which, in fact, it did.
He said, "We don’t see ourselves in the Adults Only business. Having said that, if we find ourselves in the Adults Only business, it would be because we have a title that we consider art and entertainment, that we consider if appropriately labeled AO, and that we would like to bring to market."
Zelman thought the rating system for video games was in need of a major overhaul and said, "What is the purpose of a rating if it means effectively that a title cannot be released?…Having a rating that we don’t think is appropriate is one issue, obviously, and a separate issue would be if we feel the rating is appropriate and we can’t bring it to market…that seems somewhat nonsensical."
In addition to being banned for sale in the UK, big box retailers such as Wal-Mart were also planning to refuse the right of sale for ManHunt 2 if an AO rating was designated for the game. Take Two was in a position to lose big in retail sales by having a rating of AO on MH2.
[via gamespot]
