Rockstar North's Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii) will finally be released in the UK following a long legal battle to keep the game off of retail shelves, Gamasutra reports.

The UK Video Appeals Committee upheld its rejection of an appeal filed by the British Board of Film Classification, which was passed by the British High Court earlier this year. In a majority decision of four to three, the VAC has ignored the High Court's judgment and granted Rockstar's appeal.

With no legal recourse, the BBFC has confirmed that it will issue the game an 18 and over age rating, allowing Manhunt 2 to be sold in the UK.

"We twice rejected Manhunt 2...however, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny," said BBFC director David Cooke. "It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."

BBFC's assignment of a rating brings an end to nearly nine months of legal turmoil over Manhunt 2, which was denied rating by the committee last June and barred from sale in the UK. Rockstar successfully appealed to the Video Appeals Committee late last year, forcing the BBFC to assign a rating to the game.

Rockstar's appeal of the British Board of Film Classification's ban of Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) has been approved by the Video Appeals Committee, passing on a vote of four-to-three.

With Rockstar's appeal successful, the VAC can force the BBFC to rate the game, which would allow it to be released in the UK. The BBFC had twice rejected rating the title due to "its focus on varied and cumulative killings."

The original version of the game was denied a North American release by platform manufacturers following its Adults Only rating by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. A modified version was later assigned a Mature rating and released on October 30, with the rating upheld after hackers found a technically-demanding way to uncensor certain portions of the PSP version.

"We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision," said BBFC director David Cooke. "The BBFC exercises great vigilance and care in ensuring that all violent games which are submitted to us are correctly classified. Our decisions are based on published guidelines, which are the result of very wide public consultation."

"The BBFC will carefully study the judgement by the Video Appeals Committee when it becomes available," stated Cooke.

Following the news of an unlockable uncensored version of Rockstar's controversial Manhunt 2 for PSP, advocacy groups like the Parents Television Council and anti-media violence types like Senator Leland Yee called for the game's ESRB-issued rating to be changed from Mature back to its original Adults Only rating.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board investigated the situation and has issued a response, defending the game's M rating in light of the hacked versions of Manhunt 2. "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," the statement reads. "Our investigation indicates that the game's publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content."

The statement goes on to further distinguish between this instance and the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, Xbox) Hot Coffee mod in a number of ways. Whereas the Hot Coffee mod unlocked content Rockstar had knowingly included in the... Read more

Update: Rockstar has confirmed to GamePolitics that hackers have indeed reversed some, but not all, of the edits made to the PSP edition of Manhunt 2.

"It is unfortunately the case that no one in the entertainment software industry is immune from hacking," explained Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick. "We hope that consumers will not engage in hacking or download illegally modified copies of our games. We encourage them to enjoy our games as they are meant to be played."

"All of the game material, and especially these specific edits, was submitted to and reviewed by the ESRB in accordance with requirements regarding disclosure that were enacted two years ago and any contrary suggestion is inaccurate and irresponsible," reads the company's statement.

Original Story: In an unsurprising revelation that is beginning to seem all too familiar, a group of hackers is reported to have once again enabled purposefully disabled content in a title from Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar.

This time around, the game is Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP), which was just released yesterday. By editing the title's initialization files, players of the PSP edition can supposedly experience the uncensored version of the game that was originally rated Adults Only and denied release.

In order to secure a retail release for Manhunt 2, Rockstar "modified"... Read more

Though modified, Rockstar Games' brutally violent Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) was not neutered in the company's quest for an M rating, claims Rockstar VP of product development Jeronimo Barrera.

"We feel we kept the original vision and the content and we didn't neuter the game as people say we have," Barrera told MTV.

The original version of Manhunt 2 received an Adults Only rating from the ESRB and denied a rating by the British Board of Film Classification, causing Nintendo and Sony to deny the game a release on their platforms. Rockstar later submitted a "modified" edition of the game to the ESRB, securing a Mature rating and scheduling the game for an October 31 release in North America.

At the time, Rockstar refused to specify what those modifications entailed. It has since been reported that the so-called censored edition adds blur to some of the game's more violent non-interactive scenes, making it more difficult to discern the on-screen actions. Barrera was adamant that no portion of the game's story and cutscenes were removed, though a system that awarded players for repeatedly performing the most violent acts in the game was taken out.

"The scoring was a hold-over from the first game, and when we had ... Read more

Also at GameSpot is this Manhunt 2 preview, taking another look at the action adventure game sequel. There's also a brief writeup at 1UP.

The folks at IGN managed to get their hands on Manhunt 2, checking out the newly censored version of the action game sequel.

Following calls from media watchdog groups for an investigation into the ESRB's recent re-rating of Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2, the board issued a statement today from its president, Patricia Vance.

In the statement, Vance defended the ESRB's decision last week to change the Manhunt 2 rating from its previously assigned Adults Only status to a more marketable Mature rating. The change came after Rockstar modified the game and resubmitted it for review by the ESRB.

"Publishers submit game content to the ESRB on a confidential basis. It is simply not our place to reveal specific details about the content we have reviewed, particularly when it involves a product yet to be released," Vance said in the statement. "What can be said is that the changes that were made to the game, including the depictions themselves and the context in which those depictions were presented, were sufficient to warrant the... Read more

Rockstar Games today announced that Manhunt 2, the much-maligned game that was put on indefinite hold after receiving an Adults Only rating from the ESRB, has now been "modified" and assigned a Mature rating.

The brutal horror title is now coming to stores this Halloween--Wednesday, October 31--on the PlayStation 2, Wii, and PSP. Rockstar London and Rockstar North handled the PS2 version, with Rockstar Toronto responsible for the motion-controlled Wii edition and Rockstar Leeds on the PSP iteration.

"Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," said Rockstar executive producer Sam Houser. "We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

Manhunt 2 publisher Take-Two was left without a strong seasonal release following the delay of Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto into 2008. It had previously planned to release the highly anticipated entry in ... Read more

Exactly six weeks after Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) was refused British Board of Film Classification rating and thus blocked from sale in the UK, parent company Take-Two Interactive has appealed the board's decision. The company filed the appeal with the Video Game Appeals Committee yesterday, the deadline to take such action.

The VAC will appoint an appeal date and a panel to judge the appeal. If the appeal is upheld, the game will be given a rating and permitted to be sold on store shelves. "Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly," said BBFC director David Cooke when the board's decision was announced. "To issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors."

News of the appeal was first reported by UK publication MCV.

Update: Take-Two released the following statement to Shacknews: "Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. confirmed today that Rockstar Games has appealed the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) decision that prohibited the release of any version of Manhunt 2 in Britain."

It remains to be seen how much the build these sites played will be like what ends up in stores (story), but GameSpot and Pro-G have hands-on Manhunt 2 previews posted.

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has "temporarily suspended" the release of its controversial game Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP), which this week was Rated "Adults Only" by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The game will no longer ship July 10 as originally planned; a new release projection has not been given.

In a statement issued today, Take-Two expressed its confidence in the game, which but did not give any indication as to its planned course of action. "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game," reads the statement. "We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."

The rating refusal on the part of the BBFC effectively bans Manhunt 2 from sale entirely in the UK. The ESRB's AO rating does not legally... Read more

Console manufacturers Sony and Nintendo have stated their intention not to allow publication of Manhunt 2 on their systems in its current state, following the "Adults Only" rating assigned to the game yesterday by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

Refusal to certify AO-rated games is standard policy for both manufacturers; though the game was not developed for Xbox or Xbox 360, Microsoft has similar guidelines. Manhunt 2 was developed by Rockstar Toronto for Wii, Rockstar London for PlayStation 2, and Rockstar Leeds for PSP. It was originally scheduled for a July 10 release in North America.

In a statement issued to GameSpot, a Sony representative said, "It's currently our policy not to allow the playback of AO-rated content on our systems."

"Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings... As with books, television and movies, different... Read more

The Entertainment Software Ratings board, which assigns content ratings to games in North America, has rated the brutal horror sequel Manhunt 2 "Adults Only." Though there are no legal ramifications involved with such a move, most brick-and-mortar retailers voluntarily refuse to stock AO-rated products. Today's announcement comes just hours after the British Board of Film Classification refused to rate Manhunt 2, barring the game from sale in the UK.

Manhunt 2 is being developed by Rockstar Toronto for Wii, Rockstar London for PlayStation 2, and Rockstar Leeds for PSP. It has been announced as launching in North America on July 10, though the AO rating may affect release plans.

Take-Two Interactive, parent of Rockstar Games, has expressed... Read more

The British Board of Film Classification has refused to rate the upcoming horror sequel Manhunt 2, in development by Rockstar Toronto for Wii, Rockstar London for PlayStation 2, and Rockstar Leeds for PSP. Without a BBFC rating, the game may not be sold within the United Kingdom. Today's ruling applies to the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions; the PSP version has not yet been submitted for classification.

"Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly," said BBFC director David Cooke. "Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and... Read more