Just last week, the ESRB dealt a pretty impressive finishing move to Manhunt 2 from Take Two.

Now, news from Joystiq indicates that in addition to providing ratings for games, they have deemed themselves to be the entity in charge of..... Game Trailers.

It would be great if Manhunt 2 released a trailer that's so clean it's rated E for Everyone. Talk about misleading.

Potentially different ratings for the game trailer and the game itself?

The only thing that this bright idea does is mislead people. There's no way that a game that's getting an T rating is going to have an M trailer. It's not possible unless they put crap into the trailer that's not in the game.

While they're at it, maybe they could start rating the box art and instruction manual.

Everytime I see this kind of stuff, I want to move to Canada. It's ridiculous the way we let people control us without any retaliation on our part.

/me goes back to sipping his drink and screwing around on the web

Canada's not much better. They approve every song that goes on the radio through the government.

Canada's not much better. *They approve every song that goes on the radio through the government.


Well, it's more like we have a Canadian Content law. Radio stations are required to play a certain percentage of Canadian music. I don't think every song has to get approved.

oh here comes someone else with actual facts. Geez. ;)

Was listening to this myself on radio a while back as well, the law basically wants at least 30% Canadian content played. Its not a big deal for most radio stations, as they can queue in news or something of the sort once a day.

ESRB wise though, its so funny, just the other day I was thinking about how these companies come into self-proclaimed power. The ESRB, the ICAN, and all those other "standards". Wish I could standardize something and get rich of it somehow.

Canada's not much better. *They approve every song that goes on the radio through the government.


Well, it's more like we have a Canadian Content law. *Radio stations are required to play a certain percentage of Canadian music. *I don't think every song has to get approved. *


That's even worse. I'd hate to be forced to play or listen to Avril and Celine Dion because the government said so.

It's actually been well within the ESRB's remit to rate trailers for a while; they adopted Principles and Guidelines for Responsible Advertising Practices (http://www.esrb.org/ratings/principles_guidlines.jsp) in 2000, and since 2005 they've recommended that trailers containing violence or what have you be given an "age gate".

There's more history about the ESRB's trailer crackdown at GamePolitics.com (http://gamepolitics.com/2007/06/26/esrbs-spanking-of-dark-sector-darkness-trailers-is-nothing-new/).

I don't think that Manhunt 2 will be released. I think it was a ploy to make GTA 4 look better to the ratings board and get content passed that wouldn't usually. Just marketing for GTA 4, not Manhunt 2.

I don't think that Manhunt 2 will be released. *I think it was a ploy to make GTA 4 look better to the ratings board and get content passed that wouldn't usually. *Just marketing for GTA 4, not Manhunt 2.

They aren't going to spend all those months/years into creating a game just to build up hype for a game which doesn't need to be hyped.

I am 99% sure it will be released, just toned down.

I don't think that Manhunt 2 will be released. I think it was a ploy to make GTA 4 look better to the ratings board and get content passed that wouldn't usually. Just marketing for GTA 4, not Manhunt 2.

They aren't going to spend all those months/years into creating a game just to build up hype for a game which doesn't need to be hyped.

I am 99% sure it will be released, just toned down.


I'm hmbly going to have to disagree, for now. If the whole game was banned/ AO'ed that means one of two things, in my opinion:
1: They thought that they were going to get the Mature rating and their arrogance fueled the fire.
2: They really need GTA 4 to be a huge success and are pulling a Family Guy (adding content they know will be banned so that the "on the edge stuff" would be considered okay) on the censors. But instead of episodes or additional game content, it's different video games.

I could be wrong, and probably am, but I don't understand how you could have a completed build of a game with all of this content in it and after it's given the banned/ AO rating just simply "fix" the whole game. I'm not a programmer, so I don't know.

I don't think that Manhunt 2 will be released. *I think it was a ploy to make GTA 4 look better to the ratings board and get content passed that wouldn't usually. *Just marketing for GTA 4, not Manhunt 2.

They aren't going to spend all those months/years into creating a game just to build up hype for a game which doesn't need to be hyped.

I am 99% sure it will be released, just toned down.


I'm hmbly going to have to disagree, for now. *If the whole game was banned/ AO'ed that means one of two things, in my opinion: *
1: *They thought that they were going to get the Mature rating and their arrogance fueled the fire.
2: *They really need GTA 4 to be a huge success and are pulling a Family Guy (adding content they know will be banned so that the "on the edge stuff" would be considered okay) *on the censors. *But instead of episodes or additional game content, it's different video games.

I could be wrong, and probably am, but I don't understand how you could have a completed build of a game with all of this content in it and after it's given the banned/ AO rating just simply "fix" the whole game. *I'm not a programmer, so I don't know.

The game getting the AO rating only increases its publicity and urge for the public to play. Even though the mature game may not be as gruesome, it would be stupid for Rockstar not to redo the stuff that needs to be taken out to put it on par with the first.

The game getting the AO rating only increases its publicity and urge for the public to play. Even though the mature game may not be as gruesome, it would be stupid for Rockstar not to redo the stuff that needs to be taken out to put it on par with the first.


I don't think my theory is as far fetched as you think. More than likely you are right. It just wouldn't surprise me in the least if my theory was true. I'm just wondering how long it's going to take to redo the whole game.