Manhunt 2 as "Cruel and sadistic?" I don't believe you, sorry. Manhunt 2 is a horror game so hey, you should know that horror films and games have scarier themes.

I am an italian living in Ireland and working in the gaming industry and I am absolutely stunned at the lack of competence of the italian Communications Minister.

He clearly didn't even check the game, or any of the online available clips about it. The words he used to justify his decision are basically a copy and paste of the BBFC board words.

As a Minister, you are supposed to KNOW and get PERSONALLY involved with any matter you intend to issue a decision for. In addition, a ban is just a shortcut and not the most responsible choice. That would be EDUCATING consumers so that no parent buys a 18+ rated game for their kids.

But shortcuts are easy, why go for the responsible route and respect freedom of choice?

Ban censorship.

With right wingers (incopetent as well) ruling in Poland, I'm sure that Poland will be next after Germany.

Anyway, I knew it (especially after the Rule of Rose) that these macaronians would join the ban-frenzy.

Europe sucks. End of story.

How do you say 'bandwagon' in Italian?

Isn't it utterly redundant for these countries to ban the game, since a) neither Nintendo or Sony will allow the game to be released on their machines, and b) T2 have said they're putting it on hold?

I'm just curious. In italy are death metal groups such as Cannibal Corpse, Gwar and Six Feet Under allowed to sell their albums or perform live there? I mean certainly their music is 10times more graphic than Manhunt 2.

Example: Cannibal Corpse - Rancid Amputation

Torsos hang from their own intestines
Raped of all bodily extentions, stumps wreathing in a sludge
Like infection
Suffering through a Rancid amputation
A pulsating artery accomanied by some veins, slit with no restraint
Sacs of pus develop
My muscles tighten as I feel the rush
I look at your body starting gush

I slice through the limb,
a human dissection portions of half-eaten flesh in my mouth
starting to chew your now bleeding stump

I will swallow your pus your own rectal slime
I'll force you to drink
Vessels explode as needles injected
Uncontrollable
My brain tormented
Slit from head to toe, die through the torture
Disease engulfs you
Internal rot
Fresh cut wounds, beginning to clot
Ripping through flesh is what I do best
Tear off an arm
Amputated neck
Eyes removed, cranium smashed
Decomposing remains, severed in half
Dying slowly never to rest, nerves are quivering as I trip
Removal of life on the blade of my knife
Inserted in your spine, smashing through bone
Feel my hell, I feed on fright
Rape the limbless cadaver

HIEL!

I hope a finished version of the game gets leaked before they go back and tone everything down. Either that or release a unrated PC version via download.

@Terrible Tom

look up Italian horror movie directors and the movies they have put out. you'll probably come up with a pretty gory list.

Just for your information, the Communications Minister is the same guy who proposed that the italian government should monitor the Internet and ban all the websites that are considered inappropriate for the population.

Now I don't even want to discuss about how absurd and simply impossible is to "monitor the Internet" (the sentence itself is basically as meaningless as "monitor the universe"), what is clear is that this person is a dinosaur that doesn't even have a slightest idea of what the Internet is, what freedom of choice is, and how to approach technologies that are more recent than a crystal set.

'Nuff said, we italians can only hope that this guy gets sent as fast as possible where he belongs to: the dinosaur museum.

P.S. "Bandwagon" in italian is "Diligenza" and, yes, heavy metal bands normally perform around italy and nobody ever raised an eyebrow. :)

I didn't see any reference to Mr. Genitalia in the article...

...but it was right on the money as far as the overall effect on Take2. Consumer demand will go up in response to all the hubbub, and the people who want it WILL find a way to get it. GTA IV is still the company's blue chip player, and sales from that will obviously dwarf whatever losses they sustain from Manhunt 2's limited distribution.