Personally I think that the British Government will find someway to "close" its "loophole" byclaiming its to protect the children.

Going around Government Legislation is an exercise I fully endorse.

Direct2Drive ftw!

It's not going to happen, because the people at Rockstar are a group of PHENOMINAL idiots when it comes to game criticism. The thing is, is that we've been saying for MONTHS that Manhunt 2 could be released, uncensored, for the PC market, and that if they're going to lose money on the game anyway, this is the way to go, but noooo, they had to go recut it, to give it an excuse to suck. Right now, they should just cut their losses and scrap the whole thing, it's not like a majority of non-GTA games by Rockstar have been any good.

But, wouldn't said downloaders still have to pay for it... thereby asking them to verify they are at least 18?

I know, I know, anyone can use a credit card online to purchase something, but it is still a layer of protection, right?

I can't see all this press do anything but make people want to get their hads on this game more, regardless of the game's entertainment worth.

Cue Thompson in 10, 9, 8....

No. In NZ, possession of Postal 2 was illegal. This meant that it wasn't the seller or the publisher who was committing an offence, but the consumer. So wherever it came from, whether digital download or physical media, you were in the frame.
Consider the equivalent as being top classification drugs - you're in trouble wherever you got them from.

actully bully was a pretty damn good game for being a non gta game...Either way when i decide to take a break from the 360 i'll be picking this up for the ps2 so i dont care if some of the kills got cut..(but i am piss** that the Plyer's kill got cut..or is it wire cutters...either way the one where the guy cuts off the killer's coin purse

GTA4 goes the same way as Manhunt 2, i'm letterbombing the bastards.

The link reading 'BBC' doesn't lead to bbc.co.uk...

Ooh. Stickey situation. If Rockstar do offer the game as a download, then they provide fuel for politicians and anti-gaming advocates about game companies "doing everything they can to circumvent ratings, the law, and decency, just to make a buck".

Not offering the download would demonstrate adherence to the spirit of ratings, as opposed taking the word of law. Could work in their favour. Though it'd suck still not getting the game. :/

Even though I like the possibility, whomever distributes it digitally should at least notify the consumer that the original content was not rated. It would be a bona fide effort to inform the consumer.

Making the download of unrated software illegal would be pretty near impossible. As there is no distinction (effectively) between a hypothetical Manhunt on Steam and Armadillo Run, the shareware industry would shut down if the government tried to pass an act regulating software sold online. The alternative would be to use the approach seen in other countries and make *possession* of *banned* games illegal, which would require major restructuring as there is no such thing as a banned game at present. It would also likely require the games being studied by someone other than the BBFC, as you are talking about a non-governmental body making a product illegal.

@Baramos: Steam, yes. Some others download systems also, but not all. Some Steam titles are US-only too, but that's due to their own licencing. Steam games don't carry the BBFC certificate because the BBFC specifically states that certificates don't carry over different types of media. As they've never been asked to rate download-Jericho (for instance), there is no certificate to show. Similarly our hypothetical download-Manhunt is a different game to DVD-Manhunt and so has never been refused a rating.

@ZippyDSMlee:

Consoles can't legally play images. If they could then that... could actually work. Digital download of disc-based games would be exempt from classification.

@ZippyDSMlee:

Mod chips are illegal in the UK.

GP: We’re not sure it’s even appropriate to call this a loophole, however, because how could you possibly close it?

Obviously you didn't take Tabloid Sensationalism 101 in journalism school. :p Any time there's something perfectly legal that the media wants you to be afraid of, they call it a loophole. See also: gun show/pocket knife/Sudafed/tax/swimming pool/etc.. "loopholes."

But, yea, I would like to see an unrated "director's cut" version of MH2 for PC.

this shoudnt even be necessary, rockstar having to resort to a digital download wont fix the problem of freedom of expression. even if it released as a dig. dowmload it'l only be a matter of time before the gov's of the world decide to put bans on that.

@zippy

Sorry about that

Oh and you have some explaining to do masked pixelante.

I hope they release it uncut on Steam for the US.

**********

But, wouldn’t said downloaders still have to pay for it… thereby asking them to verify they are at least 18?

I know, I know, anyone can use a credit card online to purchase something, but it is still a layer of protection, right?

I can’t see all this press do anything but make people want to get their hads on this game more, regardless of the game’s entertainment worth.
**********

Here's the problem that makes the whole banning of games a moot f#cking point. =)

Similar to the restriction of sale of alcohol to minors, if someone buys it for them and gives it to them, the restriction is completely moot. Banning it altogether just encourages underground movement of the product (ala the prohibition in the states).

The crux of the issues lies with the parents that would buy the game for their kid REGARDLESS of the age rating. Are these people going to quibble over buying the game online? Unlikely. In fact, chances are that a cagey kid could find a site that has minimal details of the game slipping it by the parents entirely.

As usual, everything returns to the basic bedrock principle. The only way for people to police what their children consume entertainment-wise is to take an active role in the purchase and play of your child's entertainment.

Aka Governments, stop trying to babysit me, I'm 32 and I can make my own decisions on the content that I find tasteful or not.

What's stopping them from releasing it as a downloadable burnable PS2 disc, surely Sony can get around their own copy protection in a way that is still pirate-safe?

I'm sure someone would still stock it if they offered the AO rated US version, some mail order company would bite the bullet and let you. In the UK they didn't even allow us that option. digital seems the only road ahead.

Ironically it's likely that it could be released on Xbox Live if necessary when the inevitable port comes out.

They're playing with fire if they're thinking of doing this.. Not only will they be stripped of what little integrity they have in the industry, but they will discredit rating systems world-wide and just cause more problems for themselves and other developers alike.

@Zippy: Absolutely, alcohol laws do have their place. However, as with any law, some people are going to circumvent the law regardless. Consumption of alcohol is not a terrible vice per se. It's when it's taken to excess that it becomes a problem.

In the same theme, video games are not inherently bad regardless of how much disgust people may have for their content. What it comes down to, yet again, is responsibility. Parents monitor what a child plays. People govern how much time they spend online. People recognise that a game is a fantasy world and don't try to reenact game scenes in the real world...

Banning something just adds the cool factor to it. How many kids took up smoking or drinking because they actually wanted to hack up phlegm every day or wake up soaked in vomit with a roaring hangover? As soon as you put a border in place, young people want to push it. Do you have the government controlling the placement and strength of the borders, or the parents?

[...] The Register notes that while Manhunt 2 may have been effectively banned from distribution in UK stores by the British Board of Film Classification’s refusal to assign a rating (again), the game could still sell online, via direct download (link via Game Politics). [...]