PTC Calls on ESRB to Change Manhunt 2 Rating Back to Adults Only, Give Rockstar a Time Out

One thing that I'm noticing is that it seems like a lot of people don't understand how easy it is to hack a PSP. It's all done with software, any hardware modifications are only needed on the very newest psp's with high firmwares. Even then the hardware modification is done to a battery through software. At 13 with access to the internet I could have done all of these things with no problem at all. Creating the hack itself may not be something that most 13 year olds could do, Hell, I probably might not be able to do it now, but applying it is easy. Especially when you can pretty easily find the hack itself and all pertinent instructions relatively easily.

This of course doesn't invalidate any other arguments made so far especially not the FACT that this game is NOT FOR CHILDREN.

I know I'm playing devil's advocate here, but it's hard to accuse the politicos of disseminating misinformation and then with out a second glance allow it to happen in my own camp.

I hate the PTC so much. The game will be played by Adults, and possibly teens. It's gonna happen so STFU PTC.

"Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children."

So they're saying that children who aren't old enough to realize that this video game isn't real and that its just for entertainment are going to be able to access the stuff only accessed by modifying the game? ...

"Given the clear pattern of contempt by Rockstar and Take-Two, these firms have breached the trust of the entire video game rating system. "

How does one game constitute a pattern? And a game you had to alter using third party software to access the contentious material at that.

"Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children."

It shouldn't be played by children. Why can't they understand that...

Quote Past Article:
Hackers apparently have altered one of those edits to produce an illegally modified version of the game that can only be played on an unauthorized, modified PlayStation Portable handheld system.

Do politicians even see this? I'd like to run an experiment to see if they have selective intelligence (they had to pass college somehow!).

And don't get me started on the parenting side of the issue. But I'll say this. It takes 5 minutes to search your kid's room to find something you don't like. It's not an invasion of privacy if you actually do parenting and let them know the RULES!

"Immediately reinstate the ‘Adults Only’ rating…. This action is consistent with ESRB precedent as demonstrated in the Grand Theft Auto controversy surrounding the ‘hot coffee’ content."
Unlike a cheat device a moddfied PSP is a bit harder to come by thus you claims of hot coffee is pitiful and uninformed.

Perhaps if you fools worked with the console makers to let AO games be approved on the console then thos games would not fall in the hands of childern as easily as games for older teens, but no you want to boil the baby in the bath water and make a frothy demonic hot smoothy out of it.
And until you actuality start trying to inform parents to protect childern all your motive and opinions make baby shakes out of complete lack of logic and forethought you spew.....


"Immediately suspend all ESRB review or consideration of any other software published by Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive. Given the clear pattern of contempt by Rockstar and Take-Two, these firms have breached the trust of the entire video game rating system. "
The first one was a mistake at worst, even so without a 3rd party tool you could not do it, thus making it a joke for a joke when R rated movies have real sex scenes...



"Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children."
What was removed is equal to whats in the SAW movies so until you mob wallmart for selling the unrated versions and bring them to thier knees GFY.

I think people have a distorted view about what the ratings are for. It isn't a warning label, it's an ingredients list. A parent can look at the rating label to determine the content of the game, since it isn't always apparent from looking at the cover. Games don't need a WARNING label the way cigarettes do, because games aren't bad for you. They don't have lead in them.
The fact that the game exists at all is the issue they care about. They want to put their own criteria and limits over what is allowed to be created. It's like if a committee decided that no one is allowed to paint their house blue because they think it's an ugly color. Whast gives them the right to make that decision for everyone?

I don't think I could evr explain this to any of these people, they'll never get it. It's frustrating.

More lies spewed by the Parent Trash Cult, who already had to pay Vince McMahon $3.5 million to settle a defamation suit.

Immediately reinstate the ‘Adults Only’ rating…. This action is consistent with ESRB precedent as demonstrated in the Grand Theft Auto controversy surrounding the ‘hot coffee’ content.

False. With "Hot Coffee", Rockstar/Take-Two didn't tell the ESRB about the hidden minigame still being in the game's code even though it was locked and needed to be hacked into get to. This time, the ESRB already knows about it since tsome content was locked out and other content was completely removed by Rockstar when Take-Two re-submitted the game after they finished editing it to get the M rating. Therefore, the AO rating should not be reinstated.

Immediately suspend all ESRB review or consideration of any other software published by Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive. Given the clear pattern of contempt by Rockstar and Take-Two, these firms have breached the trust of the entire video game rating system.

Unlikely to happen, as Rockstar/Take-Two followed the ESRB's rules this time, so there's no "pattern of comtempt".

“Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children.”

Can be found anywhere on the net, so as your parents would have told you, "Look it up yourself". Besides that, as stated above, the content was no different than what's in movies like Saw and Hostel.

And besides that, it is highly unlikely that children can even get the game, as adults account for 90% of all video game sales, and minors by themselves only account for 1.26% of all video game sales.

The Parent Trash Cult are nothing more than a group of crybabies.

R* never said they removed certain content from the game. Instead they went and dimmed the screen out.

I'm irritated with R* for not managing their code or tools better to avoid these situations and I'm downright pissed at all the pundits condemning them for elements in disabled areas of the program.

OK Mr. Winter. You think you have any leverage on this because why?

As the saying goes, "Good luck with all THAT!"

"Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children."

Is he alledging that parents are OK with their kids playing even the blurred out version?

Oh, and if you have a child that is capable of hacking & dumping games- be proud since your child is gifted & talented.

@Dustin1986

The movie Pleasantville came to mind....

Bob: [to David/Bud and Bill]] You are charged with desecration of a public building and the intentional use of prohibited paint colors in violation of The Pleasantville Code of Conduct and "Laws of Common Decency." Do you admit that on the night of May 1 you did consciously and willfully apply the following FORBIDDEN paint colors to the North Wall of the Pleasantville Police Station: Red, Pink, Vermilion, Puce, Chartreuse, Umber, Blue, Aqua, Ox Blood, Green, Peach, Crimson, Yellow, Olive and Magenta?

David/Bud: Yes I do. Where's our lawyer?

Bob: We prefer to keep these proceedings as "pleasant" as possible. I don't think a lawyer will be necessary.


I love wikiquote.

lemme understand this. The PTC wants

A. The game to be rerated because of content that can only be access through illegal means

B. Because of what a third party did to the game, Rockstar should be punished by not being allowed to have any of their other games rated (sounds like someone's trying to stop GTA IV)

C. Reveal content from their game, that basically everyone at the ESRB and Rockstar are legally not allowed to reveal due to NDAs?

LOL Tim Winter thinks he matters or something. Him and Pushing Toward Censorship are such wastes of oxygen. Even their contact page basically says they won't accept "non-constructive" (read: dissenting) commentary.

Immediately disclose the content that was allegedly removed by Rockstar from Manhunt 2 so that parents can have a clear understanding of exactly what remains on those games which potentially can be accessed by their children.

WTF? Why the hell do parents need to know whats in this game? Because regardless of what was taken out or left in, the game is not meant for children. So why does it matter?

They'd do that anyway because they like it so much, aside from bitching to the FCC about EVERYTHING they see on TV whether they actually saw it or not.

@EthanGrey: "One thing that I’m noticing is that it seems like a lot of people don’t understand how easy it is to hack a PSP."

Easy, probably - I actually have a modified PSP right here - but the process of doing so is rather tedious, as some of the required files are actually buried rather deeply on the Internet, and finding them requires a fair bit of Googling and some prior knowledge of where the major hubs are for these files (for example, Sony no longer distributes the 1.50 firmware upgrader, which is necessary for most custom firmware upgrades or downgrader programs).

A 13-year-old with the intention of playing a game they're not supposed to is probably going to give up after the hours it will probably take them to figure all this out.

Oh and Tim Winter looks as big of a douche as he acts.

@Erik

I dont live under your constitution.

Keith K Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
@Erik
I dont live under your constitution

good for you, you can stop advocating the upheval of our constitution, then.

Oh, and also, does anyone here really care enough to download this extra stuff, mod your system, mod the game, or even buy the game in the first place? I bought manhunt 1 when I was like 17 because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about (ironic, eh), and beat it. I hated it. It was boring. The story did not interest me, and the gameplay was lacking considering that the controls were terrible, imo, which is surprising since they were decent in GTA. I have no urge at all in me to even play Manhunt 2. None at all. Does anyone that game even care about this game?