Manhunt 2 Strategy?
This courtesy of Woody Hearn, inkmaster at GU Comics, whose visual irony suggests that perhaps a game like Manhunt 2 is impossible to make "child safe," and that tweaking a game until it satisfies everyone is not only an effort unlikely to succeed, but fundamentally erodes the soul of the game itself.
The comic appeared after the AO rating was announced but before the recent suspension. The focus of what I'm hearing from people has less to do with Manhunt 2's inherent violence and more chatter about the consistency and effectiveness of ESRB ratings - in other words, that an M rating seems more in line with an "R" rated film, while an AO reads more like "NC-17."
The question seems to be: which is appropriate?
Woody Hearn:
I feel that ratings should be consitant across all media types. This does not seem to be the case currently. The initial AO rating the ESRB has levied upon Manhunt 2 seems inconsistant with previous rating decisions for other, similar games. Lack of consistancy in this area makes me wonder if the ESRB is bowing to special interest groups.
I'm less concerned about consistency here than I am with special interest groups, although with a game like Manhunt 2, nobody should be terribly surprised at some heavy opposition from any quarter.
"Chasing the M" [GUComics]
tiny dancer
Posted to Video Games on 22 June 2007
· Comments (6)
Other stuff like this: adults only, manhunt 2, ps2, psp, rockstar, take two, wii
I personally wouldn't doubt the ESRB catering to special interest groups. Personally, I think the new ESRB boss sucks and needs to grow a pair and stand up for the gaming community.
This is how it all begins. I will give up gaming when the day comes that everything is dumbed down. The movie industry wants to know why they are suffering at times...its because of the stupid horror movies and adult movies being released with a PG 13 rating. Give me a break. I will never see another PG 13 Horror movie or adult oriented movie that is rated PG 13. I think they should release Manhunt in an Edited version for the consoles (call it the Edited version) and then offer an Unedited Version for the PC Market and if XBox 360 will allow it...do an unedited version for them. So sorry Sony and Nintendo. Grow up and realize your market is NOT children. Nuff said!
"So sorry Sony and Nintendo. Grow up and realize your market is NOT children. Nuff said!"
Sounds like someone else needs to grow up. Whether we like it or not, the very audience that Nintendo has tried to cater to/create are the ones that will be scared off by this game. Suburbian Mom isn't going to get a Wii if it has that awful game that CNN was talking about on TV today. Nintendo and Sony are just protecting their own images. No, it's not a ballsy move and I don't think that it's right, but for a large part of people, that's reality.
But the thing that saddens me most out of your post John is when you make this assumption that for a horror movie to be scary, it has to be unrated R/NC17 or unrated. I don't think that you're giving enough credit to film makers or game developers that are working within these confines (which is what they pretty much are) and are still creating something as scary/atmospheric/creepy as The Ring, Fatal Frame or Resident Evil.
gore =/= maturity or horror
My secret wish for Manhunt 2 now is that they leave the game as is and anytime the game displays something that put the game into an AO rating, they cut the image and cover it with a SCENE MISSING title card while leaving the audio (much like the Nine Inch Nails video for Closer). This would still be withinthe M rating while also make a statment about the semi-censorship this game is now going through...and much like a PG-13 horror movie, sometimes it isn't what we see that's scary, but it's what we don't see.
Actually, I'm inclined to agree with John. Nintendo said that they wanted to reach a broader audience with the Wii, and then they pull a stunt like this, pft, yeah, broader audience my butt.
Personally, I know that they'll, ugh, tone it down, but I hope that they released an AO version for the PC in the future.
I don't understand where you guys are getting this idea that the broader audience Nintendo has been creating is made up of hardcore gamers than love gory slashers. Those people are being served or served better on other consoles. Nintendo doesn't seem to be that concerned about them for better and worse. Additionally, they tried to reach that audience last gen with Eternal Darkness, Res Evil 4 exclusive and a handful of other titles.
The expanded audience that they talk about (and solely advertise and market to) are primarily female/older/relapsed gamers that are not being actively sought after by Sony or MS. When Nintendo talks about keeping hardcore gamers satisfied, they do it in the best way they know how: Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros. These titles don't really sate the young, bloodthirsty male demographic, but how would Nintendo going after this audience truly be "reaching a broader audience" when MS and Sony are able to provide more refined experiences for this group (like Resistance, GoW, Halo)?
The PC version will no doubt have an "unrated" version, even if it means it is only sold through their own webstore. I will purchase on on principle alone.
And once again, the object of the retooling (assuming they go that route and not the "screw you, Nintendo and Sony, we're going PC-only" route) is not to make it child-safe, but to make it 17-year-old-safe instead of 18-year-old-safe, which is all that's required for an M-rating over an AO-rating. (Speaking as someone who had to wait till one day after my 17th birthday to be legally and quite thoroughly deflowered, I don't think 17-year-olds are really children in most states.)
I don't like what the rating system has become either, but let's not pretend Manhunt 2 is going to end up E- or T-rated here. And I don't expect the blood will end up purple or green.