Manhunt 2 could see uncut release

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 31st August 2007
Comments (11) Stumble
Manhunt 2 may have gone too far for the UK and US markets, but the Dutch may still be interested...

Manhunt 2 may have gone too far for the UK and US markets, but the Dutch may still be interested...

Oh, Manhunt 2, will you ever step out of the public eye and stop soaking up all the attention? We know you were banned in the UK, then everywhere else until you were finally left left without a platform. We also know that it may well have been some kind of publicity stunt to garner sympathy and attention for a game which was, by all pre-ban reports, mediocre at best and relying on shock value.
So, do you think you could give it a rest now and step off the stage for a bit? No? Sigh. Well, hopefully this news item will make you happy then.

Although the re-edited version of Manhunt 2 is now being re-rated and the UK ban is being appealed, it looks like there may actually be a legitimate market for the full and uncut game after all. After a close examination of the laws, the Dutch government has announced that they can accept the uncut version of Manhunt 2 for sale in the Netherlands.

According to a report on Forbes.com, the Dutch laws are;

"based on the principle that every adult is considered capable of deciding for himself which games he wants to play, unless it contains illegal material"

What is counted as illegal material? Apparently only racist propaganda or images of child pornography, everything else is fair game.

In a letter to the Dutch parliament, Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin said there was no way to ban the game under Dutch law, but that it would theoretically be possible to prosecute people who distribute it to youth under 16 if its images were violent enough - though no such case has yet been tried in the Netherlands.

Minister Ballin said his department was now looking at ways to "better protect the youth" and he pleaded for a unified EU rating standard for computer and video games.

Is a unified rating system something you would like to see in the future, or is the suitability of a game something for individuals to decide on themselves? Let us know what you think in the forums.
Quote f00dl3 31st August 2007, 11:43
Finally, a country that stands up for freedom of choice, while here the United State's so called "freedoms" have more or less turned it's own government into a dictatorship with censorship and control which can be bought out by any willing private interest group and rigged based on one thing: money.
Quote DXR_13KE 31st August 2007, 11:47
the Dutch are AWESOME!!!!! :D

and an unified EU rating system would be even more awesome, if it was not filled with old farts.
Quote steveo_mcg 31st August 2007, 12:00
Quote:
Originally Posted by DXR_13KE


and an unified EU rating system would be even more awesome, if it was not filled with old farts.

Your kidding right, the Germans would have any thing gun or nazi related banned before it was even produced!

For example
Quote jezmck 31st August 2007, 12:44
At first I thought a world-wide rating system, but then I realised that the US would somehow end up controlling that and pushing their OTT attitudes on us.
Then I thought that it should just be up to the individual. Then I thought to add, or their legal guardian if a child.
But then I remembered that most parents let their children play whatever they damn well please as long as they're occupied for a bit.
Quote oddball walking 31st August 2007, 13:11
It would be nice to see it in its full glory (or should that be gory).
Quote Almightyrastus 31st August 2007, 13:15
i do like the Dutch, they seem a lot more sensible than most other countries, of course I may be biased as my fiancée is Dutch but hey :)

As the article says, as long as things are not illegal then people should be able to make up their own minds about it, if you find it that disgusting and twisted then don't buy it and try controlling what your kids do for once....
Quote Demon Cleaner 31st August 2007, 14:38
The dutch may allow it, but whether Nintendo or Sony will is another matter.
Quote Mankz. 31st August 2007, 14:40
Would It be considered illegal to import a copy if it is still banned in the UK?
Quote Redbeaver 31st August 2007, 15:12
There we go. I knew the Dutch is simply the best :D

<<1/8th Dutch myself :p>>
Quote sinkhead 31st August 2007, 15:27
A European rating system would be pretty good, but maybe not as well... A lot of movies I know are rated higher in other parts of Europe than they are in the UK, so it would probably end up like that in games as well...
Quote DXR_13KE 31st August 2007, 18:11
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveo_mcg
Your kidding right, the Germans would have any thing gun or nazi related banned before it was even produced!

For example

how about a group of quasi young and technologically enlightened people from all of the countries that belong to the EU that vote on the rating of a game, that way if Germany ends up giving it a ban the middle ground would be 16+ because the middle ground would be that.... and of course all of them must play the games they rate....... .... lucky guys


and of course there should be some regional versions like WW2 games that are censored in part because of the German people.
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