Banhunt

Wii and PS2 game Manhunt 2 has been rejected by the BBFC, meaning it can’t be sold in the UK. Let’s have some quotes from the BBFC’s David Cooke.

“Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board’s published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

“Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.”

The original Manhunt gained an 18 certificate, but was later pulled from shop shelves after some hysterical parent blamed it for their child’s unfortunate, but ultimately unconnected, death.

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