Blood in the moonlight

In a divergence from film but an intriguing bit of sequel news, the controversy over Manhunt 2 continues. 2003's Manhunt, featuring a gleefully nasty performance by Brian Cox, made headlines and moved a lot of copies based on its excellent gameplay and devilish, gruesome storyline. It's still illegal in some parts of the world. Manhunt 2 was recently given an Adults Only (AO) rating in the US and banned in England, Ireland, and Australia, with more bans likely forthcoming.

A New York Times article yesterday finds Manhunt 2's violence comparable to - milder than, in fact - modern horror cinema.

Neither Nintendo nor Sony will release an AO game; no AO game has been released on a console, with the exception of the post-release rerating of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, subsequently pulled from shelves in its AO incarnation. Rockstar has announced a delay and will appeal/trim/resubmit for an M rating.

With Manhunt 2 in the spotlight facing challenges parental, legal, and censorious, the question begs asking: why not step to the plate? If any company is going to do it, it'll be Rockstar. If they were to release an M-rated version on PS3 and Wii and an uncut AO (or unrated: ESRB ratings, like MPAA ratings, are voluntary) version on Xbox 360, strong Xbox sales numbers would give a kick in the pants to industry thinking. Most retailers won't carry an AO title, but moving units via an exclusive contract or even online distribution would turn a lot of heads.