|
|
ESRB defends Manhunt 2 PSP rating Published by wes213 on Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Vance says situation differs from "Hot Coffee" incident
Following reports that hackers were able to reinstate violence censored from the PSP version of Manhunt 2, the ESRB issued a statement defending its "M" rating.
"Our investigation indicates that the game's publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content," the statement read.
 While noting that unauthorised versions of the game have been released on the Internet along with instructions on how to modify the code to remove the special effects filters that obscured certain violent depictions, the ESRB stated that it did not believe such modifications "fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content."
"Manhunt 2's rating makes it unmistakable that the game is intended for an older audience. The unauthorized hacking into the code of this game doesn’t change that basic fact," said ESRB president Patricia Vance.
The ratings bureau made it clear that computer software and hardware devices are susceptible to unauthorised modification, and therefore game content could be changed in ways inconsistent with the assigned ESRB rating. Vance urged parents to monitor what their children are downloading to ensure that they are not removing the controls "put in place for their own protection."
In a conference call, Vance was asked how the latest situation differed from the "Hot Coffee" incident, in which hackers were able to unlock adult content on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game. In that case, the ESRB re-rated the game AO (Adults Only), causing retailers to pull it from the shelves before Rockstar released a cleaned-up version.
Vance indicated that the "Hot Coffee" incident differed in that the GTA: San Andreas content was unmodified and merely unlocked, was not disclosed to the ESRB during the ratings process, and was easily accessible to owners of the PC version.
She was also asked about a situation involving The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in which the ESRB re-rated the game after discovering previously undisclosed blood and gore in the game, not to mention topless art present on the disc that was not disclosed during the rating process.
In the case of Manhunt 2, the content in question had previously been disclosed to the ESRB, the content is being modified rather than being unlocked, and it requires unauthorised versions of software and/or hardware to play the modified content.
The ESRB is therefore standing by its M rating.
News-Source: GamesIndustry
( Subscribe via    
)
|
|
| |
 
 |
|
 |
|
Thursday, May 09 | |  'Paper Trail' Sets Course for Consoles, PC an |
Wednesday, May 08 | | ESDigital Games and Storm in a Teacup team up |
Tuesday, May 07 | | 'Realm of Ink' Reveils New Map Trailer, Invit |
Monday, May 06 | | Puppet House creeps onto Xbox Series, PS5, an |
Friday, May 03 | | Toopan Games Unveils 2025 Release for 'Multiv |
Thursday, May 02 | | F1 Manager 2024 coming to Xbox X|S, XB1, PS4| |
| System Shock remake arives May 21st on Xbox S |
Wednesday, May 01 | | AAA Multi-IP Battle Royale “OPEN” confirmed f |
| Chrysolite announced for to Xbox Series, Play |
Tuesday, April 30 | | INDIE Live Expo Reveals First 2024 Showcase, |
Monday, April 29 | | Demolish & Build 3 is coming to Xbox, PlaySta |
Friday, April 26 | | Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game laun |
Thursday, April 25 | | Sleight of Hand launches Day One on Xbox Game |
| Space Invaders Deck Commander - The Board Gam |
Wednesday, April 24 | | devcom announces new venue, call for speakers |
Tuesday, April 23 | | Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Eng |
Monday, April 22 | | Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and |
Thursday, April 18 | | Terminator: Survivors confirmed for Xbox Seri |
Wednesday, April 17 | | Build Your Empire: 'Rise of Industry 2' Comin |
Tuesday, April 16 | | Epic Fantasy RPG 'Dungeons of Hinterberg' is |
Monday, April 15 | | Delta Force: Hawk Ops gets a brand new traile |
| Perennial Order is set to bloom on Xbox Serie |
Friday, April 12 | | Umbraclaw hits Xbox, PlayStation, Switch & PC |
Thursday, April 11 | | TMNT: Wrath of the Mutants Hits XBOX, PlaySta |
| GIC’24 Early Bird Tickets Now Available |
Wednesday, April 10 | | Mars 2120 launches out of Early Access onto a |
Tuesday, April 09 | | Die by the Blade Slashes Its Way onto PC in M |
Monday, April 08 | | Strike Gold with the Call of Duty Gold & Silv |
| Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters Arrives May 21st |
Thursday, March 28 | | FALLEN LEAF Teams Up with STUDIOS EXTRAORDINA |
See All Xbox 360 News | Xbox 360 News Archive
|
| |
HQ Network: 8,764 | 
Guests: 4369 |
Members: 0
