Manhunt 2 by Take-Two and Rockstar has finally been granted an "M" for Mature rating by the ESRB. The game was toned down after it originally earned an "AO" for Adults Only rating, which many stores refuse to carry. The game is now back on schedule to be released October 31st in the US on the PlayStation 2 and Wii.

So, you may have heard the news about Manhunt 2. Getting a complete ban, subject to appeal, by the BBFC in the UK, followed swiftly by a AO rating from the ESRB in America - which effectively places great restrictions on where the game can retail although the ESRB is a voluntary system.

Recently contacted by gaming bloggers at Kotaku, both Nintendo of America and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have now confirmed that they will not be allowing titles with an Adults Only rating onto their respective platforms, the Wii and PlayStation 2 and PSP.

With no PC version of the game currently planned, the game is essentially homeless and Rockstar is left with the options of either abandoning the game completely, re-developing it with a less violent theme, or hope to God that an ESRB appeal will lead to a different outcome (not likely).

Rockstar Games' upcoming title Manhunt 2 has become the first game in over ten years to be banned in the UK. According to the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), who decide the ratings for games, "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying" in the game could cause harm to those playing it. David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said:

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.

The last game to be banned by the BBFC was Carmageddon, released in 1997 - this ban was later overturned in an appeal, so there may yet be hope for Manhunt fans, although the original game was also the subject of much criticism which is unlikely to help its cause.