Manhunt 2 release suspended

Stephen Withers
Friday, 22 June 2007 11:02

Your IT - Entertainment

The release of Manhunt 2 has been suspended by publisher Take-Two after the game received an AO rating in the US and was banned in the UK and Ireland.

The especially violent nature of the game - which depicts a murderous rampage by asylum escapees - is the source of the controversy.

The Associated Press reports that a Take-Two official said the temporary suspension is to give the company time to review its options, while a spokesperson from game developer Rockstar was unable to comment on Take-Two's decision.

Rockstar, which is also the creator of the controversial Grand Theft Auto games, has the opportunity to appeal the ESRB's AO classification or to modify the game to bring it into the M classification. Most large US retailers do not sell AO games, and in any case both Sony and Nintendo do not licence AO content for their consoles.

Manhunt 2 was to be released on July 10 for the Wii and PS2.