Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

The Most Controversial Game in America...again By J. Sternberg             Rockstar Games is at it again, adding another title to their already bloated list of video games that have children's rights groups up in arms. Manhunt 2 is the newest addition to the Rockstar games' titles that push the envelope. I've watched the YouTube uncensored play-through, and I've taken on several levels of the newest piece of near contraband on the shelves of your local retailer. Seeing as I have not completed the game, I cannot consider what I have to say a full review, but I will state that this particular "game" is something that is way more sizzle than steak. Art, entertainment, filth, whatever you see video gaming as (although if you subscribe to the theory that games are filth I doubt you'll read this article) Manhunt 2 is nothing short of a "what can we do next?" spectacle that is destroyed by censorship, and by all rights could be considered the lynchpin in the argument for games being rated AO (Adults Only) by the ESRB. Much like previous Rockstar blockbuster Bully, Manhunt 2 was banned in several countries, not one of them being the great US of A, where we champion freedom of expression the same way WoWtards champion the ultimate badass that is Chuck Norris. The game introduces players to a Brainscan-like murder simulation where you have to kill your way to freedom, with the most visceral and violent actions as your road to success.             Manhunt 2 is a game that plays simply on the masochistic tendencies of the player. The more brutal your killing spree, the better and more rewards you reap as you play through. The question remains: are video games as a whole art? I can't answer that question, not being an expert on "art". I can say that if this is a free country, games like Manhunt 2 should be available to reasonable adults, who understand fully what they're getting into, and whether or not they can handle it. This game is not for kids. Let me say this right now so that I am crystal clear, not all video games are for children. To believe that because Mario Sunshine is a video game, and since Mario is aimed at children, all video games are for children is as foolish and ignorant as believing that Cinderella being on DVD makes every film captured on DVD “for children”, even the "special" movies you have behind that thing in, ya know, that place. If you can't handle that, the only thing I can suggest is that you proceed straight to fuck off, then ahead to die, but do not pass GO or collect 200 dollars.             Now that that rant is out of the way, I have to say that Manhunt 2 is at its best a great argument for the AO rating. Is it playable? Sure, Does it feature ridiculously copious amounts of sexuality and violence? Absolutely. Does it have a story? Yeah, albeit not a great or original one. Is its content acceptable for the same audience as films rated NC-17? Yes. Is it on the same line as movies like Scarface, or Hostel? No, I'm afraid not. Manhunt 2 limped on to store shelves, cut like a special edition of Star Wars and censored like a radio edit, and the game suffered for it. While the first game was a sick and twisted bit of the ultra-violence that provided more scares per minute than anything John Carpenter could bring to the table, the second comes across as a derivative, made for late night TV edit that just sucks on all fronts. The reviews aren't positive, the sales aren't stellar, and the consumer reaction has been a solid "what the fuck did they do to my game??"             I believe that the choice to play an AO version Manhunt 2 should be left solely up to the consumer. I know that at my age, I can buy cigarettes, alcohol, pornography, lottery tickets, or stuffed animals, and yet, due to the ESRB, certain Mom and Pop lobbyists, and a certain senator with a sand dune in her vagina, I'm not allowed to buy explicit interactive content, in this "free country." The ESRB (electronic software ratings board) has a host of ratings, ranging from EC for early childhood, for games like Dora the Explorer, all the way to M for Mature, for games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, yet the AO, Adults Only stamp equals a kiss of death. The issue at heart and what we as consumers, adults, and/or parents need to understand is that these ratings ARE in place for a reason, and we need to do our part to make these games acceptable for adults. If you can't agree to that, then think of a movie, or book you love, and a few people who are out of the know deciding that it is contraband, and should not exist. You may never want to watch a Vivid Video DVD, and I may never want to read The Bridges of Madison County, but I'll never judge you for it.