Rockstar Appeals Manhunt 2 UK Ban

Following earlier confirmation that Rockstar's Manhunt 2 had been denied rating by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), preventing the game from being sold in the UK, a new report notes that the studio has issued an appeal to the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) overturn the ban. According to a report by British trade paper MCV, Rockstar yesterday filed its plea with the VAC, the UK body has the power to overturn the BBFC's decision to ban the controversial title from sale within the region. A date is now expected to be set for the VAC's hearing, which will include video demonstrations of the game and will ultimately decide whether or not to overturn the BBFC's original ruling, which based its June 19 decision on what it considered “unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing.” Manhunt 2's release has been effectively stalled in North America as well. Last month the title was saddled with an AO rating by the ESRB, a move that soon prompted both Nintendo and Sony to come forward and confirm that the title would not be allowed to be released for the PS2, PSP, or Wii in its current form.