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Post by Hackfest on Nov 4, 2007 16:54:31 GMT -5
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Post by Kizzume on Nov 4, 2007 17:24:30 GMT -5
Holy crap. I wasn't expecting it to be that gory. Holy shit. Um.... That's really disturbing. I could not watch the whole thing. That took me by surprise. I don't know what to say....
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Post by Ess2s2 on Nov 4, 2007 18:08:35 GMT -5
I've been playing the "unblinkyfied" PSP version. The first thing I noticed is the absolutely terrible graphics and hideous dithering throughout. The second thing I noticed was the fact that the game itself is exactly like the original in gameplay and (excuse the term) execution. I trust the PS2 version has cleaner graphics and smoother framerates.
There are a couple of things I find interesting about this whole situation. Firstly, and this isn't a singular sticking point, but as it is, I've noticed that one thing that was changed in the M release is exploding heads. Really. This is not the first time I've seen exploding heads in a videogame. I also noticed decapitations were removed, again, not the first time I've seen decapitations. Spine removal executions were removed from the M release...Hmmm...where have I seen a videogame character getting his spine removed before? There are other examples, but I believe I've illustrated my point, there is little that videogames have done before (that has received easy M or even in some cases T ratings) that isn't done here which, for some reason, was handed the dreaded AO rating (I'll return to the AO rating in a bit).
Second, This game has been condemned by mental health organizations and the Surgeon General (guess he took a break from cigarettes) for inaccurately portraying people with mental illness as being violent. Apparently they forgot about a game called Sanitarium (rated T for teen by the way) that dealt with disturbing subjects in regards to insanity, including violent inmates *and* orderlies. Also, Manhunt 2 doesn't attempt to deceive, the facility is clearly noted as being for the *Criminally Insane*, thus explaining why all of the inmates might be prone to violence. Again, I have to call to task the double standard at work here with other pieces of media, including one of the most famous of all, the venerable Batman universe, which for decades has used Arkham Asylum as a plot device to facilitate an entire populous of mentally deranged, highly violent offenders. In fact, in stark contrast to the gothic/draconian dungeons of the Batman/Sanitarium facilities, The Manhunt 2 facility is portrayed as a modern, well organized, clinical type of environment. The Surgeon General and mental health organizations are merely doing what they can to ride the wave of infamy this title has generated since it's inception.
Finally, the AO rating. I am going to go ahead and indict the ESRB right here and now. The ESRB ratings are broken and do not reflect the consumer culture accurately, particularly in regards to the two highest ratings. The M rating is used for games that should not be played by anyone under 17 years of age. The AO rating is intended for adults 18 years of age or older. So there is a split of only one year of age between a Mature game and an Adults Only game. Furthermore, there is an unusual stigma attached to the AO rating as the three major console manufacturers refuse to carry AO games on their consoles, and many high profile retail outlets refuse to carry AO games on their shelves. The problem arises with the fact the AO category has generally been used to classify pornographic games, thus making publishers and retailers associate the classification with an X-rating. This makes any game classified as AO ( a perfectly legitimate rating for people like me who are over 18 and finance their own gaming habit) taboo regardless of its content. The ESRB needs to step forth and create a new rating for games that are actually pornographic and shift such games into the new category, allowing AO games to fill a much needed niche in regular retail channels. As movies and the MPAA have visibly demonstrated, R-rated movies can contain intense, graphic violence and explicit nudity. The X-rated movies are exclusively hardcore pornographic.
It is unfortunately obvious that videogames are still being treated as a niche market and subsequently a whipping boy for hot button topics such as the correlation between violent media and violent behavior (proven correlations: none). Videogames have classically been associated with children and so have been pigeon-holed into the perception that they are fertile and unpoliced ground and so influence the children playing them to grow into violent people. Unfortunately, what many alarmists play down is the fact that gaming has gone mainstream many times over and is now a market with a majority adult demographic. It's high time the adults who play videogames are treated as such and allowed to play the games they want without fearing intervention from hyperactive lawyers, senators, family advocate groups, and worst of all, government mandates.
I have no problem with measures put in place to keep inappropriate games out of the hands of children. Have a ratings system, card for appropriate age, and let family stores determine allowable content, but please, please, treat me like the adult I am and allow me to make the decision regarding what I deem appropriate and what is not. It's my hobby, give it back.
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Post by Kizzume on Nov 4, 2007 18:44:07 GMT -5
I wasn't meaning to imply I didn't think it should be out there or anything---it just really took me by surprise. I still don't know what to say about it. :gasp:
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Post by Ess2s2 on Nov 4, 2007 18:57:28 GMT -5
No, no, You replied while I was still writing that, so please don't think I'm aiming it at you at all...I'm basically just picking apart the flaws with the arguments made by the media and other groups who are attempting to see this game legislated away.
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Post by Kizzume on Nov 4, 2007 20:46:20 GMT -5
I wonder if there will be a Blackwater mod for it..... (ouch)
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Post by jq on Nov 4, 2007 21:20:33 GMT -5
I don't know whether it should be legislated against or not, but I know that I am deeply disturbed by its popularity, and also want absolutely nothing to do with it. I purposely ignored the first release-- never played it-- and don't plan on starting with number 2. I feel like I have finally reached the threshold for being appalled by what is popular these days. Resident Evil didn't bother me when it was released. Neither did GTA. In the movie world, Halloween didn't disturb me-- either did the Jason series. THen SAW came out.....and then Manhunt. We have reached a new pop culture in our society which I refer to as "torture porn."
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Post by Coyote on Nov 4, 2007 21:29:51 GMT -5
We have reached a new pop culture in our society which I refer to as "torture porn." I blame Mel Gibson. |
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Post by Kizzume on Nov 4, 2007 21:49:11 GMT -5
He certainly didn't help...
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Post by jq on Nov 5, 2007 0:08:47 GMT -5
We have reached a new pop culture in our society which I refer to as "torture porn." I blame Mel Gibson. I honestly don't think any one individual made it happen-- I think we all, as a people, have moved into this together. We are all a little guilty-- Mel Gibson wouldn't have become successful if people didn't watch his films. And don't forget about all the other filmmakers-- like Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone-- who played their parts. For the record though, without going much further above, I should state my stance on all of this. I do not believe it is wrong to watch any movie or play any video game. What I think is wrong is when people become infatuated with imagery which effects their decision making in the real world. Its not so much manhunt that bothers me, but rather, that so many people want to play it....People I bus with, shop around, etc-- the people I share a society with are immune to-- and attracted to-- extremely violent and degrading artforms. We are all a little guilty of it, and I am no exception, but the line gets drawn for me when the murder rate of a single country greatly outnumbers the number of all the other industrialized nations. We live in a violent society, and I am ashamed and afraid of it. |
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Post by Coyote on Nov 5, 2007 1:18:11 GMT -5
[ I honestly don't think any one individual made it happen-- I think we all, as a people, have moved into this together. We are all a little guilty-- Mel Gibson wouldn't have become successful if people didn't watch his films. And don't forget about all the other filmmakers-- like Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone-- who played their parts. Haha, I was joking. As an existentialist of sorts, I know we are responsible for our own predicament. I just like to poke fun at Mel. And I love Quentin Tarantino! Especially Kill Bill, one of his most violent movies, ever. |
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Post by jq on Nov 5, 2007 19:52:10 GMT -5
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Post by Kizzume on Nov 5, 2007 19:59:32 GMT -5
Interesting that the study showed that it barely has any effect on girls.....
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Post by jq on Nov 5, 2007 20:01:28 GMT -5
Interesting that the study showed that it barely has any effect on girls..... Honestly, it isn't surprising to me. Women are, by science (I am not being sexist, I learned this in psychology class) less visuals-oriented compared to guys. |
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Post by Ess2s2 on Nov 5, 2007 20:24:07 GMT -5
There's a lot I want to say in regards to that study but I won't given to several factors, not the least of which I feel a study about violence in 2 to 4 year olds has very little bearing on a discussion revolving around a videogame created and intended for, and marketed to adults.
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