February 9, 2007 -
Rockstar's annoucement that Manhunt 2 will appear on the Nintendo Wii raised a few eyebrows in the gaming world.After all, for sheer up close and personal violence, the orginal Manhunt had no equal. For that reason alone, the game seems out of synch with Nintendo's longtime reputation as a family-friendly game company. And then there's the highly interactive nature of the Wii controller. We can visualize the game manual:
Slashing someone's neck with a shard of glass? Simply move your Wiimote right to left in a sweeping motion while pressing the B button...
Could it be that Nintendo hopes to move the Wii into the M-rated market? GamePolitics asked Nintendo about licensing Manhunt 2 on the Wii. Beth Llewelyn, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications responded:
Manhunt 2 is not developed or published by Nintendo. It is one of many titles released by third party publishers for our system that appeal to people of all ages and interests. Just as with movies, television, and books, different video games appeal to - and are appropriate for - different audiences.
Video game retailers and purchasers are strongly encouraged to follow the age-specific ESRB ratings when considering what software to sell or buy. If parents are concerned about kids having access to inappropriate Wii games, we encourage them to utilize the PIN-operated Parental Control features built into Wii.
Comments
Still it is good to see that they're talking about the little used parental controls.
Hopefully, that's going to be a tactic they'll use in future - when a non-family game is released, Nintendo say "look at the ratings, this console has parental controls if you don't want your kids playing it". Common sense would prevail.
However, time will tell.
If parents would stop ignoring the parental controls and started treating them like seatbelts in a car, maybe there'd be less ruffled feathers. One could only hope.
As of now, the game is vapor however.
Don't expect Nintendo to get into a mudslinging match over this, they tend to make their point and they stick to it without deviation.
All they are interested in is the legal implications, not the media nonsense, and in that respect, anyone going up against them doesn't have a leg to stand on.
I'd love to see a Reggie vs Jack stand-off, though... :D
You know what's gonna be funny, JT getting disbarred just before this is released!
I can totally see the anti-mature-game crowd taking that and running with it. Heck I wouldn't even be surprised if some idiot claimed that was from the ACTUAL manual... well before we know anymore details...
Of course it wouldn't surprise me if that's what is said anyway. Red Steel showed (albight badly) that sword fighting games are possible on the Wii. (Gah! If only they'd done a Star Wars lightsaber FPS, like Jedi Knight III or something. THAT would convince me to buy a Wii...:D)
"Video Games teach children to Kill!"
A new video game may be doing just that. The makers of the ever-controversial 'Grand Theft Auto' series have released a new title. One which some retailers are referring to as a 'Murder Simulator'.
The sole purpose of this game?
To kill, or be killed.
"No other reason exists to play this game. There is no middle ground; it's a blatant example of why violent video games should be publicly banned" - stated one anti-games activist.
The game, which is rated M, for Mature Audiences Only, is being released upon many platforms, which include Nintendo's Family-Friendly console, the Wii.
The game, which uses the state-of-the-art controls of Nintendo's new Wii console gaming system, allows the user to viciously act out violent actions, and have the character perform the same moves in-turn.
"This game advocates violence in a way that no other form of media ever has. Parents may be completely unaware, that in the next room over, their children are jumping up and down, performing 'pretend' sneaking, and learning exactly how to slit an unsuspecting victim's throat; practicing how to wrap a plastic bag around someone's head, to suffocate them. It's Inhumane. It's an atrocity, which should be stopped."
Posting from home.
- Warren Lewis
Consumer responsibility is just as important as Corporate responsibility. So, be responsible consumers.
Rockstar has announced that the sequel to the ultra-violent game Manhunt will see a release on the Nintendo Wii. If you thought the original Manhunt was controversial the sequel will generate 10 times the controversy. For those of you unfamiliar with t...
Yeah, this going to cause backlash by the moronic masses.
eXCEPT THAT THE NEWS WOULD, AND WILL MESS UP 90% OF THE TERMS USED. I wonder if anyone might be allowed to crap out a press release over this.
I can honestly see some kid going nuts. They find this game in his Wii and all of a sudden the wii trained him to be an expert with a knife by teaching him proper hack and slash techniques or whatever.
I dont feel the game shouldn't be made or honestly have an oppinion on it. I just feel with the Wii's use of motion as an input and actual aiming to shoot it really is close to a simulation. Oppsed to the normal controller or mouse and keyboard.
That being said I haven't played a wii or seen one out of the box yet so I am probably wrong.
Yeesh. I'm all for free speech and individual taste, but I find that horribly offensive. Feel free to play it if you wish, but I'm avoiding this title. I wasn't huge on PS2 original, and taking it to the point where you're playing murder with the physical gestures strikes me as sick.
Please tell me your joking.
I agree that it's tasteless and I wouldn't play it, but I hope you're not thinking that the quote was actually a quote from R* themselves. That was written by GP.
@GP
I think Jabrwock was right in that this quote could be taken out of context by the media. It appears that it may have already been taken out of context by John.
@ Nintendo
The parental controls are hidden in system options, and not promoted nearly enough. If the Big N wants to avoid controversy, they need to make it common knowledge to every parent that the system does have parental controls built in. Pay a few bucks, get a week or two worth of prime-time commercials advertising the system and mention the parental controls. It's well worth it.
But, the news of this game appearing on the Wii, is going to cause the proverbial **** to hit the fan.
As 'Wrench115' stated, this just could be the final measure, that causes the gaming industry to Sink or Swim. Either they will have to unite, and face Society as a whole, telling the world that gaming is no longer exclusively Children's Entertainment. Or they will keep quiet, as they have been known to do, and watch as their collective worlds come crumbling around them.
Very true, and a smart move for Nintendo. Unfortunately it's sort of preaching to the choir: if, as a parent, you're informed enough to hook up your Wii to the internet and update, then you probably already know they exist.
The problem is in the parents that don't play games, the ones where the kid is doing the online updates (or for younger kids, it isn't connected online at all). I would like to see all companies (not just Nintendo) advertising the parental controls to that crowd. It would make them more likely to buy the new systems for their kids, and would free them up to take more risks with game content without fear of stirring up too much controversy.
Put a commercial on during Greys Anatomy and you'll have done a very good job in informing a large chunk of the "soccer moms".
Gaming and configuring AV devices may well be beyond your comprehension, but it's electronic equipment that costs more than a sandwich and simple common sense says that you at least watch them set it up so that they don't catch fire.
A more obvious approach is definitely in order, and by that I mean something that doesn't require you to see a computer. On-screen messages (Nintendo) and informative online articles (Microsoft) are all well and good, but we need more leaflets in the boxes and adverts on TV telling parents that they can restrict access. The next step is actually getting them to do it; your average technophobe may want to turn on the parental controls, but that involves doing stuff with a vibrating remote control or creating new accounts on Live. My parents have difficulty working out how to record one channel while watching another.
You would think so...
When I was 9, I got an SNES. I hooked it up to our TV myself (my dad had no idea how), and it didn't work. My dad called Nintendo Customer Support and found out that certain older model TVs didn't work with the SNES video signal. So we went to Wal-Mart and bought me a TV for my bedroom. My dad brought it in, and then I hooked up the SNES to that by myself. I then had my own game system and my own television set in my bedroom, that I hooked up myself.
I'm certain that I'm not the only one.
Now a parent does the same thing with the Wii. They buy it for their kid, the kid sets it up, the parent doesn't know it has built-in parental controls and then they bitch when they discover that their kid borrowed Manhunt from Timmy Thomas.
You said it yourself, "we need more leaflets in the boxes and adverts on TV telling parents that they can restrict access." Not only leaflets in the box, but flyers and signs in the stores. Nintendo makes consoles for the family, they should be the first ones to stand up and yell "HEY, THIS IS SAFE FOR YOUR KID TO PLAY!"
You know, I can totally see legislators or a certain lawyer taking that entirely the wrong way...
I'm completely serious. Have fun if that's your thing, but it's where I draw the line on a personal level.
Joe Bourrie:
I know it was GP's quote and statement, but I'd be shocked if a similar implementation wasn't applied. The Wii's version of "Chaos Theory" included the element of throat slashing via hand motions, and I found that to be in poor taste as well (despite being a fan of the series).
ah but the PS2 didn't have it on games just the DVD part.
When you slash their throat, gray sweat pours out!
@Creamy Goodness
PS2 did not have parental controls. XBox 360 was the first major console to implement them.