I still think the protagonist (Daniel I think his name is) looks an awful lot like Chester Bennington in that screenshot there.

Great. Now I feel a Linkin Park song coming on...

I can't faint the way I did before
Don't turn your back on me. I won't be ignored....

Just found this - Enjoy!

http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Trevor+McGee/jack-thompson-clown-and-yo...

@Dennis;

Do you ever send these logs of his comments to news agencies? I don't suppose you'd consider sending his comments about bugging someone's home to the FBI, would you?

I would guess TT would have a potential lawsuit over the NIMF using an illegally obtained pre-release copy of the game. Also, that they are claiming false information about the re-rating may be grounds for some legal action.

Can one of the "good" lawyers here comment?

In other news, Rockstar thanks CSM and Jack Thompson for the free publicity...

Oh yeah, and as for Manhunt 2 being "Not ok for kids"..

WAKE UP PEOPLE. There's a COLOSSAL ratings tag on the very front of the box saying that. You CAN NOT MISS IT!

That right there is what seperates responsible parents from douche licks like Whacko Jacko and a few other countless thousands of sad excuses for parents.

[...] GamePolitics covered the story, when it was a story, but the latest update from Take-Two renders all discussion of police decapitation pretty ridiculous: Take-Two wishes to make it clear that the screen shot of Manhunt 2 shown in a recent Common Sense Media press release does not appear in the ESRB-rated version of the game that will be released on October 31. It has been speculated that they have used the unrated version that was leaked some time ago. [...]

@Erik: don't forget those awfully ambiguous titles:

"Grand Theft Auto"
"Manhunt 2"

I mean seriously, with names like that how are parents supposed to know if the game's appropriate for their kids?

@ JT

Dear Chuma: I have their lawyer’s email and I sent him the email. You’re the idiot, not I.

Way to avoid the real question! For reference, idiot, here it is again:

So Jack, if someone doesn’t look at the comments in this website for the 45 minutes you gave them to answer, they must therefore have something to hide?

The question about you being an idiot was rhetorical - we all know the answer to that one. Only an idiot would be on this idiotic crusade, trying to write idiotic legislation while acting like an anonymous idiot on the internet. Only a genuine idiot like yourself would come here day after day, spewing the same lies and half-truths that are continually debunked by the members of this community (whom you claim are brain dead morons or industry shills - GP is from a CONSUMER group you idiot!) and outside lawyers.

Congratulations, Jack Thompson: Your continued existance, and the fact that you're reading this right now, prove you to be more of an idiot that mere words can say.

Yeah, because Brit's have exactly the same taste as the Yanks.. Fucking Morons..

Yeah, parents shouldn't buy it for their children. Doesn't mean they can't buy it for their own use (If there are any parents that buy games from R* anymore..).

About those 60% that play Mature games: What does the research say about parental approval? What percentage play M rated games with their parent's permission?

Goddammit, everytime I see a screenshot of this game I'm more disgusted. I'm just as glad it was Rockstar that made it, at least that way I can say that not buying it is simply a reinforcement of my self-imposed boycott on their products.

I nothing against a parental block in this case, because Manhunt 2 is not for the kids, it is for the adults. However, I hate it when people start dictating what you should or should not do as a parent, unless what you do is clearly illegal.

I sat there in a million-dollar condo with Strauss Zelnick and told him that the Manhunt 2 game would turn into a fiasco. He just laughed. He's not laughing now. Poor Strauss.

Every violent game should just have a sticker on it that says, "NOT FOR KIDS!"

Maybe 7 or 8 parents would listen.

Is it that hard to get across that M rated games don't belong in the hands of kids? Calling for a ban is nothing but a lot of hard work to be lazy. Kids aren't required to purchase every game that comes out for their system. Parents aren't required to purchase every game their kids want. So how does this affect them?

If their kids come home with a copy of Manhunt 2, then the parents need to return it, and reevaluate their parenting, because if they did their jobs, their kids wouldn't be sneaking around buying something they don't want in the house. It's not 100% surefire, kids will get curious about stuff, but I was raised right, I wouldn't buy ab M-rated game without my mothers' permission, and I still got to play Halo, Doom, Half-life 2, and Resident Evil. I couldn't play GTA, and I stuck by that rule.

I don't plan on purchasing Manhunt 2, never played the original, because it didn't interest me.

But I don't want it banned. Why should a normal law abiding adult who wants to play this game, never be able to purchase it, because a stupid adult can't control their kids actions?

Put simply, good for them. If they have a problem with it, they should boycott it; and I can more or less understand having a problem with it. I certainly don't intend to support it, I can't feign interest in it.

I don't think this boycott goes far enough. I think they should call on all parents not to buy ANY M rated games for their children - unless they themselves have reviewed what's in the game. It will bring to parents' attention that not all videogames are for kids and that they should take responsibility for what they play. I hope they plaster this announcement everywhere. Maybe parents will pay attention.

That 60% of kids play M rated games is NOT the fault of the games industry, it's the fault of parents who think that all games are for kids.

Also, LEARN TO USE THE PARENTAL LOCKS! Doesn't matter if a kid has access to an M rated game if they can't play it. Imagine if a 12 year old gets his hands on a porn video but can't find any piece of technology in the house that will play it.

@Pandralisk

Much better. Granted, you still found a way to berate religion, but on the whole a much more acceptable post than we usually get.

@Pandralisk - I've said it before, so it pains me to say it again: If you are going to target a nation for "ignorance" based on the actions of a few, it is recommended you include the other nations which are performing the same actions. Otherwise, you comment lacks substance.

No malice intended, I just like to see other countries get thrown under the bus for the same reasons as the USA.

Despite the CSM being run by a bunch of idiots, this is actually sound advice. Unfortunately, they are giving it under the false pretenses that all games are made for children. If they could get it through their own thick skulls that M rated games are not for children and then pass that on to their thick skulled readers then that would be better.

@jack thompson, attorney

Just because you and these nutjobs don't agree with it doesn't make the rating system arbitrarily bogus. You really need to pull your head out of the hole in which you've so firmly wedged it and see that.

Can you go to your hell any louder?

@Mr McCauley

Thanks for sticking up for us man, you are a good leader in that regard.

First off, I'm NOT against the boycott. If parents want to do that, all the power to them. Now to my regularly scheduled post.

Memo to CSM:
The same FTC report also said that underage kids were able to purchase R/unrated DVDs and Parental Advisory CDs nearly TWICE as much as M-rated games. That means an underage child has an approximately 70% chance to buy Hostel, Saw, or a gangster rap CD than any M-rated game. And please don't give me the interactivity vs. passivity argum

@Jack Thompson.

You are a jackass, and so are your friends at Common Sense Media. The primary audience for this is game not parents, nor children.

It's males, ages 18-30.

Some may be married, some may not. Some may be parents, some may not. But no one is going to listen to these retarded old biddies bitching about 'threats to society' and looking down their holier than thou noses at the rest of us.

And by trying to ban the media, you make it all the more appealing to those who may not have even considered buying it before.

@CSM

how you get those stats? looking at old FTC documents?

also: ever think that the reason they won't tell you what they took out is beacuse it's like an author telling everyone what happens in their book?


finally: the game is called MAN HUNT. if you buy this game for your child, and don't even look at the NAME OF THE GAME, you deserve to fail. Simply because, you've already failed at parenting.

"What did Rockstar cut out to get the [Adults Only] rating reduced [to M (17+)]? No one knows, because neither the ESRB or Rockstar will comment on the rerating process."

They could go to the gaming press, which actually has pretty comprehensive coverage, including interviews and side by side comparisons, of both the ESRB process and the difference between the two versions of Manhunt 2 in particular.

"jack thompson, attorney Says:

October 26th, 2007 at 8:29 am
I sat there in a million-dollar condo ..."

And this would be different from your house valued over $1 million dollars... how?

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software

Ironic, huh, that a group with common sense in the title is trying to tell people what they're not allowed to do because they don't have enough common sense to turn on the parental locks...

COMMON SENSE = not letting your kids play a game with a giant "M" on the package.

NOT COMMON SENSE = trying to ban something you don't like from everybody.

@jack thompson, attorney

I doubt you know what he's doing every moment of every day, unless you bugged his house, which is illegal. and for that matter, what relevance does the price of the condo even have?

'I guess Dennis can’t report truthfully anything Jack Thompson says."

I love it when people give themselves a sense of their own importance by referring to themselves in third person. It's so...out of touch with reality.

We'll see who's laughing when the money starts rolling into Rockstar's offices because all the controversy of the game bolsters sales. Wanna guess who that will be? I'll give you a hint: It won't be you!

@Dennis
"Would you please be truthful?"

As Jack has proven time and time again, he is incapable of such a feat. If he had to be truthful, he wouldn't even have grounds for all his frivolous lawsuits in the first place!

I look forward to his next failing! It's sort of like watching Michael Richards' racist tirade - you are literally watching someone's career implode before your very eyes!

I debate real people on real stages, like the ACLU's Nadine Strossen and Alan Dershowitz. I don't debate anonymous cowards.

I did bug his house. Want to see the receipts?

Big surprise coming for Take-Two. Can't reveal it here, but it's deeee-lish!

I could actually get behind the idea of a boycott. So long as the information they're giving is accurate. I'd like to see where they got their numbers that say 60% of children play M rated games.

Letter writing campaigns and calling for boycotts is one of the better ways to combat offensive media. It doesn't always work, and sometimes it is done for the wrong reasons but its the people speaking out and that's not always a bad thing.

Its when you start suing people left and right to get what you want that I think is wrong because its nothing but a bullying tactic. One that's socially acceptable for some reason, but just another form of bullying none the less.

@WalkerT

I agree, there's too little concern on the part of the front-line employees in a lot of stores in terms of making sure they ask for ID. Company policy is what it is, but it's an entirely different ball-game when you're just some kid punching through a cash transaction, getting paid $6/hour.

@bayushisan - Why, oh why, is a boycott necessary in this situation? I tried to avoid using this phrase because it is usually stated within 3 posts every GP story related to watch dog groups: it is the parents job to filter the material that reaches their children.

Scenario 1: Parent goes to Gamestop with child. Child sees Manhunt 2 and wants it. Parent picks up box and reads description. Parent deems game is inappropriate and tells child to find another game.

Cold. Calculated. Rational. Applauded

Scenario 2: Parent goes into Gamestop with child. Child sees Manhunt 2 and wants it. Parent picks up box and reads description. Parent deems game is inappropriate for child and every other child. Parent leaves store with child. Parent proceeds to inform other parents of what Manhunt 2 consists of, so that other parents can make their own informed decision.

Cold. Calculated. Rational. Acceptable.

Scenario 3: Goes into Gamestop. Deems Manhunt 2 inappropriate. Denies child of game. Leaves store. Stays in area. Parent puts group together to boycott game. Effort that could be used for mass sharing of information discovered in store is used to boycott game.

I think the idea I'm trying to drive home is that the purpose of a boycott in this situation is, in my opinion, completely asinine in two regards.

1. Parents boycotting a game not meant for children in an effort to protect their children is so repetitiously redundant that I am two seconds away from bursting into tears.

2. A successful boycott that hurts the sale of game affects three parties directly, and one party indirectly. The distributor of a game notes poor sales and is less likely to carry future products from a publisher. The publisher, noting the lack of purchases from a distributor, does not renew funding for a project similar to the last. The developer, noting the lack of funding, changes it direction and abandons future projects similar to its last. Indirectly, consumers of the previous title should not expect to play a game similar to the last one they purchased.

Should I write a conclusion, or is the connection now obvious?

I'm so sorry, Dennis, to bother you while you're talking to David Walsh, but doesn' t this violate your posting policies?

BlackIce, Leftie Says:

October 26th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Yeah, because Brit’s have exactly the same taste as the Yanks.. Fucking Morons..

GP: No, it doesn't.

My advocacy of a boycott is centered around a different idea than the one Common Sense Media pushes. My personal view on a boycott of the game is centered around it being made solely for the sake of controversy and to cash in on the recent upswing of gore fest movies like Saw and Hostel. Its a personal thing with me. I agree that children shouldn't play this game and I agree that parents should parent responsiblly.

However I also think that a boycott, for the right reasons mind you, could also be a useful tool of the people to make their displeasure known.

Actually Jack, Stauss is laughing at you because you outed yourself by showing your gay porn collection to a judge. We all are, in fact.

Anyhow, I fail to see how trying to keep this game out of the hands of minors constitutes a boycott. More like its just another game by Rockstar the people at Knee-Jerk Sense Media want to keep out of the hands of children under the age of 17 because all people under 17 are idiots apparently. I'd like my kids play Halo, which is rated M, at the age of 16 at least, and I'd probably do the same with Manhunt. I don't need some private organization telling me that that's a crime, because its not.

"I sat there in a million-dollar condo with Strauss Zelnick and told him that the Manhunt 2 game would turn into a fiasco. He just laughed. He’s not laughing now. Poor Strauss."

What "fiasco" Jack? A group urging parents to do their damn jobs and be parents and not buy this game for their children? Oh, some fiasco. Its called parental fucking responsibility.

@ DemonTestament

You compared Rockstar to Uwe Bowl. :) :) :)

Yet another example of Jack Thompson's selective literacy.

And for someone who continually claims that kids buy violent video games by themselves, you're sure standing behind something parental responsibility, which you say ISN'T the problem.

It's just that. Parental responsibility. It's the parent's JOB to protect their kids. If the kids ask for Manhunt, they can refuse! SHOCKING!! And if the kids get it anyway, they have the authority to rip the disk out of the console and break it in half. Parental responsiblity, Jack. It's something you should learn. Not something you get from vigilante stings.

I hate to restate what practially everyone here has already said, but I proceed nonetheless...

The fact that someone feels it is necessary to point out to parents that MATURE rated games are not for KIDS is just sad.

If the majority of parents out there are so clueless about what their kids are playing, then the problem isn't videogames, it's allowing any moron with reproductive organs to attempt to raise a viable human being.

Honestly, if the game title "Manhunt" doesn't clue you in to what this game is about, then the game description on the box sure should. Even if there was no rating on the box (and even if the parent doesn't understand the rating that IS there), the title, description and even the rather disturbing image on the cover should clue them in to the fact that this is an adult game.

Personally, I haven't seen a single Manhunt 2 commercial on TV (granted I don't watch much TV), but I have seen dozens of commercials for Saw IV, including one during SportsCenter this morning. I'm pretty sure that Saw will be every bit as disturbing as Manhunt 2, and I haven't heard a peep about its Halloween release.

ummm.... yay?
I think that part of this just shows how ignorant some parents are of why their kids are doing.
How absurd would it sound if this same group were urging parents to boycott sending their kids to Saw 3 which opens this weekend (or was it last?).
Parents would say, "well duh. I'm not going to let my 8 year old see an R rated horror movie!"
I'm sure that in about 10 years there will be enough parents who know enough about videogames to say the same thing about a "boycott" of M rated videogames.

@JT

I sat there in a million-dollar condo with Strauss Zelnick and told him that the Manhunt 2 game would turn into a fiasco. He just laughed. He’s not laughing now. Poor Strauss.

He's still laughing. All the way to the bank. You just saved him $5 million in advertising costs...

Sucker.

Wait, I thought we already knew what was changed... Didn't they remove the most brutal deaths and add a blur effect whenever you assassinate someone?

Jack, close the door.

Guys, I think jack's trying to have some "me" time.

@ JT

Moving on: Isn’t it absolutely FABULOUS that CSM has proven the validity of my lawsuit filed this week re the sham nature of game ratings by the ESRB, and the fact that such games are presently being sold to kids on-line!!!????

No it hasn't. They are simply telling parents that they should not by this game for their kids. They do quote the FTC report, which is public kowledge.

Unfortunately, they do not quote the numbers on the R/Unrated DVD sales as those are damning compared to the video game numbers. Why don't you focus on retailers not enforcing movie ratings?

O wait you are so full of your self you don't have room for more than one crusade:

I do know Jack Thompson.

Best, Jack Thompson

@jack thompson, attorney

Oh, and I nearly forgot, you haven't, are not, and never will put even a ding in Take Two's artistic rights.

(Normally post under the alias of GameDevMich, but am now using real name while addressing Mr. Thompson)

Mr. Thompson, I did not see your earlier post under mine replying to why a boycott is necessary, so if you have moved on to another topic or thought I will not be insulted if you do not reply.

Would you be willing to elaborate on your justification for a boycott, declared through your comment "Because of people like you?"

I have an idea of what you meant, but I don't want to jump to conclusions and dissect your statement without allowing you the full benefit of explaining yourself. Were you referring to myself personally, gamers in general, consumers, or just GP readers?

If you would feel more comfortable conversing via private messages, feel free to e-mail me at mich.perry@gmail.com. If a more personal conversation is preferred, I'm willing to provide my mailing address or phone number.

Thank you.

@ JT

I debate real people on real stages, like the ACLU’s Nadine Strossen and Alan Dershowitz. I don’t debate anonymous cowards.

Care to debate me online? I am not an "anonymous coward". I post my full name and my personal website complete with a contact page if you care to use it.

This is just stupid anyone should be able to play it, its just a game and isn't real. Society these days is just pathetic.

@ BmK

It seems that common sense is lost on the Common Sense Media. ;)

@ Jack Thompson

Can you please tell us why you argued that a minor would not be able to download your gay porn off the public dockett because it required a credit card? Are you too much of a coward to own up to this?

"Why is a boycott necessary? Because of people like you."


Ah, so you do admit thta you aren't interested in keeping mature rated material out of children's hands, and rather wish a full ban of digital media which will keep said media out of even the hands of adults. Or are you having trouble keeping your lies straight?

@ Werrick

He already admitted to giving his son a credit card, so whether he likes it or not when he told his son to order M rated games online he was consenting to his son to do so.

If you don't want your kid buying inappropriate items/material then don't give them a credit card, period. Jack Thompson is just full of shit and does nothing but lie.

Calling this a boycott is ridiculous. You only boycott things you would otherwise use. Its use here diminishes its meaning.

You can boycott a product or service from a company, to make them change some policy, because the idea is that they want you to resume purchasing their product.

Rockstar simply makes a product that many parents don't want their children to have. I doubt the intent of this boycott is to make Rockstar start producing E rated games. That simply isn't their product.

He didn't answer anybody yet again... he came on, acted like a fool, either lied or admitted to bugging someone's house, which is illegal... indirecty called the posters here "children", used infantile language while talking about the fact he's going after Take Two again, which he is FORBIDDEN to do via the agreement he had with them from earlier this year... what, Jack, you can break an agreement that's public, while Best Buy, at the first HINT of a POSSIBLE problem turned up by your ILLEGAL sting, is the target of a lawsuit because of a private agreement you had that nobody knew about until now? And now, your post about validity of invalid game ratings... yet ANOTHER misquote. You are twisting things to sound good for you, and spouting off like someone who belongs in an insane asylum.

Dennis, the fact you haven't revoked JT's ability to post yet shows that you are a far, far more patient person than I am.

Jack... SHUT THE *bleep* UP.

Can't really say I'm against a boycott by parents, but I do agree that it shouldn't be necessary. This kind of thing should be obvious. Maybe it'll finally sink in, one day.

***
jack thompson, attorney Says:

Why is a boycott necessary? Because of people like you.
***

Alright, I'll bite. How are we preventing parents from reading the warning labels printed on the backs of games and making the decision not to buy them for their kids, so much so that watch-dog groups like CSM need to step in and point out common sense for them?

Shit. Doesn't take you to where it should..

jack thompson, attorney Says:
October 26th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Besides, I don’t want to be accused of child molestation.


I get it! You wont debate any of us because we are all kids!!! HAHAHAHA!! That is SOOOOO funny! you should get your own prime time sitcom!

^^Yeah, that one works.

It's very common sense not to get the kids Manhunt 2. But it's also the same way not to get your kids Child's Play the Movie(Rated R).

However, I have a feeling that, despite knowledge of the game, the parent may cave into their child's demand.

@ PheonixZero

It has been raised to $5.75 an hour.

MAJOR news development on this. Check the update to the story on the GP main page...

@Phoenix

Canadian Bacon Ftw.

anyways
@JT

your going to sue the people you signed an agreement not to sue? effing brilliant.

that's your best way to fail yet!

heh

@update

that's hilarious. the CSM has to rely on the LEAKED copy. they CBF'd with getting their OWN screenshots

(CBF means Can't be f--ked)

"jack thompson, attorney Says:

October 26th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I debate real people on real stages, like the ACLU’s Nadine Strossen and Alan Dershowitz. I don’t debate anonymous cowards. "

That's why you couldn't keep your mouth shut about the Penny Arcade debate when you supposed to be a surprise guest, forcing them to drop you for security concerns?

"jack thompson, attorney Says:

October 26th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Besides, I don’t want to be accused of child molestation."

But you don't mind being accused of closeted homosexuality, heh, funny eh? Which one is worse of a sin in your church?


"jack thompson, attorney Says:

October 26th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I did bug his house. Want to see the receipts?"

You do just realize that you have opened yourself up for federal prosecution for illegal monitoring and invasion of privacy, right? There are special levels of stupid, and one of them is reserved for people who commit a crime then brag about it online.

So the CSM infringed on Take Two's copyrights to push their own agenda. I smell law suit. :)

I agree, seriously, he's been digging himself a grave here. But, I suspect that dennis might be adding all this data into a transcript file that may or may not be submitted to the Bar complaint. After all, evidence is evidence, right?

Yeah, Bar Complaint or Federal Bureau.

@ John Ritter

we tried that before, it doesn't work.

@Black Ice

I second that motion. Is there a third?

"Take-Two wishes to make it clear that the screen shot of Manhunt 2 shown in a recent Common Sense Media press release does not appear in the ESRB-rated version of the game that will be released on October 31. It has been speculated that they have used the unrated version that was leaked some time ago."


So essentially the group that Jack thinks totally proves his case doesn't have their shit straight. Why does this not surprise me?

Jack, you fail. AGAIN!

This just in, diabetics have announced they're boycotting candy this Halloween!

We expect candy sales to... really not change at all.

That execution was already done in Dead Rising.

I love how Common Sense Media continues to prove that they are the living personification of oxymoron.

Afterall, common sense tells us that it's not a good idea to use screenshots of game content that isn't even in the published version to try to get people to boycott.

Common sense also tells us that their "boycott" will achieve absolutely nothing. The only people that would join their "boycott" are the people who had no intention of buying the game in the first place.

Common sense also tells us that any halfway responsible parent can take 10 seconds to turn the box over and judge from the game's description, screenshots, rating and content descriptors (which are far easier to read than any movie's as the font is about 10x larger) and judge whether or not the game is suitable for kids on their own.

@GryphonOsiris

Let's not forget, Mr. President.

@BlackIce

Another debate for another time.

Ack, crap, really need an edit key!!!

That should read:

I don’t know, that’s for the individual to decide, but I do know that one voice shouldn't order the majority around.

Yep, that's what you get when you give an ass too much coffee..

^_^

@jack thompson, attorney

Calling me an anonymous coward is exactly the type of childish action that has effectively made you the laughing stock of everyone from here to Rockstar. I mean seriously, couldn't you think of something less constructive and more off-topic to say?

No one takes you seriously because instead of going about your crusade in a civil and adult manner, you behave in the most immature of ways.

Frankly, your pretentiousness makes me laugh. You actually expect the world to adapt to your personal opinions, and yes Jack, that's all the are, opinions. You have no factual basis in your claims no more than anything you do to me would constitute as child molestation, which by the way is also the exact kind of thing you'd hear from a child involved in an internet forum flame war.

But of course, it's gotten so far beyond that hasn't it? You don't really care about the crusade, the effect you're trying to have. All this has made you so egocentered that it's not enough. You won't be happy until all violent media is banned and the world erects statues of you everywhere because they realised in their hearts that you were right. You crave the fame. That's why you're here. If you really didn't care about anything we have to say, then why are you posting here? The namecalling, everything, what's it for? The readers of GP aren't all in high positions in the VG industry with enough influence to affect the comings and goings of the business. We're just people enjoying games.

Why are you here, Jack?

I dunno Gry, I thought he might actually get some kind of sick pleasure out of seeing his name on the internet.

"Anyone else get the feeling that Jack might be hiding in the closet?"


Jack isn't in the closet anymore. Remember that he is the number one supplier of gay porn to Florida's legal system.

@Erik

That's a cookie to you, for making me laugh.

Pfft. I don't touch myself.

@me (er, not me), DCOW:

I don't think the name of the game is really all that descriptive. When Manhunt 1 came out, before I read the review, I thought you were playing an investigator on the trail of an escaped serial killer, sort of a take on Hannibal. I hear "Manhunt", I think of shows like The Fugitive.

Which probably would have made for a better game, really. Rockstar's made worse games (State of Emergency, anyone?) but it wasn't one of their better titles.

Dennis: Please follow up on banning Jack if he transmits a single additional threat in his posts. Much as I find his trolling entertaining, and much as I think his vague little threats carry as much legal weight as his favorite gay porn, the IQ level around here drops about 30 points every time he posts.

It's official.

Jack Thompson is the only non-anonamous /b/tard, and the only one who can get away with it.

Jack's here because he's a narcissist, and it pleases his ego to see his name in the "blogosphere." He knows he has no credibility. He knows that he riles people up and gives Christianity a bad name. He knows that his actions are the sort that are driving young people away from Christianity than ever before. And he just doesn't care.

That's the thing makes him more annoying than effective. He claims to do his work for religious reasons, but just sits around spitting juvenile insults at anyone who disagrees with him, which leads them to justly conclude that he's an idiot who's incapable of actually bringing anything worthwhile to the table. As long as he gets his name in the news, he actually thinks he's winning.

As has been said time and again, he's a Don Quixote figure. A hero only in his own eyes, tilting at harmless windmills who he believes to be monsters.

^^ Oh crap. I'm under moderation..

I agree with the principle, btu I don't think the would really qualify as a boycott. A boycott is not buying something at all (or generally not doing business with a company) when you otherwise would. It isn't not buying a product for peopel it isn't intended for anyway. I don't say I'm boycotting condolence cards when I get my mom a birthday card. It's just a matter of buying what's appropriate.

CSM seriously needs to look up the word boycott

I hope real lawyers will give us an update or breakdown. Is the CSM just full of incredibly stupid people, or do they not ever check videogames rating sites? Bcause the changes made for the M version are fairly explicitly--forgive the pun--revealed in such places.

So basically, CSM is being asinine on several levels:

1) Parents who buy their kids' games (well ove 80%) CAN'T "boycott" the game, because that would presuppose that they were part of its intended audience. boycotting only works if refusing to buy/use/etc. something negatively impacts sales/profit/etc.
In other words, a "boycott" by parents will in no way have any of a boycott's intended effects because those people aren't expected or wooed to buy the game in the first place. Efforts to reduce the aspects of older-rated games that attract children drawn to the violence or mature themes would fail because those children actively seek out such things and will simply turn to something else to fulfill that desire if they are ever deprived of violent videogame play by law. Not to mention that illegalizing even the most extremely violent games merely makes children want them more.

2) Again, the content changes are widely available in some detail online and elsewhere, just like the ratings system. If CSM or parents are too ignorant or too "busy" to take a few seconds and search for such information, then they are obviously not the intended target (or admirable parents). Reviewers and raters provide tools by which remotely LITERATE and REASONABLE people who want to be RESPONSIBLE parents INVOLVED in their children's lives can make decisions about what games to purchase for THEIR OWN children.

3) How many times must it be repeated: R rated movies are sold directly to unaccompanied minors--and this figure does NOT include the more graphic unrated versions--more than 7 out of 10 times, as opposed to videogames' nearly 4 out of 10.

4) The CSM found that the M rated version isn't significantly less violent than the AO version--BECAUSE THEY ONLY LOOKED AT THE AO VERSION. This one just torpedos what little credit the CSM might contain, but it's a good laugh--or would be, if people stopped listening to such fools.

In other words, the CSM:

Still fails to understand that mature-rated games aren't marketed to or intended to be sold to children;

Still is incapable of using or unwilling to use the Internet (since every claim they make in this issue consists of unfactual or even egregiously defamatory lies, which could have been confirmed in about 3 minutes);

Has yet to grasp the hypocritical irony of (currently) ignoring other media forms in their crusade, including even screenshots or ads in public places, contributing to a senseless double (quadruple) standard that makes it alright to have SAWIII posters up, complete with blood and weapons, but complains about GTA posters with merely show a gun, with no violence;

And bases all of their complaints about the videogames industry and the ratings system on flawed understanding at best, but typically on utter lies and misinformation calculated to catch attention through melodrama.

CSM complains about so-called negative impacts due to the prevalence of advertisement in public spaces, claiming kids can see and be harmed by this, when the real problem lies in parents not giving their children needed moral foundations and boundaries, or not monitoring or being engaged in what the children do.

Because it's now easier to just block certain shows or timeframes or games, CSM has obsolesced to the point where it is defunct, broken and toothless, even utterly useless, and this sort of unresearched sensationalism is their way of clinging to a drowning raft.

It's no wonder none of the early childhood education and psychology graduates and teachers I talk to consider the CSM to be a laughingstock or, minimally, a joke. They honestly don't care what CSM has to say, but are frustrated that organizations with that type of reach focus on "fixing" reactive "problems", or things outside of parental (like the ESRB) when those things aren't broken but the CSM, out of touch with society, is.

Their general advice is for groups lke CSM to address actually worthwhile issues to bring about real change in children's lives, both immediately and over the longterm. And their advice when it comes to commercials/TV/sports/videogames? for the parents, moderation, as they advise for everything; and for organizations, education of parents in regards to what they can control, not knee-jerk chicken little "Oh noes, teh videos is coming!!!"

Treating the symptoms, not the problems, and letting politics, pet causes, or blind and stubborn fears drive CSM policy only guarantees the rest of the country will leave them behind.

now tt should sue them for having an illegal copy of their game

(were all for morals so long as we can steal)]

please note this is a JOKE (albeit cheap and crass a joke none the less =p)

@jds

it's a first =o

boycotts are fine, but they should be sued for slander if they continue to use images from the leaked game that isn't rated.

@ JT

"I debate real people on real stages, like the ACLU’s Nadine Strossen and Alan Dershowitz. I don’t debate anonymous cowards."

No one gives a crap.

"Besides, I don’t want to be accused of child molestation."

Then don't act like it. Duh.

"I did bug his house. Want to see the receipts?"

... YOU JUST EFFING ADMITTED YOU INVADED A PERSON'S PRIVACY, YOU STUPID IDIOT.

You are NOT an officer of the law. You're a LAWYER. Learn the difference, you pathetic excuse of a human being.

"Big surprise coming for Take-Two. Can’t reveal it here, but it’s deeee-lish!"

Well, seeing as you signed an agreement not to sue them, it can't be that.

Then again, it took you three years to finally realize you were kicked off of the Alabama case, so who am i to talk?

Does the use of this screenshot constitute libel against T2 on the part of the CSM? I would think they'd be seriously obligated to make a public correction themselves.

Manhunt 2 really does look like a bad game. Then again I've never been a fan of torture. I prefer movies that actually go for a sense of horror, not just gore and violence. To me it's just shock effect rather than that sense of uneasiness in which I associate horror with. Got a little off track that, but my point is even though I think its a game of poor taste and over all doesn't look that good, it really doesn't warrant all this publicity. The game is meant for Adults, and the parents of children who play it always have the choice to remove it from these kids. So to call for parents to boycott it for their kids makes no sense, which is ironic when it's coming from a group labeled "Common Sense." 60% of children may play M rated games, but 1)The ESRB rating system isn't perfect, leaving a wide gap between the ages of 13 and 17, so either its for a game for 13 year olds or its a game for people just about to become a legal adult, not exactly the best idea here and 2) The game is meant for adults, the parent (like mentioned earlier) can take this game away anytime they so choose. Watchdog groups just seem to have the ability and sense of a retarded giraffe on acid.

@nightwng2000

He knows that he'll need to be associated with some association that trumps some kind of moral high-ground, because he can't stand on his own. Better to be in bed with someone you barely tolerate, than to be alone with chaffed palms.

Oh, but if they mentioned details they might've had to prove it!

The same, identical game banned for sale to adults is going to be sold to teenagers here in the US. That's the story.

Dear Howard Camerik, Partner, Blank Rome, Counsel for Take-Two:

I'll give you until 5 pm Eastern, today, to answer these questions:

1. Is the cop top removal in the ESRB-rated game with the head or any part of the pic simply blurred?

2. Is there any option to visit violence upon a guard or a law enforcement officer in Manhunt 2?

Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes.

Jack Thompson

"jack Thompson, attorney" stated "I did bug his house. Want to see the receipts?"

This is 1) A violation to Mister Zelnick's Constitutional right to Privacy. 2) an illegal action taken by you Mr. Thompson. And finally 3) an admission of guilt by you. By your own admission you have just stated that you are violating the Constitution, the very document that you say you fight to uphold. Tell me Mr. Thompson. How do you live with yourself and for that matter, call yourself a Christian after all of the falsehoods you have spread.

1: Call for parents to boycott the game for their kids.. Sure, A-Ok. Kids, by age of less than 15, aren't really the target audience in the first place.

Best of luck, however, since most kids often can - AND WILL - get most of the high-rated games through other means than walking into a shop themselves and trying to buy it.

2: Screenshot's from the leaked? and CSM's running their campaign against the retail? I smell a stink, and it's not just CSM in general. At least they consider their credibility worthy enough to dis Jacko Whacko.

3: Jack showing he truly has lost all connection to Reality(tm)? YET AGAIN??

Truly this can not be... Wait, it is. NEXT!

I had JT's little statement about bugging forwarded to the FBI. Dunno what that may accomplish...

As for the topic at hand: I can't wait to see how the sales of Manhunt 2 compare to that of the original. MH2 has had pretty much ZERO marketing behind it (as far as I know) thus far, and probably will not- the controversy may well prove to be quite enough.

Hell, the only reason I preordered this is because of the controversy. Otherwise, I would have ignored it completely.

Meanwhile, games like Conan (nudity, gore), Jehrico (gore), and Mass Effect (lesbian sex FTW) are coming out and nobody seems to be getting riled up.

@Zerodash

Because they aren't from Take-Two Interactive. With the exception of the Sims 2 fiasco, and the occasional Halo lie, the looney toon in Florida has a major obsession with TT. Funny part is I'm surprised their lawyers haven't filed an injunction against him yet for violating their agreement. Maybe they are just building more and more evidence on him, heaven knows his is giving it to them on a silver platter.

@ JT, who said:

"Dear Howard Camerik, Partner, Blank Rome, Counsel for Take-Two:

I’ll give you until 5 pm Eastern, today, to answer these questions:

1. Is the cop top removal in the ESRB-rated game with the head or any part of the pic simply blurred?

2. Is there any option to visit violence upon a guard or a law enforcement officer in Manhunt 2?

Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes.

Jack Thompson"

45 minutes? That's not a lot of time considering they probably won't even read that, seeing as neither this site, nor the ECA, are part of the video game indsutry in any way, shape, or form.

Interesting that I can't find the press release about this on CSM's website.

@Jack Thompson
I'm curious as to what exactly your current involvement in this story is. Are you just following it because it's of interest to you, are you working with CSM in some way?

GP: yeah, I coudn't, either. But I got a copy from Mike Antonucci, along with the beheading pic. I will post it if I get a second.

To all the people going on and on about Jack Thompson bugging Zelnick's house...for once, I'm pretty sure Jack was joking. You're all a bunch of idiots.

Granted, it wasn't a funny or amusing joke in any sense of the word, but what do you expect from Thompson?

So wait, if a cop dies in Manhunt 2, it's a terrible, terrible thing that should be banned from a game that adults want to play, but if a whole army of them are beaten, stabbed, and shot to death in the R-rated "The Matrix" (which thousands of underage kids went to go see alongside their parents - nobody seems to be worried about little kids getting in to notably more violent R-rated films), the scene becomes a classic in modern cinema?
Wow, these double standards are quite the inconvenience.

"Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes."

Oooo...zing!

Gee, Jack, you sure showed them!

Wait, wait. His "dee-lish" swipe at TT is an email threat to Blank Rome?

Oh, and how did your deadline to R* go over the Lawyer mission?

"My advice is to dispense with the none-too-subtle legal threats, or you will be back in IP ban land. I’m willing to let you read & post GP because you are a player in the field. But it’s not going to be your forum to threaten me or my readers"


Hell Yea Dennis threaten Jack with that ip hammer...Hell there are a few times i've wanted to make a post about some things he says and i've just kept it quiet because i didnt want to cause any problems but i can only bit my tounge for so long and it pretty much just ended...So i give you my apoligies


Jack Thompson

We all know very well that you hate any and all gamers and in your own mind any gamer should not have rights just like any adult who is a gamer shouldnt have rights..I have nothing against the commen sense media people..(though some of the stuff on the site is a good laugh) But No One at all Needs To "boycott" Manhunt 2..Its real real simple and i'll explain it to you...

Child.."mommy i want this game" *picks up manhunt 2*

Parent...*looks at the game and the rating* "No its not a game for a child its a game for an adult" *puts the game away* "lets go we are leaving"

its not that difficult.....Now i know some parents just cant say no to little billy..so go ahead and buy the game if they want but the second they do they should learn to keep their mouth shut because they dont deserve any sympothy at all...

As for your little whatever with take two...Yea Jack *begin sarcasm* im so scared now..I mean look what happened with bully......Oh wait nothing...

Get lost Jack..Oh wait you already are

Hilaryduffgta Im a awesome gamer and a cool person and your a scumbag

p.s Enjoy losing your license

Hoooah


Still Think im a girl Jack

@ Dog_Welder

True. Though I think it less a joke than an attention grabbing attempt at bragging. Akin to what an young male does to impress the girl. How odd.

I suggest not calling us idiots. He said/typed it in a public format so is therefore liable for it, true or not.

What do I expect from Thompson? I expect him to keep running his mouth in the wrong place/time (give a fool enough rope) until someone does something (probably painful) to shut him up. Little else I fear will have much impact.

@JT: "Isn’t it absolutely FABULOUS that CSM has proven the validity of my lawsuit filed this week re the sham nature of game ratings by the ESRB, and the fact that such games are presently being sold to kids on-line!!!????"

1) Tell us more about how they "proved" the validity of your lawsuit.
2) CSM doesn't own the court.
3) Sham nature? Where?
4) Buying a game rated M online means the child used his parent's credit card, which means the parent's approval.


"Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes."

Last time you said "You have X minutes." you did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Why would he even bother to answer you? Wait. One of the questions is already answered in the article itself. Congratulations. You gave him another reason why he shouldn't bother answering you.

@Creeping

Yeah, guess they are lacking their own 'Common Sense".

@ Jack Thompson

After how Take Two told you that they would take action against you if you mess with Manhunt 2, I would have to say that you better leave them alone.

There is so many games where you kill cops.

Manhunt 1 you could kill cops uncut just like every other man hunting you down.

Dont you think that there is so many games that are more offensive and gory that you can go after since you are against Americans having rights?

Saints row comes to mind...You can kill cops in that in anyway you want...Running them over looks pretty cool if u get a fast car to use..

@ jack thompson, attorney:

"Is this a great court system, is this a great country, or what?"


Yeah, it's the same country that let's guilty criminals go free and locks up innocents. Or more recently, fines California fore victims $300 for the satellite dish that they "refused" to save in the fire. Guess what, kid, you're a tool...a puppet...a pawn...a sham...shall I continue.

So what is this about being able to "kill a cop" in manhunt 2 or what????

JT: "The same, identical game banned for sale to adults is going to be sold to teenagers here in the US. That’s the story."

If there is a story here, the story is that there are still european countries that think it is good and proper to ban material for sale to adults.

If there is a vague and rambling editorial here, it is that although the ESRB might rate a game correctly, *OTHER CHILDREN'S PARENTS* don't necessarily follow that rating.

If there is a senseless rant here ready to take on litigious form, I'm sure you'll fill us in on it like we can always count on.

"That was refering the the UK ban. The BBFC didn’t give a rating even to the same version that the ESRB rated M. Meaning it can’t be sold in the UK."

Bringing up a UK ban to further a legal case in the US is really ridiculous.

They aren't suggesting a consumer/national boycott on the game just that parents don't buy the game for their kids which isn't really that bad since the game was never meant for children anyway.

Although as for the copy from the unrated never going to be released version, it is possible that they mistook that version for the real version or got the image from somehwere else thinking it was from the official site (only the latter seems feasible though if you think about it).

@Devil's Advocate
According to the press release:

"Common Sense has obtained footage of the game being played, and will be showing it to the press a day before the title hits stores on October 31. (The screenshot on the left is taken from that footage)."

No info in it about where they obtained this footage. I think they may want to rethink their plans about showing it to the press the day before the game is released.

@Mad scientist

No that wasn't it. I was talking mabout some group demanding that the ESRB give the game an Ao before the rating was ever published (I also believe rockstar announced the Ao rating days after they made their demands).

Jacko --
I’ll give you until 5 pm Eastern, today, to answer this questions:

Did you know that it is against the law to drive on the right side of the road in the UK but perfectly legal to do so in the USA?!?!? Why aren't you suing Ford for selling cars in the USA that encourage teenagers as young as 16 to drive on the right side of the road?

I give you 45 minutes to answer that question.

Dear Howard Camerik, Partner, Blank Rome, Counsel for Take-Two:

I’ll give you until 5 pm Eastern, today, to answer these questions:

1. Is the cop top removal in the ESRB-rated game with the head or any part of the pic simply blurred?

2. Is there any option to visit violence upon a guard or a law enforcement officer in Manhunt 2?

Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes.

Jack Thompson


Jack you don't scare anyone everyone is sitting back and watching you fail as you have a habit in doing so. Can you please tell me one case you have actually won? Or one real study where it shows that all gamers will become mindless killers and take over the earth. Or will you just refer back to your old 2005 study? and anyone that disagrees with you, you take legal action. We will be having the last laugh when you have miserably failed to prevent sales of games and have your law license convescated.

So it's been 45 minutes. Has Jack turned into a pumpkin yet?

@ JT

"Be careful how you answer those questions. You have 45 minutes."

Or what? You can't touch them Jack, or perhaps you've forgotten.

For the record,

Who gives a damn if a PIXELATED DEPICTION of a FICTIONAL cop dies in MH2? I'm so sick of the "moral" police cracking down on anything that does not accord with their backwards, contradictory, and absurd "values."

Quit. Shoving. Your. Bullshit. Values. Down. Our. Throats.
(QSYBVDOT)!

You think these bible thumping facist pigs would respect our individual freedom and moral autonomy.

"You think these bible thumping facist pigs would respect our individual freedom and moral autonomy."


They will probably learn it on the same day that you realize that the chief cause for them trying to impose their control on us stems from greed for money and a lust for power. and that any religious facade is just them manipulating voters into the slaughter house to force them into willingly to give up their rights.

IE, they (and you) will learn your respective lessons one day after never.

@Pandralisk

To be fair they just want parents to not buy them for their kids which isn't really all that bad (it is manhunt 2 after all, not Halo). Although if they started asking for a complete ban then I would agree with you.

Maybe I'm a little bit lost here, but how on earth did such a simple subject get up into the 200+ posts range? Are we just talking about the jack-effect where he basically just shows up to spit in people's wheaties and they feel compelled to respond?

Common sense media has every right to boycott MH2, they can boycott it for not being violent enough if they want to. That's free enterprise. My only thinking is that calling for a boycott likely isn't going to help them though, because the people who are most likely to buy it are also least likely to actually listen to groups like common sense media.

Calling for a boycott is their choice.
Whether or not to listen is ours. Why does it have to be more complicated then that??

Now, I will go on the record as saying willfully using press materials, screenshots that don't appear in the final version in your press releases is shady/unethical behavior, but not overly surprising. If they were calling for the stores to keep it off shelves, that's one thing, but that's not what the original post says. Says it's calling for a parents boycott. I honestly don't see the problem.

@jadedcritic

You're right that they have every right to call for a boycott if they want, though it's kind of odd really. As many have said, the reason they give for the boycott is such that anyone bothered by it shouldn't have bought the game anyways.

The things that are making this story such big news are twofold, I think. One, CSM is taking shots at the ESRB, which many view as very hypocritical given CSM's many flaws, and they're also showing some of their past ignorance of certain basic ideas about how game ratings work. This annoys people, so they post comments.

But the main thing is the possiblity that CSM may be using content from a pirated version of the game and misrepresenting the nature of such content to the press. That could be a very big issue.

Oh, also add Jack Thompson's comments on this blog entry to the mix.

Hay Jack like I said before, if you want your version of the "truth" to be heard, get your own darned blog or use your crappy website.

It can be just like back in your livejournal days, you can post 24/7 about all the lawsuits you filed, what you ate that day, your current mood, your submitting of gay porn as evidence again after saying you won't...

Re kurisu7885

I think it is one of those "look at what these evil, morally corrupt executives are doing and enjoying with their money" and a good amount of "I'm imaging me putting him in the poorhouse, and the loads of cash I will get from extorting him."

And I think Strauss Zelnick is still laughing, and saying something along the lines of "he will never learn..."

@ Jack Thompson, laughably terribly attorney

Won't debate anonymous people? Is that because you're afraid of losing to someone half your age? Seriously, we've covered the whole "anonymous on the internet" thing back at Jaablaw - you got your ass handed to you there by myself and Jackdon'tknowjack. Besides, I've given you my personals before, and if you can't be bothered to write down who you've threatened to sue for libel before, that's not my problem.

As for your letter to Howard Camerik, etc. - what makes them obligated to give you any sort of response? Your letter reads like a child demanding a cookie "or else!".

How in the world did you manage to pass the BAR in the first place? If the Florida BAR Association should be sued, it would be for handing out a license to practice law to such an idiot as yourself.

- Mnementh2230, decent human being, and you're not!

I'm anonymous like some of the others because of your stalking and harassment with those who don't agree with you.

Late night calls even taking your time zone into account, frequent calls within minutes of each other much like your email spam, you contacting all related friends/coworkers/boss/family/other from whatever info you dig up trying to get your target in trouble, etc...

And then there is your habit of frequently searching all over the internet trying to find any place talking about you... Along with how frequently you assume those posting are kids, treat them such, and making comment like a creepy old pedophile --even if jokingly-- sure don't help you.

You seriously remind me of some very disturbed individuals on Usenet who would do the same things, and take them even further with things like real life stalking in person.... Oh wait, I think someone has a case against you for breaking a restraining order.

Oh, and I love your "you have 45 minutes to answer this email" plan, and the treat about watching their words is hilarious. It really shows what a coward you really are with your "he he, I am so clever giving him a deadline he will most likely not meet, and I can say I won by default." plan. It pretty much sums up your debate tactics.

Also again today you confirm that you are obsessed with this site, and you Mr. "Blogs are for losers" love to treat the GP headlines & comment section as your personal blog.

Re Dennis
I know you delete the imposter's, but could you start confirming them or doing something that only a mod can do to stick out? While we know he has gotten more nutty as of late, the comments fit him, and people do things like joking before their huge mental breakdown, I still have problems believing the stuff being posted is from him....

@JT

"The same, identical game banned for sale to adults is going to be sold to teenagers here in the US. That’s the story."

Including the 17-, 18-, and 19-year-olds?

The next move by common sense media:

they hold a press release in each showing one frame of manhunt 2, and slowly but surely theyll compile a list of whats in it or not from the taketwo responses.

If Jack Thompson thinks none of us are fit to "debate" him, then why the fuck does he insist on posting here to no end? If we're such idiots, doesn't he have something better to do with his time than call us names like a 5 year old? Guess that question answers itself.

Re DarkTetsuya
Yeah I know that, but your example post is a good example of why I had suggested he might do something that normal commenter's can't.

@Jack Thompson

I'm not certain I'll get a response to this, but I figure asking politely can't hurt. Did Howard Camerik respond within 45 minutes? Did he respond later? If he did either, what details of his response, if any, can you share? Also, assuming he didn't respond, in the time limit you set or at all, what steps do you intend to take?

@GP posters
I know you'll say I'm probably wasting my time with this, but even if that's the case, it's not exactly taking me that long to type this post up.

For the record, I should hope that readers of this site would realize Thompson's claim of "bugging" Zelnick's home is sarcasm. I'm not attempting to defend the man or anything he's done, but there's no point in going into hysterics about a joke.

@WFern:

Well y'know, anything to speed along the removal of his law license is a good thing, so we'll take what we can get. (and Lord knows Thompson provides it by the bucketfull. :P)

I bet Jack Thompson has nightmares about Take-Two and Rockstar. GTAIII, GTA Vice City, Manhunt, GTA San Andreas, Bully, and now Manhunt 2 and he hasn't been able to stop them once. All big time games that sold very well, very violent, and millions and millions of people who have played them and enjoyed them.

I really believe Jack Thompson gets kickbacks from Take-Two, he's probably personally responsible for increasing the sales of their games by 10%-20% and when you consider they've sold over 50 million games, you might say Jack Thompson has personally put over $200 million in the pockets of Rockstar and Take-Two, and allow them to make even more games. What an idiot, they play him like a puppet and he's clueless, he thinks he has a chance to hurt them where in reality he's been great help to their sales.

Might as well reiterate what everyone else is saying so.... this game is not for kids. Its kinda of weird how people automatically assume that every videogame in the entire known universe is advertised and made for kids.

If you want a comparison look at movies. We don't assume that all movies are meant for children. I mean look at the Saw series, we don't think those movies were meant for kids.

[...] GamePolitics covered the story, when it was a story, but the latest update from Take-Two renders all discussion of police decapitation pretty ridiculous: Take-Two wishes to make it clear that the screen shot of Manhunt 2 shown in a recent Common Sense Media press release does not appear in the ESRB-rated version of the game that will be released on October 31. It has been speculated that they have used the unrated version that was leaked some time ago. [...]