Manhunt Banned in New Zealand

PS2 News | Rockstar's latest hits a censorship hurdle in the land of the long white cloud.

New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) today announced the banning of Rockstar's controversial new game, Manhunt'.

A twelve page report by the OFLC condemned the game as being "...gruesome...", with Chief Censor Bill Hastings says, "You have to at least acquiesce in these murders and possibly tolerate, or even move towards enjoying them, which is injurious to the public good."

In laymans terms, that means you have to be a total sadist to play such a game, and it's apparently in the best interests of all kiwis not to touch it with a twenty foot pole.

So, it looks like kiwis with masochistic tendencies will have to import the game from Australia or the UK, similar to how many Aussies imported Rockstar's GTA: Vice City from NZ when it was delayed by censors down under.

We'll have more as it develops.

To see PALGN's review of Manhunt, click here.

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10 Comments

Cerebral

8 years ago

Hm...touché. I'm surprised it made it to our shores...it made it to our shores, right?

Edit: Geez, I'm out of it tonight. What do I care? Chances are I won't touch a PS2 for the next 6 months.

Sigh... +1

Wardie

8 years ago

For once I'm glad I don't live in New Zealand. I feel sorry for them. I mean, we get it.

Hmm...now why would we get it and they wouldn't? I guess Australians are more tolerant of violence.

+1

Luke

8 years ago

Expect it to be banned in the next week in Australia i would say.

Magnus

8 years ago

Im surprised about the New Zealand decision since they have an R18+ rating for games. Its already out here I think. And I dont think Rockstar would be foolish enough to **** with the OFLC again like they did with GTA3 since this time thier game probably wouldnt be granted release at all.

Matt

8 years ago

Vidgamer wrote

Expect it to be banned in the next week in Australia i would say.

No chance, it's already passed through them, if it were to be banned, it would have happened before classification. From what I remember at the time, Take 2 never initially submitted GTA3 for classification, they just slapped an MA sticker on it and shipped it. The OFLC only seems concerned with sexually oriented violence (GTA3, Phantasmagoria) and mass killing of innocents (Postal and Postal 2).

Luke

8 years ago

Yeah but all it needs is an activist group to get a hold of it or get on a current affair after a mother bought it for X-mas and people will be rethinking there decision.
GTA III wasn't ever submitted for classification? Oh ok, didn't know that.

Brendan

8 years ago

Ah, I heard of this, but was waiting for confirmation.

It's sad when acts of sex - something everyone will probably do in their life - are more taboo than homicidal killing rampages, though.

Slasher

8 years ago

there havn't been many games based purely on sex, sure Virtual Valerie maybe but these are 'adult games' and since we dont have an R18 rating they would be banned anyway.

Most games that actually have a story to it get banned because of sex & violence. Sure sex is ok but killing the chick after youve done your business isn't.

mad_ro

8 years ago

...................... and you all talked about anally raping men in baby faced masks at my suggestion that it might get banned here in aus.

mad_ro

8 years ago

stonedwal wrote

Vidgamer wrote

Expect it to be banned in the next week in Australia i would say.

No chance, it's already passed through them, if it were to be banned, it would have happened before classification.

If u remember the GTA3 fiasco (which i broke the news in the IGN PAL Ps2 boards 3 days before it happened, and promptly got flamed for it) then u must remember the whole Ghost Recon incident. I forgot which part it was, but i think it had to do with a death scene. It also got removed off the shelves AFTER it had PASSED classification.

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Manhunt

Pre-order or buy:
PALGN recommends: www.Play-Asia.com

Australian Release Date:
  Out Now
European Release Date:
  Out Now
Publisher:
  Rockstar Games
Developer:
  Rockstar North

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