Editors Note: Our American cousins take a look at the Manhunt 2 ban in the UK and Ireland; and its Adults Only rating in the US - essentially doing just about the same thing without a big red seal on the cover. Do enjoy...

Walking into the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors Convention last month in Burbank, Calif., I expected to see plenty of horror movie fans with crazy outfits, costumes and makeup running around trying to get a glimpse of all that was new. What I didn't expect, however, was to see Rockstar Games at the convention with a big 'ole booth right near the front entrance. Rockstar was promoting the forthcoming Manhunt 2 and had a PlayStation 2 and Wii version of the game on display for conference attendees.

At first, it seemed like an odd place for a game developer to be. After all, the horror movie convention is devoted to, well, horror movies, with some comic books sprinkled in here and there. But wedged in between sneak previews for Eli Roth's "Hostel: Part 2" and Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake was a little session devoted to Manhunt 2.

Rockstar previewed the game at the convention, demonstrating the Wii controls and the new blood-letting and killing tactics for the title. Although the hotel ballroom where the session was being held was largely empty, there were a few gamers in the audience that were intrigued by the new game. In fact, the booth outside the ballroom attracted many attendees who were eager to get a look at the sequel to the notorious Manhunt. One such attendee was none other than actor Tony "Candyman" Todd, who was apparently a big fan of the original Manhunt as well as the Grand Theft Auto series.

Actor Tony Todd ("Candyman," "The Rock") gets a look at Manhunt 2 at Rockstar's booth during the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors convention last month.

After getting a look at the game during the preview session and some extended booth time, I came away thinking a few thoughts. First, Manhunt 2 looked creepy. The setting - an insane asylum with a secret research facility - coupled with hordes of crazy NPCs running around in the shadows was pretty chilling. Second, even though the game was designed for previous-generation hardware with the PlayStation 2 and Wii (sorry Nintendo), Manhunt 2's graphics looked good. And third, I wondered how much controversy the game would generate, considering it didn't seem any more violent or gorier than the original Manhunt, while the sequel's story content was much easier to stomach than the first game.

For those that haven't played the original Manhunt, it's worth mentioning that the now infamous game puts players in the role of a Death Row inmate who's sprung from prison by an enigmatic Hollywood millionaire who makes snuff movies and recruits the inmate to perform executions on film. Sounds delightful, doesn't it? Well, Manhunt 2 deals with secret experiments at an insane asylum. Game characters include an ex-scientist with amnesia and a disturbed inmate who was possibly a government assassin. I must stress that I haven't played Manhunt 2 and have only seen about an hour's worth of demo gameplay. Still, the game didn't seem any worse than other violent video games I've played recently. After coming out of the Fangoria convention and comparing what I saw that day with the original Manhunt, I felt the controversy factor regarding Manhunt 2 would probably be fairly low.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Fast forward a month and Manhunt 2 is now in dire straits. Last week, Manhunt 2 was effectively banned in the UK after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) refused to give the game a rating. Since no game can be legally sold or supplied in the country without a BBFC rating, Manhunt 2 has been outlawed (this includes both the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of the game). Manhunt 2 didn't fare any better in Ireland, either. The Irish Film Censor's Office (IFCO) also banned the game, stating "the level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence is unacceptable." According to the BBFC, this is the first video game to be denied a classification since Carmageddon in 1997, and that decision was eventually overturned on appeal by the Video Appeals Committee.

David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said the following in a press statement:

"Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications, which remove the material which contravenes the Board's published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

"Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game's unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified '18' in 2003, before the BBFC's recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category.

"Against this background, the Board's carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.

Under the terms of the Video Recordings Act distributors have the right to appeal the Board's decision."