ESRB - More distrust in their general direction

Recently, gaming sites have been aflame with the Manhunt 2 controversy, in which Manhunt 2 received the Adults-Only rating that is equivalent to the marketing kiss-of-death for any game.

However, even more recently (August 24), Manhunt 2 was re-rated from AO to Mature with a Halloween release date to boot. What caused this sudden change? No one knows. ESRB won't own up to anything--what content was changed for the M rating (if any), what kind of communications went on between the ESRB and the game's publisher, Rockstar, before and after the ratings change? Is it really a giant publicity stunt? And if so, how could the ESRB expect to play a part in such a stunt and not expect its credibility to be sullied? And what about the infamous Grand Theft Auto Hot Coffee (aka "Hot Coffeegate") incident? Was that a stunt, too?

When it comes to Everyone and Teen-rated games, the ESRB seems to do all right with its ratings, and actually establishes some form of trust-worthiness. (Mostly because there's nothing they have to "protect the children from.") Mature and Adults Only are where things get shaky, as this last episode proves. The system really needs revision when it comes to violent and sexual content, and the divide between M and AO. One of my biggest questions, is if the difference in content between the two ratings is so great (M is socially acceptable, and AO cannot even be sold in stores), why is there only a one-year difference between the ratings' age-groups? (Mature is 17+, Adults-Only is 18+). Does one more year of living really make that great of a difference in maturity?

Advice to parents? Things look a little bleak, as the great ESRB guardians continue to fumble through rating more violent, mature game material. The system obviously needs some kind of revision among its higher ratings. Kids can enjoy all the Everyone and Teen-rated games in the world, but I strongly advise you use your own discretion for Mature and Adults Only, and don't simply trust the ESRB stamp.

This really stinks for parents because doing such research on a game can be very time-consuming. The quickest way to do this would to do some Internet searching for the game's trailers, previews/reviews, and screenshots. Some videogame stores (like EB Games/Gamestop) may let you play the game a bit before you buy if you ask a store representative.