ESRB investigation clears R* guilt from Manhunt 2 hack

For once, a videogame controversy is a) cleaned up in a non-controversial way with a very clear and appeasing solution and b) cleaned up within a day.

I tip my pink, artsy hat at you, ESRB.

To re-cap yesterday's craziness, hackers found a way to remove a filter placed in Manhunt 2's programming that would blur-out the ultra-violent scenes (this was one of the edits made to reduce Manhunt 2's rating from the kiss-of-death Adults-Only to the socially acceptable Mature).

Finger-pointing at ESRB and Rockstar (R*), the game's publisher, immediately ensued. Of course, Jack Thompson was already preparing his attack.

ESRB launched an investigation and its results today, all in a neat and tidy press conference. With all the negative hear-say swimming around the Internet yesterday, I have to say I am surprised at how things turned out.

ESRB had these important things to say in their results:

In the case of Manhunt 2, a) content that was programmed to be part of the game (i.e., visual blurring effects of certain violent depictions) is being modified, b) the content was previously disclosed to the ESRB, and c) unauthorized versions of software and/or hardware are required to play the modified content.

...the scenes in question were playable (not locked-out), programmed to include the blur effect, and fully disclosed to the ESRB.

This quote in particular is a great message, especially coming from the president of the ESRB, Patricia Vance:

Manhunt 2’s rating makes it unmistakable that the game is intended for an older audience. The unauthorized hacking into the code of this game doesn’t change that basic fact.

Very, undeniably true.

And I think I owe R* an apology for being so quick to shriek "Hot Coffee." I don't feel like a complete idiot though, because with its record, it was going to be very unlikely that I gave R* the benefit of the doubt.

And I still think they're completely like the Fox News of the videogame industry :P (I need to stop saying things like that if I ever hope to get a internship/job)

Let's all hope this is the last YFG will have to report on Manhunt 2.