Target Pulling Manhunt 2 from Shelves?
By Jonathan on Sunday, November 4th, 2007 at 3:15 AM PST In Computer, Game Platforms, Game Related Laws, Games, Games Industry, Microsoft, Nintendo, Rockstar, Sony
Apparently an internal memo is circulating through Target stores telling managers to stop selling the controversial Manhunt 2 for all systems and even refuse arriving shipments of the game. Take Two has also agreed to take back all unopened copies. The unofficial reason given for this is not the violence, but the attention the game has received in the national media for the past several days. Oddly, you can still order the game from Target online, but it’s listed as “not available in stores.” Thus far, no other retailers have been reported as taking this action.
If Target continues this policy, then the coming weeks should see all other video games rated “M,” movies rated “R,” and music CDs with a parental advisory pulled from the shelves as well. I mean, that’d just make sense, given the controversy they draw from the national media on an almost daily basis. Otherwise this whole thing would just be a big stinking ball of hypocrisy. And why would a huge corporation do that?
Via Evil Avatar
They have the right to sell what they choose . They should pull all movies games and music rated mature though , not single out one game . Then we’ll all just go buy it somewhere else .
They have the right to selll what they choose yes, but what’s the point of waiting months for a game to be rated, re-rated and then denied? I don’t want the game anymore (I’ve seen the reviews) but this is just disgraceful. I’d rather have it like it is over here where the BBFC still have it banned rather than this rubbish.
You guys are babies. Who cares. “they should pull all M rated and R rated material from shelves.” Obviously you don’t know how business works. They pull ONE game off of a shelf and you have a tantrum, then you are lame. WHO CARES! Evil Avatar, what a Bogus statement.
It’s a huge ball of hypocrisy, I didn’t shop at target to begin with, but they’re putting up a good argument for me not shopping there anyway.
who really cares its one game there is tons of other places to buy it
It doesn’t change the fact that a major retail outlet is full of shit.
It’s not the fact that it’s ‘one game’, it’s the fact of principle.
I don’t shop at Target because they suck. So I really don’t care what they do or do not sell
Good. If you want to play this garbage it should be hard to get–they should open up seedy stores on the side of the highway that people are embarrassed to shop at. This is violence-porn and should be kept on the fringes and in the margins where it belongs.
What’s surprising to me is that a game called “Manhunt 2″ ever made it onto the shelves at Target.
Amen
I think if a game is banned, it should not be able to be re-released. Of course, I would go for war-based games getting extra-light ratings, and mindless-killing games getting extra-harsh ratings. Seriously, though. The thing is Target is doing the right thing, not being hypocritical.
WHAT THE F***? I thought I lived in America, but f***ing Target is singling out one game. I understand they can choose what they want to sell, but what about freedom of press? I will take back what I said if they stop selling rated M games, but until then I will shopping at Target. Furthermore what is so diffrent about videogames and a movie or a tv show it is press and personally I like videogames alot more than movies because it gives me full control over what I am doing. Anyway what I am saying is F*** TARGET!
Why are people getting mad at Target? First off rated R movies and PAS music do NOT get as much media attention on a daily basis as Manhunt 2 is now. That’s ridiculous.
Secondly, they are most likely covering their own ass from lawsuit-happy lawyers trying to cash in on the media frenzy. I really don’t blame them, I blame the crazy civil suit system in this country where you can lose millions even if you defend and win a case.
And Ryan, you’re thinking about freedom of speech, not freedom of press. That and freedom of speech doesn’t mean that Target HAS to sell every video game you want them to, it means the government has no right to ban and censor stuff, something erathoniel apparently doesn’t understand.
They are just denying themselves sales of the game, but ironically you can look at it this way. Maybe they’re mad because it had too much censorship in the game. Either way it doesen’t matter, the Wii version, which I have unofrtunately, and the PS2 version have no way to remove the filtersm which sucks, however without the executions it’s still pretty bloody in an orangey kind’ve way. Look at the blood, it looks too orange anyways, it’s not dark enough. I often wonder what the big deal is about putting in blocking filters anyways, ever play The Suffering, Ties that Bind? 10 times the gore of even the first manhunt game, there’s a part where a junkies head explodes and there’s brains and blood all over the room, how did Midway get away with that? Also, remember Mortal Kombat? They had a way to turn the blood on and off so if you didn’t like blood, you could turn it white, green or take it out entirely. Now why didn’t Rockstar do that, instead of putting up a girlie filter? seriously I don’t see what the difference is between putting a filter in that you can’t change and one you can. I think the ESRB has their favorite devolopers, and Rockstar is not one of them, that’s the reason for the goofy filter.
the only thing i ever buy at target is condoms
somehow those are less “mature” then a video game?
nice move there target
Any company has the right to sell whatever they want, but we are becoming a society that is simply too influenced by the “moral majority”. Interestingly enough, the moral majority is actually a minority that just bitches loud enough. I am completely against censorship and think that corporations and the government really need to leave it up to us when it comes to making decisions about what kinds of entertainment we choose to take part in. There are really only a few exceptions to my opinion on this, but Manhunt 2 is not a threat to society and really shouldn’t be this huge concern that it has become. I was at Target yesterday and purchased the special edition of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. How is that any worse than what we see in Manhunt? It’s not. They are both kinda sick, but it’s entertainment. I really think we’ve lost our creative imagination in society. I totally feel that Manhunt 2 should never find it’s way into the hands of a child, but that’s a problem that should be placed on the parent. We’re getting to the point where we are being babied and micromanaged by society. Corporations and the government are deciding what is moral and right for us. What ever happened to personal accountability?
fuck target and buy it elsewhere. target sucks anyways
You’re reading too deeply into this. Maybe Target just doesn’t want to get flamed by Jack Thompson.
@yourdadsgaylover
Lay off the inbreeding you neocon cocksucker…
As far as target goes, I don’t shop there and could give two shits about this lame game…
Target has the right to sell/not sell whatever game they want, and we have the right as consumers not to shop at target…