Manhunt 2 banned.

It's been a low watermark week for gamers what with the controversy surrounding Resistance's use of Manchester Cathedral upsetting the Church Of England and now this. Manhunt 2 has become the first game to be banned by the censors in more than a decade. This isn't just a withdrawal like selected stores enforced with the release of the original Manhunt, this is a full ban: Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 will not be released.

Be assured we'll still be importing this for our PSP, but it must be a massive disappointment for Wii owners especially. Of the three formats Manhunt 2 was confirmed for, Wii is the most bereft of mature titles and had the most exciting innovation with an inventive use of the Wii-mote for acting out its various executions. PlayStation 2 gamers can at least go back and enjoy the first Manhunt, which we maintain is still one of the console's best games. As we've already said, PSP owners have the option of ordering a US copy, which can easily be found at any number of online stores.

What we'd like to do to the UK censors. Does that make us sick? No. ~>

At the time of writing, a cursory glance at major online retailers indicates that the game is still available for pre-order, but we're not sure if this actually means anything. We just hope that the censors see sense and change their minds as they've ironically decided to ban a supposedly 'sick' game in the same month as a supposedly 'sick' movie. Eli Roth's notoriously gratuitous and graphic Hostel: Part II will have cinema-goers reaching for the sick bags on 29th June. The fate of Manhunt 2 however remains a mystery. We just want it even more now...you always want what you can't have.