ESRB responds to Manhunt 2 hack: it was hacked, not unlocked

There’s a fine line between hacking and unlocking, as is in the case of Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii). In response to the circulating hack for the PSP that removes all special effects filters in the game, the ESRB states that there is a significant difference between this incident and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas“Hot Coffee” scandal: the adult content of Manhunt 2 was hacked whereas in San Andreas it was unlocked.

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Buy: [Manhunt 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Manhunt 2 (Wii)]

There’s a fine line between hacking and unlocking, as is in the case of Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii). In response to the circulating hack for the PSP that removes all special effects filters in the game, the ESRB states that there is a significant difference between this incident and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas“Hot Coffee” scandal: the adult content of Manhunt 2 was hacked whereas in San Andreas it was unlocked.

Basically it’s the difference between going through the game to unlock a secret character and using a gameshark to play a non-playable character. One’s fair; the other’s just cheating. ESRB maintains that Rockstar Games has revealed all the contents of Manhunt 2 whereas the contents of San Andreas weren’t. The ESRB acted on the information it got from both games. In San Andreas‘ case, the unlockable content was not disclosed.

In light of this however, the ESRB maintains their stand on the M rating of the Manhunt 2 despite clamors for its re-reversal, saying that they “do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating.” It adds that consumers need to be aware that unauthorized modification may make the game inconsistent with the ESRB’s initial rating.

Buy: [Manhunt 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Manhunt 2 (Wii)]

Via Kotaku