Manhunt 2 has only recently launched to retail, but it hasn't taken long at all for another potential "Hot Coffee" scandal to brew up. Hackers have found a way to remove the filters on the slaying sequences in the PSP version of the game, showing the violent killings completely uncensored. It's a bit more complicated than the modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, involving hacking the PSP's firmware illegally and loading the .ISO onto a memory card, but even with the layers of difficulty involved in getting it unlocked, its presence alone is troubling enough.

Manhunt 2 has had an infamously bumpy road to retail this Halloween. Manhunt 2 was initially given an "AO" rating in the U.S. which was later revised to "M" but the game is still effectively banned in the U.K.. Manhunt 2 was also recently leaked to the Internet by a now former SCEE employee.

[UPDATE] A statement from Take-Two Interactive (found at GamePolitics) has confirmed the hack. The publisher reiterated that they fully complied with the ESRB. The statement follows below.

Multiple edits were made to revise Manhunt 2 for its M-rated version.

Hackers apparently have altered one of those edits to produce an illegally modified version of the game that can only be played on an unauthorized, modified PlayStation Portable handheld system.

All of the game material, and especially these specific edits, was submitted to and reviewed by the ESRB in accordance with requirements regarding disclosure that were enacted two years ago and any contrary suggestion is inaccurate and irresponsible.

Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said, "I stand behind the game and the ESRB ratings process. It is unfortunately the case that no one in the entertainment software industry is immune from hacking. We hope that consumers will not engage in hacking or download illegally modified copies of our games. We encourage them to enjoy our games as they are meant to be played. We would also like to emphasize that Manhunt 2 is intended for an audience aged 17 and above."