Rockstar today announced that the Video Appeals Committee is allowing the company's appeal against the BBFC's four to three rejection of Manhunt 2. The game was denied a rating by the U.K. ratings board both initially and after the first appeal. Manhunt 2 was also smacked with an "AO" rating in the U.S., but it was later revised to "M" and released on October 31.

"The BBFC exercises great vigilance and care in ensuring that all violent games which are submitted to us are correctly classified," said David Cooke, Director of the BBFC. "Our decisions are based on published guidelines, which are the result of very wide public consultation. The Board also provides very full content information to the public, including parents, about the videogames which it classifies. We recently launched a new website for parents, PBBFC, in addition to the main website and our websites for children and students.

"The BBFC twice rejected Manhunt 2 for its focus on varied and cumulative killings," he continued. "We recognize that rejection is a very serious step, in which the desire of publishers to market their games, and that of gamers to buy them, must be balanced against the public interest, including the full range of possible harm risks to vulnerable individuals and to any children who may be wrongly exposed to such games. Such balancing judgments are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.

"The Board recognizes that the available research findings on the effects of video games (including positive as well as harmful effects) are varied and contested. But we continue to believe that a broad approach to the possible risks is needed, which goes beyond purely behavioral harm, and which also takes account of other possible effects on the sensibilities and attitudes of individuals," concluded Cooke.

[UPDATE] A spokesperson for the BBFC told GameSpot, "We need to review the written judgment to see if there are any grounds for judicial appeal to the High Court. If we don't see any grounds, we will grant it a certificate."

Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick added, "We are committed to making great interactive entertainment while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system. We are pleased that the decision of the VAC has recognized that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18-plus rated entertainment."