ESRB President Patricia Vance took the stand and issued the following statement:

"Contrary to some reports, however, we do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content. Our investigation indicates that the game’s publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content."

The ESRB back Rockstar this time, a most peculiar position given the organization’s recent history. As you may recall, both Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and he Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion broke the rules and went through some trouble because of it.

The explanation is quite obvious: “this time it’s ok, because we were informed about it”. It’s true, the blamed content in Manhunt 2 is only available to some users with “enhanced” PSP consoles. Then again, the ESRB’s position in this case does bring up once again the debate: is violence more acceptable than sexual content?