The senators sent the ESRB a long letter that points out the following: the British version of the ESRB was brave enough to ban the game, while the US body wasn’t. Here are a few fragments:

[…]the British Board of Film Classification refused to rate Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 videogame … stating that it contains ‘unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone. In October 2007, the BBFC again refused to rate a revised Manhunt 2 stating that ‘the impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone … is clearly insufficient.”

[The ESRB, however,] reduced the revised version’s rating to “Mature,” effectively opening the door to its widespread distribution and its licensing approval by game system manufacturers Sony and Nintendo.”

In addition, the senators also took time to wonder if the game being released on Nintendo Wii is actually a good idea, given the fact that the console’s motion-sensitive controller basically spells a deeper psychological involvement in the “torture scenes and murders” featured in the game, thus making it a factor to be considered for future ratings.

Besides Hillary Clinton, the group also includes Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh and Sam Brownback.