After the controversy of being banned in the UK, and receiving an “Adult-only” rating in the U.S. (which pretty much denies the game a Wii release), Take Two has now put Manhunt 2 on hold, with no mention of when the game will be released. The publisher will most likely appeal the ratings decision, but there’s little hope that any of the ratings will be overturned.

This comes as no surprise – Take Two was pretty much cornered by the ESA and BBFC ratings. Take Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said:

“We firmly believe that parents and consumers, once informed as to the nature of any entertainment product, should be able to make their own choices.

We agree, people should make their own choice, what game to buy, what movie to see, what book to read. Banning a game does little – last year Germany banned Dead Rising, but the Germans simply bought the game in the neighboring countries. This time though, the A.O. rating on the U.S. effectively blocks the Wii version, as Nintendo doesn’t allow Adult Only content to be released on the console. Seems that Take Two will have to make some serious adjustments if they wish to ever release Manhunt 2.