Although they had the upper hand a day or two ago in the latest bs video game scandal, it now appears that Rockstar is on damage control duty.

When Take-Two Interactive yesterday confirmed that the Entertainment Software Rating Board handed down a rating of AO for Adults Only for Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2 on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii, the publisher said it was exploring its options.

GameSpot has confirmed with Nintendo and Sony that one of those options, which would be to accept the ESRB’s judgment and release the game with the AO rating, isn’t an option at all. Both companies forbid licensed third-party publishers from releasing games rated AO for Adults Only on their various hardware platforms. Though Manhunt 2 isn’t slated for any of Microsoft’s systems, the company has also confirmed that it does not allow AO-rated titles on the Xbox or Xbox 360.

My favorite part of this page is the US Air Force ad on the right that asks you to “call in an airstrike,” ostensibly raining death upon something or other. So, that’s different from Manhunt 2? USA! USA!

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