The Saga of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and its refusal to rate Manhunt 2 isn’t over yet. Originally, the BBFC refused to rate Manhunt 2, blocking its release in the U.K.. Last week, the game was granted a review by the U.K. Video Appeals Committee and the Appeals Committee decided to grant the BBFC’s most restrictive rating, allowing the game to reach U.K. Customers. Now the BBFC is fighting that decision.

The BBFC has decided to contest the decision by the Video Appeals Committee. The BBFC has asked for a judicial review and suspension of the Committee’s decision. The BBFC argues that the Committee’s decision to allow Manhunt 2 a rating is based on “an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act… [that] ...if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board’s decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence.”

Essentially, the BBFC is drawing a line in the sand, declaring that Manhunt 2 has crossed the line of what is acceptable in entertainment. If the Committee’s decision stands, the BBFC is implying that it cannot serve its function, and that the decision must be overturned so that the BBFC can continue to do its work.

UPDATE (12/21/2007): The BBFC's request for judicial review has been granted. The hearing will be in January, and the Appeals Committee's decision to rate the game has been suspended until that hearing. So it will be 2008 before we'll know if UK gamers will see Manhunt 2