On November 6, Rockstar will release the PC version of their controversial stealth action game, Manhunt 2. While a seemingly tacked-on PC release of a previously released game may not be enough to cause a ripple in the pond, the fact that it is rated “Adults Only” by the ESRB had raised some eyebrows.

Manhunt 2 tells the tale of Dr. Daniel Lamb, a scientist involved in The Pickman Project -a top secret weapons program. At the outset of the game, Dr. Lamb is in an asylum and cannot remember the details of The Pickman Project or how it was responsible for his incarceration. As the mystery is revealed, the player learns more of the Project, why it was so controversial, and why its funding was cut. Oddly enough, Manhunt 2 was a controversial project that was once gutted due to its content, too.

When Manhunt 2 was initially announced, attorney Jack Thompson, infamous in the gaming community for his views on violent video games, filed a suit to block the sale of the game. He was unsuccessful, but that was not the end of the troubles for this game. The ESRB originally gave it a rating of Adults Only and thereby dooming it to marginal sales. Many major gaming store chains and department stores do not allow such games to be sold. Rockstar edited some of the gore out of its creation, and the game was downgraded to “merely” a Mature rating for the console version.

Even with this new rating, the controversy refused to die. Much like Night Trap in the 90s, Manhunt 2 became this generation’s video game target for politicians. Then-Senator (now Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton, Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Sam Brownback and others wrote and signed a letter to the ESRB to reconsider their ratings practices. It seemed as if some were still not satisfied that this ultra-violent game was not given the Adults Only rating, the retail equivalent of the kiss of death. The concerns of the politicians did not change the rating.

Perhaps due to the fact that digital downloads will not require any nervous retailers to sell the game, Manhunt 2 for Windows will be the Adults Only incarnation, complete with all the extra violence that was stripped of the Wii version. Gamers do not yet know for certain what fresh insanity will now be available, but curious horror fans will be able to satisfy their intrigue this Friday when it becomes available.