New York - The video game industry's Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) announced on Monday that it partnered with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) on a nationwide educational campaign that will see the distribution of a booklet explaining the ratings system to all 26,000 PTAs in the U.S. The groups will also offer a webcast explaining the ratings and how to set up the parental controls on gaming consoles, hosted by ESRB president Patricia Vance, PTA president Jan Harp Domene and Andrew S. Bub of GamerDad.com.

Los Angeles - The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the video game industry's voluntary agency that provides game ratings for parents, on Tuesday began offering a new widget that can be placed on websites and social network profiles, or downloaded to a desktop, that will provide easy access to ratings on over 14,000 titles. "Last year, the ratings search feature of our website was incredibly popular, with more than 4 million ratings searches having been conducted," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "There's clearly a huge appetite among consumers for ratings information, and providing this widget will make it that much easier for them to make informed purchase or rental decisions."

Washington - A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has called for a "thorough review" of the video game industry's ratings process, in a letter to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) that focuses on Take-Two Interactive's (NASD: TTWO) violent "Manhunt 2" game.

Los Angeles - Major retail chain Target (NYSE: TGT) has pulled game publisher Take-Two Interactive's (NASD: TTWO) controversial title "Manhunt 2" from its store shelves, GameSpot has confirmed. The gory title was initially given an "AO" Adults Only rating -- which most retailers wont carry -- but developer Rockstar Games resubmitted a version that received an "M" Mature rating. Target cited the recent revelation that hackers have found a way to unlock some of the "AO" content, still contained in the game's code, for its move. "While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code," Target told GameSpot. "As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."

New York - Rockstar Games, a unit of Take-Two Interactive, on Tuesday shipped its controversial "Manhunt 2" title for the Wii, PSP and PlayStation 2 to retailers. The game was initially given a dreaded "AO" Adults Only rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in June, which would have precluded its release on many platforms and stocking by many retailers. The company resubmitted an altered version in August that was granted the less-restrictive "M" Mature rating -- although even the new version remains banned in Britain. "Manhunt 2 has gone through much to reach this day," said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games.

New York - Rockstar Games, a unit of Take-Two Interactive, announced on Friday that the modified version of its forthcoming "Manhunt 2" game it submitted to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has been given an "M" for Mature rating, meaning it will be available at retail to those over 17 years old. In June, the company suspended the game's release because of its initial rating of "AO" Adults Only, which would have prohibited its publication on major consoles and prevented it from being carried by large retailers like Wal-Mart. At the time, the game was also officially banned from sale in the U.K. and Ireland. The modified version will be released in the U.S. on Oct. 31 for PlayStation 2, PSP and Nintendo Wii.

New York - Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive has temporarily suspended the release of "Manhunt 2," its violent game that has been preemptively banned in Britain and Ireland, and given an "Adults Only" rating in the U.S. that prompted Sony and Nintendo to prohibit the title's publication for its consoles, Next-Gen reported.

New York - Adding to the troubles plaguing Take-Two Interactive's violent "Manhunt 2" game, which has been banned in Britain and Ireland and this week received an "Adults Only" rating from the U.S. Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), Sony and Nintendo have confirmed that they will no longer support publication of the game for their various platforms, GameSpot reported.

New York - Days after the game was banned in both Britain and Ireland, Take-Two Interactive's violent "Manhunt 2" game has been given a preliminary rating of "AO" (Adults Only) by the U.S. Entertainment Ratings Software Board (ESRB) -- meaning it will not be stocked on most major game retailers' shelves, GamePolitics.com reported.

New York - The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), the video game industry's voluntary ratings provider, said this week that it has partnered with entertainment product distributor Ingram Entertainment, to provide 10,000 independent and small chain retailers with in-store signage describing the ESRB ratings system. "Our partnership with national retail outlets continues to be strong, and with the help of Ingram Entertainment we're helping smaller, independent retailers across the country inform their consumers about the rating system and support their store policies," said ESRB president Patricia Vance.

New York - The New York State Senate yesterday passed a bill that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors, GamePolitics.com reported.

Washington - Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) this week reintroduced his Truth in Video Game Rating Act, which would require games to be played "in their entirety" before receiving a rating, and launch a Government Accountability Office study into the effectiveness of the industry's ratings system.