Upcoming video game thriller Manhunt 2, one of the summer's most anticipated titles, has been refused classification by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), effectively banning it from being sold in the UK ahead of its July release date.

Its prequel had already courted controversy for its brutal subject matter and violent exeutions, and was the victim of a media withchunt where it was harshly (and arguably unjustly) linked to a real-life murder.

The official BBFC site claimed that Manhunt 2 suffered from "unremitting bleakness" and "callousness of tone", and "constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing".

Publisher Rockstar is said to be "disappointed" by the decision, and a statement read: "While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision".

With censoring unlikely to save the game or alter its tone, an appeal from Rockstar seems like a possible step.