Reviewed on:
Nintendo WiiAlso available for:
Sony PS2, PSP
The Good:
The Wii control scheme works surprisingly well, and the core game can be mildly divertingThe Bad:
The violence is utterly meaningless (but is, at least, completely obscured.) A terrible plot bookends level design that veers between frustrating and boringThe Verdict:
Censored beyond recognition (but with good reason) Manhunt 2 is a dull, formulaic sequel that loses everything that made its predecessor worth defending
While released without incident in the majority of Canada, the original Manhunt is noteworthy as the first game to be classified the same way as film is in Ontario, where it was given an R rating, legally restricting its sale to persons under 18. Despite such sales restrictions across the world, developer Rockstar Games made no move to edit or censor the title, and it remains one of the most violent video games ever released.
Its sequel, however, faced an entirely different fate after being given an 'Adults Only' rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board early this year. Due to Sony and Nintendo's policies of not allowing Adults Only titles on their systems, the effective ban of the title in North America required Rockstar to hastily edit and censor their product to allow its release.
The re-edited Manhunt 2 received a Mature (17+) rating from the ERSB and the title has now been released in Ontario without comment, as in the rest of Canada — perhaps because in its new censored form, the game is far less shocking than its predecessor ever was.
Devoid of Inspiration
I can only guess that the reason that Rockstar Games so happily censored their own title for release is that, unlike the original Manhunt, the artistic intent behind Manhunt 2 just isn't strong enough to justify it. If the original Manhunt attempted to be the video game equivalent of a George A. Romero film, with stomach churning violence and genuine social commentary, Manhunt 2's aspirations are barely as high as a straight-to-video slasher film.
Taking the role of paranoid schizophrenic protagonist Daniel Lamb, the player is egged on by his mysterious companion, Leo Kasper, to escape his mental institution and go on a murderous rampage in the aim of piecing his life back together. Told in a series of cut scenes, the plot does little more than bookend the levels.
The levels themselves are similarly devoid of inspiration. The high point of the game comes early, with a section that pays homage to Eli Roth's Hostel, but there's nothing else so interesting.
Poor Execution
The Manhunt games are notorious for the "executions" that the player is encouraged to perform. By approaching unaware enemies from behind and waiting, players can kill their opponent in horrific style, with the gruesome murders becoming more excessive the longer the player waits before going in for the kill.
While in the original Manhunt these served a narrative purpose (the player took the role of a convict forced to perform a snuff film director's every whim) in Manhunt 2 these kills hold no such meaning. This would place Manhunt 2 as low as any of the "torture porn" films that are the current vogue were it not for the fact that thanks to the censorship it's completely impossible to see what's going on.
Densely covered in blurry, coloured filters, the executions are incomprehensible, making the most shocking feature of the Wii version, the ability to "perform" the murders using motion controls nothing more than following on-screen cues to wave the Wii Remote and Nunchuck about for no discernible reason. It feels about as much like killing someone as playing Wii Sports Boxing with a blindfold on would.
Admittedly, the sound effects are pretty horrifying, but the most grotesque part of the title is the gun violence, with shots to the head resulting in gory explosions that are almost cartoonish in their excess.
Basic and Dull
Ignoring the excessive executions and the mundane plot, Manhunt 2 is actually a very basic game. Alternating stealth sections, where the player is expected to (for the most part) hide in the shadows and wait around, and gunplay sections, where the player is expected to (for the most part) hide behind cover and wait around, there's really very little to be said at all. Both sections are mildly diverting (the Wii controls working especially well when firing weapons, for example) but there are too many frustratingly designed sections and long periods of dullness to make the game itself worth recommendation.
Even if all you're only interested in Manhunt 2 as a piece of visual horror, you'd be far better off searching for any slasher film you can find on a VHS tape (preferably one that's decades old) and watching it on a broken television. You'll see roughly as much gore as you do in Manhunt 2, and have more fun, too.
