Manhunt 2

AMN’s Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don’t waste your time. This is why we’ve split our reviews into four sections: What the Game’s About, What’s Hot, What’s Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game is About:
This is the follow-up to one of Rockstar Games most brutal and unforgiving titles. The original Manhunt showed massive, unedited carnage and set the ESRB, parent groups, and watchdogs on DEFCON 5. Naturally, Manhunt 2 set off the same alarms.

Unlike the first game, Manhunt 2 doesn’t follow the (fake) death and subsequent resurrection of a death row inmate who is hunted by freaky killers for the amusement of rich voyeurs, or is it a biting commentary on violence in the media, like its predecessor was. Instead, it’s about the exploration of the mind of a killer, what drove him to madness, and how far he would go to uncover the truth.

Most of us know Manhunt 2 from the firestorm it caused with it being originally awarded an AO rating which resulted in retail stores dropping support before Rockstar had to retool the game. Then the resulting “editing” of the game to a M rated title.

What’s Hot:
Simply put, Manhunt 2 is well crafted story, something only Rockstar could write. Daniel Lamb’s obsession with finding out who he is, what happened to him and why he was locked up is the central theme of the story — it is a fascinating tale. It’s also a “pulls-no-punches” kind of story, with twists and turns that leave you wondering just what the heck is going on. The sound augments the story to give the narrative a more of a compelling performance.

Violence is abundant, as Danny’s story is not one of saving the princess in the other castle. This game earned its M rating with copious blood, gritty environments and nasty deaths. The Wii version ups the ante with motion controlled executions which are a snap to pull off.

Danny’s exploration takes him from the asylum to docks, graveyards, burned out houses and sadomasochistic strip clubs all in an effort to clear his name. All of these locations are detailed nicely, filling Manhunt 2 with enough convenient junk to keep any practicing psychopath happy. For the most part, the ending leaves you with a satisfying twist that indicates that there may be more to come in this story.

What’s Not:
This game belongs on a PS2, period. The Wii is capable of much more than this, and this is one of those games which Nintendo should have rejected on graphics quality alone. It’s not as bad of an embarrassment as Virtuous Boxer’s backgrounds were, since the Wii does render the small details well.

This game is also for the hardcore stealth junkie. Manhunt 2 is unforgiving and a single mistake will generally have you reloading the last checkpoint. Also, for all the killing expertise that Danny has, he is still not adept at fighting barehanded. Single enemies can hurt him badly, and multiple enemies will destroy him. The AI is brain-dead most of the time, preferring to overwhelm you with numbers as opposed to any clever mechanics.

There is an issue with the Wii control scheme as well; it’s cool to put a bag over a guy’s head and choke him to death, but why not use that sledgehammer to mimic hammer swings? Or those disgusting shears and cut his head off? Small opportunities were missed that could have added so much.

Final Word:
This is a game that’s definitely for the hardcore stealth gamer, not the casual crowd. The violence is too edited for you to see anything clearly, so concerned parents need not obsessively worry. There are far more violent things in God of War than Manhunt 2. Still, Manhunt 2 should be rented before bought.