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''Manhunt 2'' is a 2007
stealth game A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the video game genre, genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. S ...
by
Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
. It was developed by Rockstar London for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
and
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
Rockstar Leeds Rockstar Leeds Limited (formerly Möbius Entertainment Limited) is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Leeds. Ian J. Bowden, Dave Box, Gordon Hall, and Jason McGann founded the company as Möbius Entertainme ...
for the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
, and Rockstar Toronto for the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
. It is the sequel to 2003's '' Manhunt'' and was released in North America on 29 October 2007, and in
PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
territories from 31 October 2008. The game follows Daniel Lamb, a mental patient suffering from
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
as he tries to uncover his identity, and Leo Kasper, a sociopathic
assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
who guides Daniel in his journey. Originally scheduled for a North American and European release in July 2007, the game was suspended by Rockstar's
parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns three major Imprint (trade name), publishing labels, Rockstar Games, Zynga and 2K ...
when it was refused classification in some countries and given an Adults Only (AO) rating in the United States. As
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
, and
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
do not allow licensed releases of AO titles on their consoles, this would have severely limited their potential customer base in the US as well. In response to these ratings problems, Rockstar censored the game, blurring the screen during the game's
executions Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
and removing the scoring system, which rewarded players for particularly brutal killings; this edited version was rated M in the US by the ESRB and was released on 29 October. However, boards in some other countries still refused the edited version, such as the
BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...
in Britain and the IFCO in Ireland; following Rockstar appealing, ultimately the game was accepted with an 18 certificate and PEGI 18+ rating respectively. Still, in some countries such as Germany and Malaysia, ''Manhunt 2'' was banned outright. ''Manhunt 2'' received mixed reviews from critics: the improved gameplay, game engine, plot twists, darker storyline, and use of extreme violence was praised, but its voice acting and outdated graphics drew mixed responses. The title garnered controversy before and after its release, getting the attention of British parliament member
Keith Vaz Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British politician who served as the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 Unit ...
, American anti-video game activist Jack Thompson, and various US senators. It was nominated for
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for Quake, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
's 2007 Game of the Year Award for the PS2.


Gameplay

Players primarily assume the role of Daniel Lamb in a
third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to del ...
, with Leo Kasper also playable in certain missions. Although different in appearance and personality, both have similar controls. As with the original game, the primary gameplay mechanic is stealth execution, whereby the player character must approach an enemy from behind, undetected, and kill them. There are three 'levels' of execution, with each level progressively more violent and
graphic Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of the data, as in design and manufa ...
than the last; Level 1 (Hasty) executions are quick and not very gory, Level 2 (Violent) are considerably more gory, and Level 3 (Gruesome) are over-the-top. The player is in control of which level they use; once the player has locked onto an enemy, the lock-on reticule changes color over time to indicate the level; white (level 1), yellow (level 2), and red (level 3). When playing on PC or Wii while doing the executions, there is a quick time event which lists down certain moves that either the mouse or Wii Controller must move or by pressing a certain button at a specific time in order to finish the execution. If it does not finish in the specific time, it will stop the execution and skips it entirely, although the player still kills the person. ''Manhunt 2''s stealth elements have been updated from the previous game. For example, players are given more choices in terms of executing enemies. Aside from the three levels of execution per weapon, players can use firearms for executions. Two further additions to the execution system are "environmental executions" whereby the player can use elements of the game world (such as manhole covers, telephones, fuse boxes, toilets, etc.) to eliminate opponents, and "jump executions" whereby players can attack enemies from above by leaping off a ledge. A scoring system based on how brutal the executions was excluded from the console versions in order to obtain an M rating from ESRB, while the PC version retained this feature. While out of combat, players must hide from enemies by staying out of their point of view or hiding in the shadows. The shadow system in the game has been tweaked from the first game. In ''Manhunt'', unless a hunter saw a player enter a shadow area, he would be unable to detect the player within it. In ''Manhunt 2'' however, enemy AI has been expanded, with some enemies more vigilant than others. When hiding in the shadows, if an enemy investigates the area, the player may have to mimic a combination of buttons or motions (similar to that of a quick time event), in order to regulate the character's breathing so as to ensure that he remains calm and undetected. In the PC and Wii version, the player must keep the cursor inside an on-screen circle. Climbing and crawling have been added to the game to increase the sense of exploration. Another new feature is the ability to smash lights so as to create extra pockets of shadow. Audio is an important aspect of the game. Tasks such as running, opening doors, walking on
gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...
and cornstalks, or accidentally knocking objects over, can alert the enemy to the player's position. However, sound sources such as machinery can be used as a tool to cover the player's own noise. Other forms of combat aside from stealth are incorporated. Firearms allow for gunfights. Players can take cover from enemy fire, while individual body parts such as the
head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
can be targeted.
Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...
s can be found throughout the game, improving the player's health. When the player is discovered by an enemy, they can either run, hide or attempt to fight back with hand-to-hand combat.


Synopsis


Setting

''Manhunt 2'' takes place circa 2007, with flashback sequences set six years prior, within the fictional city of Cottonmouth, which is inspired by several southern US cities, mainly
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. Like its predecessor, the game is part of the same
shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
as the ''
Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is prima ...
'' series also created by Rockstar Games.


Plot

In 2007, at the Dixmor Asylum for the Criminally Insane, a severe thunderstorm causes the security system at the asylum to momentarily go offline, opening the cell doors throughout the facility, resulting in the populace wandering freely through the corridors. Two somewhat saner inmates are Daniel Lamb ( Ptolemy Slocum) and Leo Kasper ( Holter Graham). Daniel, who suffers from disorientation and is partly
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
c, is unable to remember how or why he was admitted to Dixmor. Under Leo's guidance, they escape the facility and make their way to the ruins of Daniel's old home. Inside, Daniel recovers medication which Leo says he left there for himself in the event of him forgetting the past. The medication helps to clear his head somewhat, and he begins to remember fragments of his former life. He and Leo then set out to unravel the secrets of Daniel's past, all the while pursued by
bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...
s and agents of a mysterious organization called "The Project". As the plot unfolds, Daniel learns that he was once a top scientist in the employment of the "Pickman Project", a government-sponsored weapons program involving
brainwashing Brainwashing is the controversial idea that the human mind can be altered or controlled against a person's will by manipulative psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject's ability to think critically or independently ...
and mind control techniques. The Project's goal was to create the perfect assassin; to accomplish this, they developed the "Pickman Bridge", a brain implant containing the personality and skills of a trained
assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
which could be activated on command. Theoretically, these personalities can coexist, unaware of each other. The idea is to remotely activate the assassin persona for a mission, but keep it disabled otherwise, meaning the person would then have no memory of what happened, neutralizing enemy interrogation. As Daniel puts the clues together and begins to remember more of his past, he and Leo set out to find Dr. Whyte, a Project researcher and one of Daniel's co-workers. However, before they can get to her, they are ambushed and sedated. Daniel wakes up in a room with Whyte, who reveals the truth to him. Six years prior, with the Project's funds under threat, Daniel volunteered himself to test the Pickman Bridge, hoping that the resulting payoff would allow him to clear his family's debts and provide a financially secure future. However, the Bridge malfunctioned soon after it was implanted, causing Daniel to suffer from dissociative identity disorder, resulting in him being able to directly communicate with the implanted personality, who he perceives as a real person - Leo Kasper. Whyte explains that Leo is dangerously unstable, and has been working against Daniel from the very beginning. Whyte reveals that, after the implant malfunctioned, Leo's personality asserted itself, suppressing Daniel's own, and he went on a rampage across the city, murdering police officers and members of the Project, destroying the Project's records of Daniel and himself, and finally making his way to Daniel's household and killing his wife. His goal was to weaken Daniel's grip on reality to the point where Leo could take complete control of his mind. However, the Project caught Daniel/Leo after the murder, erased his memory, torched his house, and had him committed to Dixmor, where they had been working to study the effects of the implant and repair the damage, without success. Upon learning the truth, Daniel determines that he must destroy Leo once and for all. He enters a deep hypnotic state and faces off against Leo within the confines of his own mind. He is finally able to let go of the guilt he feels over his wife's death, allowing him to destroy Leo and assert control. Having done so, Daniel awakens on a deserted road with his memory erased once more. He is holding an envelope informing him that his name is "David Joiner", providing him with a new home address at 526 Hope Street, Apartment B, and wishing him luck. Daniel briefly hesitates before walking away. An alternate ending is unlocked on the Hard difficulty or if Danny killed too many civilians throughout the game, resulting in the final battle being played from Leo's perspective. He successfully destroys Daniel's personality and wakes up in control of his mind and body. Whyte, believing she is speaking to Daniel, asks him if he is okay, to which he replies he is keen to get back to work on the Bridge. As he looks at himself in the mirror, Daniel sees Leo's reflection looking back at him.


Development

Development on ''Manhunt 2'' commenced shortly after the release of the first ''Manhunt''. Rockstar North, who had developed the first game, were working on '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', so development was handed over to Rockstar Vienna. From Q1 to Q3 of 2005, German developer Rabcat Computer Graphics assisted them in the creation of 350+ 3D assets. However, on 11 May 2006 Rockstar Vienna was closed, and the main development of the game was handed to Rockstar London. Rockstar Toronto was tasked with developing a Wii version and
Rockstar Leeds Rockstar Leeds Limited (formerly Möbius Entertainment Limited) is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Leeds. Ian J. Bowden, Dave Box, Gordon Hall, and Jason McGann founded the company as Möbius Entertainme ...
was tasked with the PSP version. The game was officially announced by Take-Two on 6 February 2007, scheduled for a worldwide July 2007 release. Despite working on the game for two years, members of Rockstar Vienna received no credit in the final product. Rockstar launched the first teaser website of the game on 7 February 2007, and the official website was launched two months later. Additional information was provided by the '' Official PlayStation Magazine'' who had the first look at the game. Press coverage from other sources such as
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
and
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
soon followed. Kotaku posted an eyes-on-preview of ''Manhunt 2'' featuring a recording of someone playing the game, which showed the first footage of direct gameplay. The video was recorded at a
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
event held in North America.


Controversy


Pre-release

The controversy surrounding ''Manhunt 2'' began two days after its announcement, before any footage or information on the game had been released. The initial topic of discussion was the fact that the first game had been erroneously connected to a murder in the UK. Take-Two themselves preempted this debate, issuing a statement on 8 February, in which they said "We are aware that in direct contradiction to all available evidence, certain individuals continue to link the original ''Manhunt'' title to the Warren Leblanc case in 2004. The transcript of the court case makes it quite clear what really happened. At sentencing the Judge, defence, prosecution and Leicester police all emphasised that ''Manhunt'' played no part in the case." Later that day, Patrick and Giselle Pakeerah (parents of Leblanc's victim) condemned the game and insisted that ''Manhunt'' was a factor in their son's murder. Leicester East MP
Keith Vaz Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British politician who served as the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 Unit ...
supported the Pakeerahs, claiming he was "astonished" that Rockstar were making a sequel. On 23 February, activist Jack Thompson vowed to have the game banned, claiming that the police were incorrect in asserting the game belonged to Pakeerah, and that Take-Two were lying about the incident; " have been asked by individuals in the United Kingdom to help stop the distribution of Take-Two/Rockstar's hyperviolent video game ''Manhunt 2'' in that country due out this summer. The game will feature stealth murder and torture. The last version allowed suffocation of victims with plastic bags. The original ''Manhunt'' was responsible for the bludgeoning death of a British youth by his friend who obsessively played the game. The killer used a hammer just as in the game he played. Take-Two/Rockstar, anticipating the firestorm of criticism with the release of the murder simulator sequel, is lying to the public on both sides of the pond in stating this week that the game had nothing to do with the murder." On 10 March, Thompson said he planned to sue Take-Two/Rockstar in an effort to have both ''Manhunt 2'' and ''
Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...
'' banned as "public nuisances". On 16 March, Take-Two petitioned U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to block the impending lawsuit, on the grounds that video games purchased for private entertainment could not be considered public nuisances. The following day, Thompson wrote on his website: "I have been praying, literally, that Take-Two and its lawyers would do something so stupid, that such a misstep would enable me to destroy Take-Two. The pit Take-Two has dug for itself will be patently clear next week when I strike back." On 21 March, Thompson filed a counter-suit, accusing Take-Two of multiple violations of the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...
(RICO), specifically a continued effort to violate his constitutional rights. He also accused the
Entertainment Software Association The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...
,
Penny Arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...
,
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
, GamePolitics.com,
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
,
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for Quake, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
,
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
,
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
, Blank Rome and the
US Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...
of collaborating and conspiring with Take-Two to commit racketeering activities. He went on to refer to Rockstar North as "Scottish sociopaths sipping their single malt Glenlivet in between brainstorming software programming sessions", and accused Take-Two of "spewing its pop culture sewage to the world's children". However, his claim was weakened by several factual errors contained within it. The dispute was ultimately settled before it went to the courts; Thompson agreed not to sue, threaten to sue or attempt to block the sale or distribution of any Take-Two game, and not to communicate to Take-Two or any store selling their games any accusation that they have committed a wrongdoing by selling such products. For their part, Take-Two agreed to drop a prior suit accusing Thompson of
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
concerning the game ''Bully'', which he attempted to have banned in 2005. However, in a letter dated 8 May, to
Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...
CEO Kerrii Anderson, Thompson demanded that the restaurant drop an upcoming promotion featuring children's toys designed after the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
games '' Excite Truck'', ''
Wii Sports ''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on 19 November 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the fo ...
'' and ''
Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer game in the ''Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach and save the universe from Bowser, af ...
'' because ''Manhunt 2'' was scheduled for release on the console. Wendy's did not respond to Thompson, and continued with their Wii promotion. On 12 May, he sent a letter to
Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected Florida Cabinet, cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state, and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is ...
Bill McCollum Ira William McCollum Jr. (born July 12, 1944) is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 2001, representing Florida's 5th congressional district, which was ...
and
Florida Governor The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Florida and is the commander-in-chief of the Florida National Guard and Florida State Gu ...
Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...
which read, in part, "Florida retailers are scheduled to sell a very violent video game called ''Manhunt 2'' which will be available, remarkably, for 'play' on the kids-friendly Nintendo Wii gaming platform. The Wii device does not utilize traditional push-button game controllers but instead utilizes hand-held motion capture devices ... It is a training device." In a 6 June interview on
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
, McCollum expressed concerns regarding how ''Manhunt 2'' utilized the
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, colloquially known as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with an ...
in an interactive manner; for instance, in order to stab someone, the player would have to flick the Remote forward, in much the same fashion one would do when actually stabbing with a knife; when cutting someone's throat, the player would have to move the remote from left to right. Also concerned about the Wii version of the game was the Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), who wrote to the ESRB demanding that the game be rated AO.


Rating

On 19 June 2007, less than a month prior to the game's worldwide release, ''Manhunt 2'' was rejected by both the BBFC and the IFCO. David Cooke, Director of the BBFC issued a statement, which read, in part; In response to the ban, Rockstar themselves were quick to issue a statement; "We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of ''Manhunt 2''. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision. ''Manhunt 2'' is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers." Rockstar also stated that they felt the game was well within the guidelines to be granted an 18 certificate, and they implied that the BBFC treated games differently from how they treated films, arguing that ''Manhunt 2'' was no more violent than recent films such as ''
Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
'' and ''
Hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...
''. Later, the BBFC's press officer, Sue Clarke, told ''IGN'' that Rockstar was wrong in this assertion, and that " heyhaven't singled out" ''Manhunt 2''. Later that same day, in an unexpected move, the ESRB issued the game with an AO rating. The initial impact of this decision was that major retail chains, such as
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
,
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operated 3,203 stor ...
and Target would not stock the title. The following day, 20 June, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment issued statements saying they do not allow AO titles on their platforms, which effectively meant the game would have been banned in the US. A few months after news of the rating broke, an early uncut PlayStation 2 version was leaked online by a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe employee.


Re-rating

In light of the BBFC and ESRB decisions, Rockstar decided to censor the game. Censoring took five main forms. The primary alteration was the addition of a blurring effect over executions; during an execution the screen turns red, and flashes black-and-white. The second alteration was the removal of all but two
decapitation Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...
s. Initially, several weapons in the game could decapitate enemies, but with the exception of two plot-important decapitations, all such executions were removed. Thirdly, the
pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...
executions were toned down. Originally, a gruesome execution with the pliers involved ripping off the enemy's testicles, whilst a level 2 execution involved tearing open his throat. In the edited version, the pliers are used to beat the enemy over the head. The fourth change was the removal of innocent characters from certain levels. Originally, the game was structured in such a way that the player had the choice as to whether or not to kill these characters. If they did not, they got the ending where Daniel defeats Leo; if they did, they got the alternative ending. The final change involved the rating system. Originally, the game had a rating system similar to the first game, whereby the player was rated based on speed and severity of execution types. To achieve a maximum rating, one had to perform a set number of gruesome executions in each level. This rating system was completely removed from the edited version. In August, Rockstar submitted the re-edited version to the ESRB and BBFC. The ESRB were satisfied and granted the game an M rating on 24 August. Later that day, the Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood called for a federal investigation into how the game had had its rating downgraded: California State Senator
Leland Yee Leland Yin Yee (; born November 20, 1948) is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Senate for District 8, which covered parts of San Francisco and the Peninsula. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a ...
expressed similar sentiments: "Parents can't trust a rating system that doesn't even disclose how they come to a particular rating. The ESRB and Rockstar should end this game of secrecy by immediately unveiling what content has been changed to grant the new rating and what correspondence occurred between the ESRB and Rockstar to come to this conclusion. Unfortunately, history shows that we must be quite skeptical of these two entities. ... Clearly the ESRB has a conflict of interest in rating these games. It is time to bring transparency to this rating system and for the industry to be held accountable. I join the CCFC in urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the process by which ''Manhunt 2''s rating was downgraded from AO to M." On 29 August, ESRB President Patricia Vance stated that the ESRB had no intention of revealing how it came to the decision to downgrade the rating. ''Manhunt 2'' was released for PSP, PS2 and Wii in the US on 31 October, with an M rating. The very next day, 1 November, a method that removed the blurring effect on the PSP and PS2 versions was released by a group of PSP crackers. A Wii version of the blur removal soon followed.
Leland Yee Leland Yin Yee (; born November 20, 1948) is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Senate for District 8, which covered parts of San Francisco and the Peninsula. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a ...
and the
Parents Television Council The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by Conservatism in the United States, conservative political pundit L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which ...
demanded that ''Manhunt 2'' be re-rated AO, but after examining the situation, the ESRB concluded it was not Rockstar's fault that these hacks could be used and decided to stick with the M rating. On 22 November, US Senators
Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
,
Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011 and as the List of governors of Kansas, 46th governor of K ...
,
Evan Bayh Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Indiana, 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and as a United States Senate, United States senator representing Indi ...
and
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
wrote an open letter to the ESRB asking for the game to be re-rated AO: "we ask your consideration of whether it is time to review the robustness, reliability and repeatability of your ratings process, particularly for this genre of 'ultraviolent' video games and the advances in game controllers. We have consistently urged parents to pay attention to the ESRB rating system. We must ensure that parents can rely on the consistency and accuracy of those ratings." The ESRB again refused to re-rate the game, and stuck with the M rating.


BBFC

Despite the ESRB's decision to rate the game M in the US, on 8 October, the BBFC once again refused to classify the game. David Cooke, Director of the BBFC stated "We recognize that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version. The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient. There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the 'execution kills', but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature. We did make suggestions for further changes to the game, but the distributor has chosen not to make them, and as a result we have rejected the game on both platforms." On 26 November, Rockstar appealed the BBFC's second decision not to rate the game with their lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson. TIGA president Fred Hasson testified that he was "surprised at how tame 'Manhunt 2''is compared to some very graphical scenes I've seen in other games which have received certification. I expected it to be a lot worse. I can't believe that this has been singled out as something that is worth banning." He went on to accuse the BBFC of making their decision based on media pressure, particularly from the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'', which had run a campaign to have the first game banned. On 10 December 2007, the Video Appeals Committee overruled the BBFC by four votes to three. However, On 17 December, the BBFC challenged the VAC decision in the High Court at the
Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...
, claiming that the VAC had overruled them based on a "misinterpretation of the law" as laid out in the
Video Recordings Act 1984 The Video Recordings Act 1984 (c. 39) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was passed in 1984. It states that commercial video recordings offered for sale or for hire within the UK must carry a classification that has been agre ...
. This challenge superseded the VAC decision that the game could be classified, and halted any possibility of it going on sale. On 24 January 2008, the BBFC won their case in the High Court. Presiding Justice Mitting agreed with the BBFC's argument that the VAC had erred when considering whether the game could be considered harmful to minors. Whereas the VAC interpreted this as "actual harm", the BBFC and Mitting believed it referred to "potential harm and risk of harm". The BBFC also argued that the VAC based its decision on whether or not the game would have a "devastating effect on society", and argued that this "harm threshold" was too high. Mitting ordered that the same seven-member panel review their findings, and whatever decision they reach the second time would stand. The VAC did so, but they returned with exactly the same result as the first time – four votes to three in favor of classifying the game. The game was ultimately released on PS2, PSP and Wii on 31 October 2008 with an 18 certificate, a year after the US release and the same day as the rest of Europe.


International reaction

Internationally, ''Manhunt 2'' proved just as controversial. The game was banned outright in Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand and South Korea. The uncensored version of the game was also banned in Ireland by the
Irish Film Classification Office The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) () is the organisation responsible for films, television programmes, and some video game classification and censorship within Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Where restrictions are placed by the IFCO, t ...
for a short time due to "gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence", but was later allowed in its cut form under a PEGI "18" rating. In Italy, Minister of Communications
Paolo Gentiloni Paolo Gentiloni Silveri (; born 22 November 1954) is an Italian politician who was European Commissioner for Economy in the von der Leyen Commission from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2024. He had previously served as prime minister of Italy ...
expressed the desire to ban the game in the country, but no such ban came into effect. In Australia, where the original ''Manhunt'' was banned, the game was never even submitted for classification to the
Australian Classification Board The Australian Classification Board (ACB or CB) is an Australian Government of Australia, government Statute, statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, television programmes, video games and publications for ex ...
, rendering it essentially banned in the country.


PC release

On 31 October 2009, Rockstar started taking pre-orders for a PC version of the original unedited version of the game through
Direct2Drive Direct2Drive (commonly D2D) is an online game store offering PC games via Digital distribution, direct download. History Launched in 2004, IGN reported "exponential growth in sales" since that time. It offered over 3,000 titles through relat ...
. It was released in the US on 6 November 2009 with an AO rating. However, the game was later removed from the service in July 2011 after Direct2Drive was purchased by
GameFly GameFly is a privately held American online video game rental subscription service that specializes in providing games for Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft systems starting from the sixth generation onwards. The business model of GameFly is simil ...
, due to GameFly's policy of not carrying AO-rated games. On 25 November 2011, the uncut version was available again in GamersGate, but is only available for select regions. In May 2015, live-streaming service Twitch announced a list of games which are prohibited from being broadcast on its platform, including a unified ban for all games receiving the Adults Only rating, therefore banning the uncut version from the site.


Reception

''Manhunt 2'' received "mixed or average reviews", according to reviewer aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. Positive reception came from the game's presentation of
graphic violence Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially explicit or detailed acts of violence in mass media. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated. Intended for viewing by mature audiences, ''graphic'' in this context is a synonym ...
and its
psychological horror Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre freque ...
-based storyline. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Kevin VanOrd said the game was "not as shocking as you'd expect, but ''Manhunt 2'' still satisfies your primal instincts", and that the game was better to play on the PSP platform. Mikel Reparaz from ''
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' stated that "if you're in the mood for something creepy and horrific that'll leave you feeling a little dirty, ''Manhunt 2''s still-shocking murders and eerie, is-it-real-or-am-I-just-insane storyline won't disappoint." ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' gave the Wii version of the game 7.75/10, saying "''Manhunt 2'' is every bit as grim and brutal as the first ..the writing, as is typical of Rockstar's games, is top-notch, and Daniel and the rest of the characters do come off the screen as very real and human ..It's a testament to this quality that I was really driven to see the tale out to its end." Similarly, ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
'' gave the Wii version 7.5/10, stating that while the game does deliver for the most part, they were disappointed by the way external influences led Rockstar to change the game, and that the story, while interesting, is "highly predictable". ''
Yahoo! Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, and its a ...
'' reviewed the PSP version, stating "there's simply never been a game quite as squeamishly immersive as this ..it's even more terrifying for seeming like the most real thing in a game this year." Jeff Haynes from ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' compared the game to the original, finding it fell short of the standard that game set; "''Manhunt 2'' isn't the ''tour de force'' title that will grab your attention and keep you there like the first one did." The review went on to state that "the AI doesn't feel as good as the first game, the setting and environments don't feel as menacing, and the story is definitely weaker. That isn't to say that ''Manhunt 2'' isn't a good game, because it is." '' 1UP.com'' stated that "really, the game warrants a 4 ut of 10because it's technically playable and, despite its best efforts, probably won't plunge the industry into a period of navel-gazing and political sanction. Everything else about it is largely forgettable." Jonathan Hunt from ''
X-Play ''Xplay'' (previously ''GameSpot TV'', ''Extended Play'', and ''X-Play'') was a television program about video games. The program, known for its reviews and comedy skits, aired on G4 in the United States and has aired on '' G4 Canada'' in Canada ...
'' suggested that without the controversy concerning the rating, the game would be "nothing more than an obscure footnote in Rockstar's history." ''
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
''s Michael Thompson echoed similar thoughts, writing in a retrospective piece in 2009 that the controversy surrounding ''Manhunt 2'' "was more interesting than the game itself." The game is listed at #8 in ''IGN''s "Top 10 Gaming Controversies" and was ranked (alongside the first game) as the sixth most controversial video game by ''
UGO Networks UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Online ...
''. ''
Machinima Machinima () is the use of Real-time computing, real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. The word "Machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''machine'' and ''Film, cinema''. According to Guinness World Records, ma ...
'' listed Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper #7 in their "Top 10 Criminal Duos in Gaming".


Future

Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns three major Imprint (trade name), publishing labels, Rockstar Games, Zynga and 2K ...
has denied that it has any plans to continue the ''Manhunt'' series. In October 2007, Stephen Totilo of MTV Games asked
Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
producer Jeronimo Barrera about the possibilities of a
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
component being added to future iterations of the ''Manhunt'' franchise, such as adding the game to the Rockstar Games Social Club. Barrera seemingly embraced the idea.


Notes


References


External links

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