Manhunt 2 [Wii]

Rockstar releases this controversial sequel in an edited form after receiving an "Adults Only" rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, possibly losing the game's vision in the process.

While the original Manhunt game pushed a lot of people's buttons with its snuff video vibe and level of violence, the announcement of a sequel being released on Nintendo's family-friendly Wii seemed to be the last straw for many, and the game was largely condemned while still in development. Subsequently, the game has had some scenes edited out and a video effect superimposed over the screen when the player performs "finishing moves" on enemies.

The story revolves around Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper, escapees from a secret research facility. Controlling Daniel, it's up to the player to figure out what happened, with Leo as your guide. While the premise is substantial enough, some of the implementation is sloppy. Early on in the game Leo tells you to return home since "You left something there for yourself", without any explanation of what it is or how he knows about it, making for some fairly weak player motivation.

As you progress through the game, you'll encounter various adversaries who you can eliminate using various objects and weapons found along the way. Much of the game is based on stealth, which is well implemented, as you'll need to stick to the shadows, and even occasionally hold the Wii remote still in order to remain undetected. Sneaking up on enemies and performing finishing moves is the most effective way of dealing with them.

The play mechanic is nothing like what most people probably imagined though, as you don't control Daniel's movements in real time. Instead, icons appear in the corner of the screen showing a series of motions you need to perform. It ends up feeling much like the boss battles in God of War or even a bit like Dragon's Lair, and almost completely removes the player from the action. During these attacks, the player can barely pay attention to the violence unfolding on-screen, since the icons demand your attention, and the action is obscured by a red overlay, to the point where almost nothing is visible and blood is mostly camouflaged out of sight. It's also worth noting that this generally makes the game less explicitly violent than the original game was, with its copious amounts of arterial spray.

Graphically, the game appears to run on the same engine that the original did, which means it looks decent for a Wii title. The audio was a bit of a surprise, as there doesn't seem to be as much of an attempt to creep the player out and keep you on your toes. There's also an annoying sound from the Wii remote whenever objective notices appear on-screen that it seems you can't turn off.

While it's unlikely anyone will be taking this game at face value, the fact is that the editing of the content and the only partially interactive nature of the finishing moves do hinder the game. If the core gameplay had been stronger, with better player motivation and perhaps some non-lethal attack options to bring more of a morality struggle, this likely could have been a much deeper experience overall, and the editing wouldn't have taken as much away from it.

6/10