Published at: Oct. 31, 2007, 10:13 a.m. CST by sounding
Greetings humans, Monki here with a look at one of the most controversial titles to hit shelves in the last couple of years...Manhunt 2.
Even if you aren't into video games, you've probably heard some of the brouhaha over this one. Original scheduled for a release this Summer, Manhunt 2 was slapped with an AO (Adults Only) rating. The problem with that though is that all of the major console manufacturers (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft) have policies against allowing AO titles to be released for their systems. So an AO rating basically is a death knell for a game. It makes it unreleasable.
Rockstar, the guys behind Manhunt 2 (and the equally-controversial Grand Theft Auto series) had to go back to the drawing board and rework some of the more violent scenes in the game. After a bit of tweaking the game has received an M (Mature) rating and hits shelfs today.
I know a few sites got a chance to take a peek at the "director's cut" version of this title, unfortunately I was not that lucky, so what I played was the retail disc of the Wii version of the game and my thoughts are based on that platform alone. (The game is also available on the Playstation 2 and the PSP.)
Story
You are Daniel (Danny) Lamb, trapped in an insane asylum...it's dark, it's disgusting and the shit has certainly hit the fan. Another patient who calls himself Leo comes into your cell and convinces you to follow him out...and so begins the Manhunt.
For those of you that played the first title, this is entirely separate. No longer is Brian Cox whispering in your ear to kill whoever is in your path...now Leo follows you with a disembodied voice saying things like, "If you didn't kill him, he would have killed you."
The entire premise of the game is finding out just what the hell is going on with your character. Danny and Leo escape the asylum and eventually start making contact with people who might be able to shed some light on just what is going on. This series of events leads down a twisted plot of betrayal, confusion, flashbacks and murder.
I really found myself entranced with the story. The pace of the game itself lends itself very well to developing a story over time. It is much slower than the majority of titles that most gamers are used to and it really gives the plot more room to breathe.
You follow along with Danny as he recollects his memories and often times find yourself questioning what is going on almost as much as the character you are playing. I'd say the plot is better than about 80% of the horror movie plots I've seen in the past couple of years. Very good for a video game.
Control
Again, I'll be referring to the Wii version of the game here...I'd assume the PS2 and PSP controls are very similar but involve button pressing instead of the Wii's motion control aspect.
The Wii control's are pretty simple. The analog stick on the nunchuk moves your character forward and backward, you can strafe left and right with the d-pad on the Wii-mote. Up on the d-pad will make Danny hug a wall or hide behind a box so you can peek around looking for enemies. The 1 button puts you into a first-person-look mode, button 2 sends you to the menu. The Z button on the nunchuk makes your character run and the C button locks you on to your nearest enemy. Tilting the nunchuk left or right will make Danny take a peek around a corner and basically shift the camera over so you can get a better look. To punch or swing a blunt object you bust out with some old school Wii-waggling. Punch with both the nunchuk and Wiimote, a-la Wii Sports Boxing.
The A button is used for the oh-so-controversial assassination attacks. If you sneak up behind an enemy you are prompted to hit (and hold) the A button to kick off your assassination. The longer you hold down A, the more violent your kill ultimately is. White is a "hasty" kill, yellow is a "violent" kill, and red is the "ultra-violent" kill...and here come those "realistic murder movements" that pundits love talking about. Once you get to whatever color you are happy with, you follow the motion controls on the screen...jerk the Wiimote left, down, jab it, push the nunchuk and Wiimote down at the same time...the simple, but obvious stuff.
I'll get into this in a bit, but the "murder simulator" movements are really not that big of a deal. If swinging the Wiimote left and then right feels exactly like wrapping a cord around someone's neck...well, then you are fucked up and probably shouldn't be playing games in the first place. You'd need real help.
Overall the controls are pretty fluid and you should be able to take to them pretty quickly. Once you start getting guns though, you run in to the same old Wii problems with weapon aiming. Thankfully the aiming is pretty simplified in Manhunt 2...press C to bring up your target and just point wherever you want to shoot. If you hold C and Z at the same time you go into "advanced targeting" and you can point your cross-hair anywhere on the screen and it'll actually rotate you around if you spin to the far left or right and aim higher up and down than normal. Pretty simple.
As with most 3rd person titles the camera can sometimes be an annoying son of a bitch. A couple of times I ran into places where I knew there was a hunter on the other side of a broken wall but my camera would freak out and get trapped in a corner or something and I'd bump in to him and have to melee fight him instead of a sweet assassination kill.
There is no map, but the levels aren't too big...you shouldn't have trouble figuring out where you are. Weapons range from rocks to sniper rifles. You can carry four different weapons at a time: a mutli-use larger weapon (bats, axes), a single-use short weapon (a hypodermic needle, glass shard), a blunt object for throwing (rocks, dismembered heads), and shorter weapons or tools, (wire cutters). Also throw in to the mix the guns that you can carry as well...shotguns take the place of your larger weapons and handguns will restrict you from picking up medium weapons. Easy enough.
Oh, one really cool control element...when you are hiding in the shadows from your attackers, sometimes they will peer into the darkness looking for you. When this happens you are prompted to remain entirely still. Your movements are shown as a dot in the center of the screen...any shifts on your nunchuk or Wiimote will register with the dot jumping. A circle then closes in on your dot until any movement at all will trigger your villain to attack your hidden ass. I loved the usage of the Wii controls in this situation...it makes for very tense moments in the shadows.
Gameplay
This game will be a definite shock for those of you used to running around gunning away in an FPS. It's deliberate slow pace will be a polarizing issue for most gamers. Often times you'll find yourself hidden in a shadow pounding on a wall to get the attention of a passing baddie...and then waiting...and waiting...for that bad guy to get close enough for an execution.
How about those executions though...well, they've been censored quite a bit...to the point where you really can't tell what the hell is going on in most cases. When you activate a kill, the screen goes blurry, dark red and shakes like hell. In some cases the camera isn't even pointing at your character or the character you are slaughtering...it's just pointed off to the side as some blood will spurt onto the screen.
The sounds of murder can still be heard though...and man, are they intense. I bet the foley artist assigned to this game had a blast as there are all kinds of fun slaughtering sounds in it. From hooks being impaled onto faces to brains hitting the floor...the sound really sells it all.
Health vials are everywhere though so you never really have to worry about having your life drain over the course of a level. Just assume after you kill the next two baddies that you are going to find a locker with plenty of health in it.
The stealth aspect of the game is pretty awesome if you have the patience for it...but like all good things, it gets changed about midway through the game once guns come in to play.
As soon as you start picking up guns the game becomes less about stealth tactics and more about hide behind a wall and wait for your target to get close enough to headshot.
A few times you'll find yourself running through a level chasing down someone...or being chased...and that adds a different element to it all. Nothing like a good old fashioned foot chase...
The design in the game is pretty fantastic as well. Within the first two minutes of the game I had been pissed on, spit on and someone threw shit at me. How's that family friendly console of yours looking now? Blood soaks the ground and walls in almost every level. The insane asylum level at the beginning has a very claustrophobic feel to it as you continue to sneak past locked cells with dead bodies in them or the word "HELP" scratched into a wall.
The stealth aspect means there are lots and lots of shadows everywhere...leading to a very very dark game. Make sure you adjust your brightness accordingly. I had mine set way too low and after adjusting it made a world of difference.
Danny's world is a pretty seedy one. You spend time in sex shops, dirty hotels, XXX theaters...Hostel-like clubs where murder is on the menu...which brings up a question...at one point you are in a strip club and the dancer on stage just kind of flops around. At what point are developers going to start motion-capturing dancers to use for reference movement for stripper characters? Maybe I should start that company...ahem...
Danny's dark world is sometime counterbalanced with flashbacks that take you to cleaner environments. One level, in a high-rise building, was actually kind of surprising...you just don't expect to end up in a clean environment after trekking your way through a porn shop.
The tone of the game is set very well...play this game in the dark...it'll freak you out at points.
Oh, and as a quick tip...in the level where you have to get past the guard who will only let "people I know" through, look for the axe on the second floor in the dance area. I probably spent half an hour looking for that fucking thing.
Overall Thoughts
Playing this game on the Wii is definitely strange. I literally took my copy of Wii Sports out to drop this one in...going from playful matches of tennis to violent murders is quite a stretch.
Overall though, I think this game is a positive step for the Wii as a platform that offers a unique way of doing things. It's about time for this cutesy Nintendo console to grow up a bit...Manhunt 2 is the first step in that process and I think The Umbrella Chronicles will help too.
Oh yeah...in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IS THIS GAME FOR CHILDREN. Holy Hell. I would keep kids way the hell away from this title. It is clearly labeled M for Mature on the front of the box, and it should be heeded.
Parents...if you buy your kids this game, YOU ARE A BAD PARENT. That is, if the kid is under the age of 17. This title is already fueling the fire of "anti-video game" activists who believe that all games are developed for children. You know, just like South Park must be for kids because it is a cartoon...or 300 must be for kids because it is a comic book.
By "censoring" the violent kills in the game, the ESRB unwittingly did exactly what the MPAA did with Fight Club...now instead of actually seeing most of the murders on screen, our imagination roams as we hear the brutal sounds of death...interesting enough.
Manhunt 2 is a emotional adventure full of insane tense moments and I think all ADULT Wii owners should pick up this one...if you are in to the stealth-type games. Even if you aren't...this might be a great step into that genre...and it's something different than Wii Sports.
Put this one on your shopping list...it takes a little while to get in to, but once you do...it'll suck you in. Alright, I'm off to check out some more new titles...until next time, back up the tree I go!
