Manhunt 2

"All The Wait And....Fails To Be As Good As The Original"

I recently bought, played and finished Manhunt 2 (all within 2 days). I must start off by saying though its a good game, its not as good as the original. Some may love it, some may just like it and I am very sure some may even hate it and be every disappointed with it and think it should be alot more than what it was, following the great success of the original. I will explain why, without making fun of the game like many other reviewers have done (or surely will do) and just give it to you in plain honesty. I broke the game down into many sections and here is my review.

Graphics: 9/10. I have to admit, I was impressed with the graphics. It has been a while since I played the original Manhunt, and for some reason I dont remember them being as good as these graphics. I remember them being a bit grittier than these. The shadowing, the textures, the whole environment looks great to me. Really good for a PS2 game, surely not as great as would be on the PS3 or Xbox 360 but still very good as far as the PS2 goes. I really dont have any complaints at all here. Its probably not the best graphics you are going to see but they are still very good.

Sound/Music: 10/10. Now this is where I feel the game really shines. In the level where you are in the HOSTEL type environment with the torture rooms, the music TRULY captures the mood perfectly. I was in awe at how perfect it was and how the music really set the mood. The sounds are accurate and pretty much dead-on. Everything is realistic and the way it should be. The sound of weapons, sound of footsteps, it is all dead on as far as I am concerned.

Dialogue/Voice Acting: 6/10. Oh lord. This is the game's downpoint. I got annoyed at times with the mindless and relatively pointless chatter going on when hiding from the enemies, hearing them go on and on about stupidity. "Go back to France, ya communist!" Oh come on now. Who wrote the scripting for this? And to hear them go on and on about it like a broken record is agonizing. It almost makes you lose your patience and run out in front of a group of thugs and get killed just so you dont have to hear them babbling on and on anymore. Its really that terrible. I would expect alot better from a game with so much built up hype but unfortunately I think I could have done a better job hiring voice actors and writers.

Fun Factor: 8/10. This game is fun on its own, quite a bit like the original but also differently. The AI is a little goofy, I stood there RIGHT BESIDE a guy, not even in the dark, and he didnt notice me for a good 3 or more seconds. I could have kissed him on the cheek he was so close, I was wondering if he was blind or just stupid. But the whole game itself is fun and playable. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and I do recommend at least playing it.

Challenge: 6/10. Okay. This game really wasnt all that challenging to me. Yes I beat it in 2 days, keep in mind I got a job and dont have alot of time to play it. It took me 2 weeks to beat Manhunt WITHOUT A JOB and I struggled through that game. A few levels I had to stop and think how the heck I was gonna beat it but that didnt take too long. I beat most levels first or second time going through.

Censorship: 10/10. Ahhh, here we go. This is the downfall of the game. Censorship butchered this game! The kill scenes are strongly edited. You don't even see blood during the kills and that is ridiculous. The screen turns a goofy red and white color (kind of) and starts flashing. You barely see whats going on but believe me you see no blood and cant quite make out whats going on. I don't think this made the game cool at all. The first time I saw this I thought it was kind of cool but then I realized quickly that its a lame way to censor a totally awesome situation. What were they thinking? The deaths in Manhunt were not censored! This is more than likely the factor that will make some truly HATE this game.

Overall, the game is decent. I recommend it being its only $30 at walmart RIGHT NOW. Pick it up, give it a try. The storyline is not all that great. The graphics are still good and the sound is excellent. But if you want to upgrade from the original and think this is gonna be a step up....think again.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/07

Game Release: Manhunt 2 (US, 10/29/07)