Manhunt 2

"Let the hunt begin!"

Manhunt 2 Review

It's been a long hard road for Manhunt, in fact it's lucky to have made it to stores period. After toning down some of the “excessive” violence by slapping on some filters Manhunt 2 is finally here, but is it worth the buzz? In short yes, but it's by no means as important to the industry as its predecessor.

Story:
This is one of the games highlights and so I won't delve into too much detail. You play as Daniel Lamb and are accompanied by your fellow Asylum patient Leo Kasper. Leo pushes you on through each level in a blood spattered hunt for the truth. You will come across, a mysterious experiment on the human mind and some sad truths about your conscience or lack thereof it.

It's defiantly better than allot of other action games storylines, and keeps you playing this stealth game more than some Tom Clancy kill the terrorist plot but it's far from mind blowing and original. In fact the darker tone of the original Manhunt will still be thought superior by most.

7/10

Graphics:
Like many other Lazy ported games on the Wii Manhunt looks very much last gen. I do own the PSP version as well and can say for certain that the Wii version looks better than it and runs smoother than the PS2 version. However with games like MP3 and Mario Galaxy out there is no excuse for this presentation. If it's going to look last gen at least bump it up to high quality last gen like Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. The good news is, it does not take away for the experience all that much. You still know exactly what things are and the dark gritty tone is actually well suited to this graphic quality. The artistic side of visuals also holds up well if not somewhat similar to its predecessor.

6/10

Sound:
I LOVE the sound in this game. The soundtrack has a great 80's synth sound that fits the games atmosphere perfectly. The tracks are far from something you'll hum on the way to work, actually you probably won't remember them when the game is off but when on they work beautifully. The gruesome sounds of the games executions are also top notch; even with eyes closed the sound of a crowbar into someone's back is more than enough to turn a stomach.
Voice work here is a mixed bag. Some of the characters sound great and some sound passable but nothing really sounds bad. The characters personalities are played out well through their dialogue. You will feel bad for Daniel and learn to love the sick personality of Leo so in that respect the VO work is about on par with the music and sound effects.

8/10

Game play:
So with the other attributes covered it's time to talk about what is most important to a game, game play. Manhunt 2 is primarily a stealth game; it's not as in-depth as a Splinter Cell but about on par with a Metal Gear in terms of techniques. However unlike Metal Gear an alert isn't nearly as hard to escape. You will sneak around in the dark, knock on walls or throw objects to lure enemies and then stalk them from the shadows until you are close enough to unleash a punishing kill. The longer you stalk your victim the more gruesome the execution will be. Executions are handled by using motion controls that relate to the action.
Let's take for example a plastic bag execution. Players will thrust their remotes and nun chucks up and then down, making Daniel toss the bag over the vicums head, then players will shake both controllers making Daniel strangle the victim. The actions are subtle but add greatly to the experience. Owning the PSP version as well I can confidently say it's allot more fun than pressing one button and watching a cut scene. The one flaw is that when watching for the remote cues you may miss some of the gruesome animation.

You won't spend the whole game sneaking, stabbing and strangling though, like the first Manhunt the later levels incorporate allot more gunplay. Manhunt 2 handles gunplay allot better than its predecessor and it knows how much is fun and when the line is crossed in the “action” department. Shooting is handled by the Wii remote, naturally it works fairly well but isn't as tight as we have come to expect. This is not Metroid Prime 3 or Resident Evil, its Manhunt and its Wii censoring for the gunplay takes a little getting used to. It still is more satisfying than the PSP versions shooting and head shots won't be hard at all to execute but it's a shame to think that with a little “tightening” the shooting could have been PERFECT.

The camera system in Manhunt 2 isn't one you can really manipulate; the good news is you won't have to. The game camera is almost always in a perfect spot, when it does slip up it's never enough to kill your character and it never gets to the point where anything seems unplayable.

Manhunt really was made with the Wii in mind from a game play standpoint. Rock Star hasn't gone for a quick cash in on the Wii's success (minus a lacklustre visual presentation) it has incorporated the Wii's unique features in ways that benefit and help the overall experience. Already discussed above is the use of motion controls in executions and using guns; what else the Rock Star has done may be less involving but works great and feels fun anyway.

Knocking on a wall to alert enemies is a simply as flicking the remote while leaning against the wall. Peeking around the corner is as easy as moving to the edge of the wall and tilting the nun chuck in desired direction. Fist fighting is most satisfying as you use the nun chuck and remote like your left and right hands, streaming together punch combos feels satisfying and the game does a good job a recognizing these commands; it should be noted that the other versions of the game will just have you tapping the square button to throw a punch.

8/10

Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Manhunt 2, was it worth all the hype? No. But should you play it? A definite yes, it's a fun game and it's not as violent as the media soap opera has made it out to be. Also despite the video filters (which I personally think look very artistic) this is by no means a push-over in the adult theme department. There is still enough gore, explosions, hangings, head explosions and cursing to keep your mind in shock... if you are into that kind of thing. If you played the first, you know what you're getting for the most part but the Wii controls really make the game something special. With a library of only a handful of great games on the Wii as of yet its good to see Manhunt 2 and any support from Rock Star this generation.

My final score is 7.5/10 B

Buy or Rent?
The game is long enough for a buy and cheap enough as well. However, there isn't a ton of unlockables to come back to so once it hits the one week rental circuit you will have more than enough time to play through it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/07

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