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Killroy
June 19th, 2007, 03:03 PM
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/9416/mh2eo7.jpg


The sequel to Manhunt is right around the corner, much to Jack Thompson's dismay. Released on the Wii and PS2, Manhunt 2 will take place in an asylum.

"An experiment at a secret research facility has gone catastrophically wrong. Daniel is sent to the Dixmor Asylum, where six years later a freakish storm of lightning hits the power, leaving it dark and haunting. Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper are the only surviving subjects. The Pickman Project will stop at nothing to hunt them down and stop the truth from getting out.

Demented screams echo around the dank asylum that has caged you for the last six years. You open your eyes. A white-coated body slumps to the floor through your shaking hands. A bloody syringe slips from your arm. Waves of confusion and paranoia crash over you. You have no idea who you are or how you got here.
The door to your cell is open. One choice. One chance. They took your life. Time to take it back."

Some slight differences between the two console versions. The Wii will obviously be using the Wiimote to mimic some of the actions your character performs as well as having to hold the Wiimote still while hiding in shadows. The Wii version will also have 3 weapons the PS2 will not...the straight razor, mace and broken bottle. The Wii version will also have better graphical enhancements.

The PS2 version will have a more simplified execution consisting of just holding the R1 down.

Other things to note that have been revealed in other gaming hands-on and previews are:

Bag, glass shard, 'heavy handgun', nightstick and double barrel shotgun return, and are joined by the syringe and a pen.
The Director, CCTV cameras and the protagonist James Earl Cash from the first Manhunt won't play a part.
Manhunt 2's main character, scientist Dr Daniel Lamb, is locked in a private asylum by The Project - shady backers of a top secret drugs-based weapons program that Lamb was working on.
After breaking out of the asylum, Daniel Lamb goes on the run with psychotic inmate Leo Kasper, who is happy to coach Lamb in the brutal art of violence.
Like the first Manhunt, kills are executed in three deadly shades - Hasty, Violent and Gruesome.
Environmental kills have been introduced (push an enemy face-first into a live fuse box, use telephone cords to strangle an enemy or you can drown an enemy in a toilet).
Loud ambient noises can be exploited by Lamb to drown out his own crashing about.
When hiding in shadows, if an enemy comes close the player will sometimes have to copy a button combo to regulate Lamb's breathing and ensure he remains undetected.
Lamb can climb and crawl, two things James Earl Cash could not do in the original.
Guns can be used for executions.
Lamb can smash lights to create pockets of shadow.
The ability to decapitate enemies and wear their severed heads on your belt, which can be used as either a weapon or a distraction.
Hunter will have more enhanced "Brutal" AI: The game will contain much more difficultly than the original. Hunters will use flashlights, spotlights, and helicopter for the hunt. Gamers will have to hope that they won't peek into the shadows they are hiding in.
Daniel's flashbacks can be triggered or will just appear automaticlly.
A flashback level called "Best Friends" can be played, where the player takes control of Leo Kasper, who is hunting down a man named Michael, who betrays him. The level takes place on a dockside warehouse. Which also contains a meat packing puzzle. The player kills Michael and escapes on his boat.
New weapons are shown: uzi, baton/nightstick, magnum, scythe, a barrel of water, and a flare gun.
There is the ability to turn "VCR-style static" on and off.
Leo Kasper will be able to be played throughout random levels.Manhunt 2 has now been banned in the UK, the BBFC has rejected the Playstation 2 and Wii editions of Manhunt 2, refusing to give it a rating.

http://www.rockstargames.com/manhunt2/splash/

brokenandtwisted
June 20th, 2007, 10:37 PM
I don't understand games like this. What is the point, honestly?

Killroy
June 20th, 2007, 11:33 PM
I don't understand games like this. What is the point, honestly?

What's the point of any game?

Why do people look down on games like this, and question it's validity as a form of entertainment, yet say nothing about violent horror films, westerns, The Sopranos, or any of the thousands of violent books out there. Emmy winners, Oscar winners, New York Best Sellers...all given to books, music, and movies that contain offensive and violent content...but a video game? Oh No! It's not fun entertainment!! Oh heavens no, it's a MURDER SIMULATOR!!!! :sarcastic:

brokenandtwisted
June 21st, 2007, 01:01 AM
What's the point of any game?

Why do people look down on games like this, and question it's validity as a form of entertainment, yet say nothing about violent horror films, westerns, The Sopranos, or any of the thousands of violent books out there. Emmy winners, Oscar winners, New York Best Sellers...all given to books, music, and movies that contain offensive and violent content...but a video game? Oh No! It's not fun entertainment!! Oh heavens no, it's a MURDER SIMULATOR!!!! :sarcastic:

It's rather senseless, that's all...the first game had no coherent plot and it was based upon exploiting violence itself (something about a documentary...a guy killing thugs...blah, blah, blah...). I just hope the second, judging by the trailer -- actually has a purpose.

Killroy
June 21st, 2007, 08:41 AM
It's rather senseless, that's all...the first game had no coherent plot and it was based upon exploiting violence itself (something about a documentary...a guy killing thugs...blah, blah, blah...). I just hope the second, judging by the trailer -- actually has a purpose.

Well, that's not true at all. Manhunt was a decent game with decent reviews across the board. (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/915100.asp?q=manhunt) If you read the reviews you will see that violence was not the reason why it got high marks. Violence does not equal good game reviews.

IGN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGN) gave the game a rating of 8.4/10, calling it a "solid, deep experience for seasoned gamers pining for some hardcore, challenging games."
GameSpot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpot) scored the game 8.4/10, saying it is "Seriously intense, and anyone with a stomach for the game's concept ought to find it fiendishly entertaining."Besides, Manhunt definitely had a plot...maybe not a deep-thinking plot, but no worse than your standard horror movie.

But now, because of the way society is becoming today in regards to parents not watching their kids and it effecting how adults are able to spend their money, the ESRB has gave the game an Adult rating, thus keeping it off of resellers shelves. Both Sony and Nintendo are refusing to release the game in it's current state.

Thank God I have people out there to protect me. :sarcastic:

dop
June 22nd, 2007, 08:07 PM
The first one was all kinds of fun, In fact I just got an urge to play it again, ill see if I know anyone that still owns it that would lend it to me.

Hope sony stop being such pussies and release this one withought modifications.

Killroy
June 27th, 2007, 09:35 AM
Give me a hand with this article:

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http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/8351/man650zr5.jpg
Manhunt Hands On Previews

Even if you are not a gamer, you have probably heard the news that Manhunt 2, the sequel to Take-Two's Manhunt, has been banned in the UK and rated Adults only here in the US. The Adult Only rating ensures that it will not be on store shelves. The violence is supposedly too much for anyone to possibly handle. But hands-on previews have been posted on the web as of late, and while none of the previewers are saying that the game is not extremely violent, they all state that it is tame compared to the levels of violence in the latest R rated horror films currently showing on the big screen.

"The game's violence and gore, which have become the mother of all lightning rods for the title, are in full effect. But, while they've been ramped up from the original game, they're not exactly going to wreck Western civilization any more than, say, the Saw and Hostel movies--or just about any other of the slasher flicks that come in and out of vogue. What we saw was graphic for sure, and given a slightly unsettling twist by the interactivity offered by the Wii game, but ultimately it's nothing we haven't seen before in other games, movies, or even some television."
- Gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/manhunt2/news.html?sid=6172967&mode=previews&page=2)

"Manhunt 2 is Rockstar's darkest, most disturbing game yet. It's a menacing vision of paranoia and terror mixed with blood-spattered ultra-violence, and for that reason it's a game that will certainly catch the eye of bandwagon-jumping politicians looking for a scapegoat for the latest real-world killing. But that's not why Manhunt 2 should steal the headlines - the fact it's Rockstar's most intelligent, incisive work to date is, in our opinion, a much bigger story."
- IGN.com (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/784/784051p1.html)

And one of the better articles was from the NY Times:
[/URL]
"I did not find Manhunt 2 particularly frightening or sickening, more like a violent interactive cartoon. Banning the original version of Manhunt 2 may be a good way to demonstrate that the industry can police itself. Side by side, though, movies seem to be way ahead of games in delivering top-notch gore."
[URL="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/arts/25manh.html?ex=1340510400&en=e413d6ace666da41&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink"]Seth Schiesel - NY Times (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/73350-Manhunt-2-Hands-On-Impressions)

So what does this mean for the gaming business? Hell if I know. But it is an interesting topic. Why should games be held to a different standard than movies in regards to the ratings the receive and how to ensure 10-year-old Johnny doesn't get his hands on games that were specifically geared towards adults.

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I would like to add a couple more hands-on previews (specifically from Gamespot and Play) but I am blocked from them. Can someone help me get a couple more blurbs plus a link?

McVain
June 27th, 2007, 10:28 AM
I'll try to grab them in a moment.

The quote from Escapist is actually from Gamespot...

"The game's violence and gore, which have become the mother of all lightning rods for the title, are in full effect. But, while they've been ramped up from the original game, they're not exactly going to wreck Western civilization any more than, say, the Saw and Hostel movies--or just about any other of the slasher flicks that come in and out of vogue. What we saw was graphic for sure, and given a slightly unsettling twist by the interactivity offered by the Wii game, but ultimately it's nothing we haven't seen before in other games, movies, or even some television."
- Gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/manhunt2/news.html?sid=6172967&mode=previews&page=2)

"Manhunt 2 is Rockstar's darkest, most disturbing game yet. It's a menacing vision of paranoia and terror mixed with blood-spattered ultra-violence, and for that reason it's a game that will certainly catch the eye of bandwagon-jumping politicians looking for a scapegoat for the latest real-world killing. But that's not why Manhunt 2 should steal the headlines - the fact it's Rockstar's most intelligent, incisive work to date is, in our opinion, a much bigger story."
- IGN.com (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/784/784051p1.html)