Manhunt 2

Manhunt 2 is a sequel, albeit indirect one, to Rockstar's critically acclaimed game focused on casual urban horror and bloody killings of your enemies.

It set out to outdo its predecessor in terms of violence and grittiness, which it succeeded to do so well that, at the time of release, the game was almost banned from stores. But was it ever worth the hype?

Manhunt 2 relies on the same dark and moody atmosphere as the one in the first game. It features levels full of urban decay and corruption. Your enemies are lowlifes, punks, perverts, gangsters and corrupt government agents set out to destroy you. The story revolves around a man called Daniel Lamb who is trying to remember his past after escaping from a mental institution. He is aided by the mysterious Leo who tells him that Daniel was set up by a government organization known as the Project. In their quest to uncover the truth, they have to face off against hordes of enemies and kill them in some of the most brutal ways imaginable.

Similar to the first game, Manhunt 2 plays like a third-person stealth action, with hide-and-seek sections followed by brutal executions of the enemies you sneak up on. This time, the killing is even more gory, with several stages taking place as you press corresponding buttons to hack, slash, bash and choke the living daylights out of any perverted sadist who gets in your way. The game was almost assigned the Adults Only rating usually reserved for pornography due to the extent to which the game goes in its violence. Manhunt 2 includes the bloodiest scenes in the history of gaming.

Once again, everything else beside the executions feels clunky and poorly-developed. Stealth elements are primitive, animations are poor, and overall graphics are unimpressive. The situation is saved only by amazingly dark and atmospheric level design.

Overall, Manhunt 2 fails to be a significant improvement over the original, but delivers more of the same: more violence, more darkness, more horror.