Look at the pen on your desk. Harmless instrument isn’t it? You probably use it to write poems about trees, don’t you? Imagine that pen plunging down your ear canal, digging out your eyeballs and puncturing your lower intestine? Not so harmless now, is it? And what about that plastic bag over there? You know, the one in the corner you put your dirty underwear in. Imagine it wrapped tightly around your head, as brutal fists pummel your polythene-encased face. Maybe you’ll suffocate to death, or maybe you’ll die from all the dents in the defunct lump of flesh that was your brain. Either way it’s a bad way to die.

Sorry about that. Don’t worry, you haven’t bought the wrong magazine, but hopefully that caused the more squeamish among you to flee to a remote page – far from the forbidden evils of this review – which is a good thing, because Manhunt 2 isn’t for the squeamish. In fact, according to the BBFC, Manhunt 2 isn’t for anyone, at least not in this country. It’s banned.

Oh you may think you recognise the difference between images displayed on a television screen and all the stuff that happens around the television screen, and you may also think you’re an adult who has full control of his own mind. But no! You’re not in control. You are malleable, you are irresponsible and you need to be protected from the corrupting influence of polygonon- polygon violence. At least that is what the BBFC believes.

Why then has Manhunt 2 been banned? There are plenty of other violent videogames on the market, so what makes this one so despicable? Here is what the BBFC’s director, David Cooke, said about his decision:

“Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end videogames by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.”

It’s a reasonable statement and a fairly accurate description. Manhunt 2 and its predecessor are both somewhat different from other violent videogames, as they both pay unique attention to the implementation of cruel and unusual execution. Manhunt’s appeal is rooted in the same morbid curiosity that draws people toward films such as Saw and Hostel. It may be perverse, but it is nothing new; most adults have been entertained by re-enactments of horrific murders at some point in their lives.

However, is the above criticism reason enough for a nationwide ban? The BBFC’s own track record would suggest it is not. In terms of violent and sadistic content, Manhunt 2 does nothing that the original didn’t do back in 2003, and that game found its way to shop shelves with an ‘18’ certificate. So what does the BBFC have to say about this incongruity? Well, it states the following:

“The game’s unrelenting focus and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game”

Interesting. There are no “alternative pleasures” on offer in the original Manhunt, and its death scenes were just as “brutal” and “unrelenting” as those of its younger sibling. What about Manhunt 2’s “different overall narrative context”? Here the BBFC may have a point. It has a very different story to the original game; and because of this change, Rockstar may have unwittingly drowned its IP in a moral quagmire.

Manhunt’s premise was that you were taking in an epic snuff film and therefore encouraged and rewarded for being as brutal as possible with each murder. Manhunt 2 follows the original’s precedent and rewards virulent brutality, but its story is a more conventional tale of revenge and redemption (not a snuff film in sight).

Therefore, in the context of Manhunt’s narrative, encouraging the player to commit brutal acts makes sense – because the director of the snuff film wants the protagonist to be as crowd-pleasing as possible. However, such violence does not make sense in the context of Manhunt 2’s story, as its story offers no explanation for why the player should want to make his kills unreasonably gruesome. In short, Manhunt 2’s sadism is for mere “shits and giggles”.

This is an important point to consider because it represents the difference between a morally coherent decision and sheer hypocrisy. It may or may not be the basis behind the BBFC’s banning but – after seeing Manhunt 2’s content first hand – it is the only reason that makes sense. It is also likely that Rockstar was utterly blind to the above point. Manhunt’s elaborate killing system is an integral part of the game; not implementing it the sequel would’ve been like GTA IV with no driving.

Of course, the BBFC’s actions touch on a much wider debate concerning the influence of violent videogames on your troubled little minds. However, that’s too deep a topic to for this review to explore, and you haven’t yet been told whether or not Manhunt 2 would have been worth your cash if you were actually allowed to play it, so read on.

Manhunt was quite divisive. Some liked it, some hated it. If you are long-time reader you may remember it received a paltry 30% in this magazine, which was far too harsh a score in this reviewer’s opinion. However Manhunt did suffer from some undeniable faults. It was repetitive and at times agonisingly slow. Thankfully, Rockstar has addressed many of these shortcomings and has created an entertaining sequel that preserves the original game’s unremitting and claustrophobic atmosphere.

At its most basic Manhunt 2 requires you to reach your objective (indicated on a handy radar at the bottom of the screen) while dispatching patrolling enemies who are baying for your blood. Most of the time you need to be stealthy with your executions, concealing yourself in shadows until you can slink up behind your victim and trigger a macabre death animation. The content of each death scene depends on two things: what weapon you equip and how long you stalk your opponent while holding the R1 button. Each weapon (plastic bags, pens, syringes, razor wire, axes and sledgehammers – among others) can trigger three death scenes. The longer you hold the kill-button, the more ghastly the scene, and the more ‘style’ points you are awarded at the end of the level. Manhunt 2 also introduces environment kills, which allow the player to take out bad guys by using certain aspects of their surroundings. Ever felt like ramming someone’s head into an electricity box until you’re saturated with their exploded brain? Well now you can.

Although environment kills require you to lure enemies into certain areas, they don’t make a massive difference to how the game plays, and only rarely do you need to rely on them. The biggest change is in the pace and narrative. Guns comes into effect much earlier, and the level design is far more conducive to “cover and fire” gun battles, enabling a decent balance of methodical shadow clinging and gung-ho Uzi blasting. This frequent change of pace, and increased emphasis on firearms, makes for a more well-rounded experience, but also highlights imperfections in the gun system. The shooting sections are good enough to avoid that “tacked on” feeling but, like in the original, controlling your gun remains a somewhat awkward and sticky process.

Rockstar have made a big deal about Manhunt 2’s story. However, although the narrative is well directed, it isn’t very original, and begins with the same clichéd “I’ve lost my memory. Oh no!” plot device. It also suffers from a whiny main character called Daniel Lamb, who you’re supposed to sympathise with even though he likes to saw through groins with razor wire. Despite this there are a few fun set-pieces that demonstrate the cheeky Rockstar sparkle – the shoot-out in the porn theatre being the best – and, towards the end, some inspired level design that demonstrates the kind of intelligent cohesion between narrative and gameplay that most videogames lack (though to say any more would ruin it).

Though Rockstar has made many improvements, those that hated Manhunt wouldn’t have been won over by its sequel. The unarmed combat is still unrealistic, clumsy and poorly implemented (comically punching a man to death while he shoots you with a gun somewhat ruins the grim atmosphere) and there are a few AI bugs that should have been ironed out. However, Manhunt 2 offers heaps of grisly and depraved action, and we would have heartily recommended it to fans of the franchise. Now, if only you were allowed to make that decision yourself.

Christopher Reynolds