"While I applaud the series for its uncompromising take on morality and violence, it’s hard not to notice that recent titles like Mass Effect and BioShock have covered similar territory in a more mature – and much more enjoyable – fashion." "For those of us that loved the original, Manhunt 2 is a trip that’s worth taking, even if it’s not nearly as memorable or enjoyable," he concludes. "The enemy AI and control are both wildly erratic," Helgeson adds, "and I’ll never understand Rockstar’s stubborn resistance to giving players camera control on the right analog stick."ĭespite its flaws, though, Helgeson asserts that Manhunt 2 will still be a worthy trek for series fans.
"You can definitely see some improvements, like the cool environmental executions, which let you use found objects like toilets, gas cans, and phones in certain instances." In addition, Manhunt 2's gameplay "oscillates between brilliant and frustrating on a minute-by-minute basis," according to Helgeson. "Whereas Manhunt thrust you into the role of a cold-blooded killer, Daniel is essentially a good man forced into violence by circumstances – in other words, like most other video game characters." "For the most part, it’s an interesting story, but it doesn’t pack the queasy punch that the first did," he writes. Helgeson explains that Manhunt 2's protagonist is mostly to blame for this shift in tone. "Unfortunately," Helgeson continues, "it’s not nearly as gripping, and, more worryingly, I’m not sure if it still has anything to say about gaming’s culture of violence." Manhunt 2 is every bit as grim and brutal as the first." "If you’re worried that this altered, now M-rated version of the game has somehow adulterated the explicit violence that is Manhunt’s calling card, rest easy. "I’ve been curious to see what Rockstar had in store for us with Manhunt 2, even more so after the game was delayed and re-cut after it received the dreaded “Adults Only” rating from the ESRB," he begins. Matt Helgeson at Game Informer feels that Manhunt 2 is worthy of a score of 7.75 out of 10, assuring series fans that the cuts in content do little to negatively affect gameplay. After seeing a number of required changes in order to reduce its ESRB rating to an M, the Nintendo Wii version of Manhunt 2 arrives on store shelves to a Metacritic-averaged score of 70 out of 100. This violence was determined to be explicit enough to warrant an AO rating by the ESRB, making the title unreleasable on all major platforms and unsellable at several retailers. release earlier this week, having previously being delayed due to its violent content. This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Manhunt 2, Rockstar's controversial stealth-action sequel that critics say is "every bit as grim and brutal as the first," though some may find it "not nearly as memorable or enjoyable."