Having played Manhunt 2 in all its gory glory, we reckoned it’d be quite a challenge for Rockstar to tone down the content. But that’s exactly what they’ve done for the the American version, making enough changes to satisfy the ESRB and secure a Mature rating. IGN spill the beans in their preview:

“In one cut-scene, a masked killer uses a power saw to slice into a man’s bulging belly, as the victim lies helplessly strapped to a table. In another, a hunter prepares to electrocute a separate prisoner. Manhunt 2’s new M rating does not appear to have any bearing on these sequences, as they look and play exactly as they did when we first saw them so many months ago. Indeed, the majority of main gameplay functions are intact, violence, gore and all.”

Hmmm. We’ll reserve judgement until we see the different version for ourselves, but we suspect that IGN are being a little over optimistic. The things that are definitely gone are certain death sequences, like the one where your victim’s testicles and spine are ripped out using a pair of pliers. Also, the animation on all of the death sequences have been darkened or made blurry so that it’s difficult to make out exactly what’s going on. The implication is there, but the detail is lacking.

It’s arguable that to obscure the detail of the horrors perpetrated is not less but more shocking, leaving it to our imaginations to visualise what has occurred in the mind’s eye. It also defeats the point of the Manhunt series, which is to confront players with the full and bloody consequences of their violent impulses. Even though Rockstar have succeeded in bringing their game to market, released Stateside on Oct 31st, it’s not the game it should have been.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2007 at 8:49 pm by Bulent Yusuf
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