Considering the furore that greeted the release of the first game it’s a genuine surprise to see it get a sequel, especially one as uncompromising as this. However unpleasant the original was though there was no denying it was an excellent game and one of the most original and effective stealth-based titles of recent years. The story in the sequel is at least slightly less disturbing than before, as the snuff movie theme of the first game is ditched in favour of you escaping from a mysterious research facility.
The gameplay is more familiar, as your limited access to heavy weaponry and the large number of enemies out to get you mean that you have to spend much of the time creeping about in the shadows. It gets to the point where you have to shoot out lights to increase the gloom and have to regulate your breathing when an enemy is nearby – to ensure you aren’t spotted. The stealth aspects work just as well as Metal Gear or any of its progeny, the difference here being that hiding isn’t an occasional novelty or plot device but the only way to survive the game.
Of course what Manhunt is most famous for is the violence and that has not been toned down in any way as you use everything from a ball point pen to a plastic bag to perform some of the most gruesome attacks in gaming. There are also new environmental kills, similar to those in THQ’s The Punisher, where you can drown enemies in a toilet or strangle them with telephone cord. It’s not a game for the faint of heart, but for those that can stomach it there’s plenty of gameplay here amongst the gore.
