Craig Conner - The Project (Mind Control)
Manhunt 2 Main Theme
Manhunt 2 is a survival-horror stealth videogame developed by Rockstar London in association with Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds and published by Rockstar Games, originally released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii in October 2007. It was later released on Windows in November 2009. It is the sequel to 2003's Manhunt and the second installment of the Manhunt series.
Taking place in the southern American city of Cottonmouth, Manhunt 2 follows the story of Daniel Lamb, an amnesia-stricken mental patient who attempts to uncover his past. He is guided by a fellow patient called Leo Kasper, a sociopathic assassin. Retaining much of its predecessor's gameplay and mechanics, Manhunt 2 has players primarily control Lamb as he is hunted by bounty hunters, using stealth to sneak up and perform brutal executions on his targets. Other sections of the game also allow players to take control of Leo.
Development on Manhunt 2 began following the release of Manhunt in 2003 and was primarily developed by Rockstar London, Rockstar Toronto and Rockstar Leeds; Rockstar Vienna was originally brought in as the primary developer due to previous commitments of original developer and IP owner Rockstar North. Due to Vienna's closure in 2006, development was handed to Rockstar London, with support from Rockstar Toronto and Rockstar Leeds who helped porting the title from its original PlayStation 2 version. The game was officially announced in February 2007.
Prior to its release, Manhunt 2 was widely anticipated and became highly controversial before its launch due to its extreme violence and accusations in influencing a murder case; several countries originally refused to rate and sell the game in their territories. Upon release, Manhunt 2 received generally mixed reviews; it was praised for maintaining the grimdark, edgy and nightmarish tone, art direction and gameplay of its predecessor, while criticism was directed at the game's visuals, combat system, enemy A.I. and overall quality. Its story and characters received polarized reactions, while several critics believed it did not live up to the first game.
Synopsis[]
At the Dixmor Hospital for the Criminally Insane, a severe thunderstorm causes the security system at the asylum to momentarily go offline, opening the cell doors throughout the facility, resulting in the populace wandering freely through the corridors. Two somewhat saner patients are Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper, both who have been locked in the asylum for six years. Daniel, who suffers from amnesia, is unable to remember how or why he was admitted to Dixmor. Under Leo's guidance, they escape the facility and make their way to the ruins of Daniel's old home. Inside, Daniel recovers medication which Leo says he left there for himself in the event of him forgetting the past.
Cast[]
Development[]
The development of Manhunt 2 began around 2004, a year after the first game. As Rockstar North was focused on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at the time, the task was given to Rockstar Vienna, which generally developed ports of other Rockstar titles, such as Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for Xbox. Circa 2005, Rabcat Computer Graphics provided support for Vienna and created over 350 3D assets.
On May 11, 2006, Rockstar Vienna was abruptly shut down due to major budget cuts, causing development to be transferred to Rockstar London and Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar Toronto, which would be responsible for the PlayStation Portable and Wii ports, respectively. The London team would only make minor changes to the game, such as modifying the order of the levels and polishing some unfinished aspects. Manhunt 2 was officially announced on February 6th of the following year, with a planned release for the summer of 2007. Additional information was provided by the official PlayStation Magazine, which had the first glimpse of the game.
The game was finally released in North America on October 29, 2007, and subsequently in Europe a year later, on October 31st. A PC version was released on November 6, 2009.
Reception[]
Reviews[]
Manhunt 2 received mostly mixed to average reviews from critics, with all versions of the game receiving yellow scores ranging from 65 to 67, That's according to Metacritic, but fans seem to have loved the game, with the Wii version, for example, having an extremely positive and good score of 71. Users claim the game reached its potential, containing a good story with a macabre and violent journey.
The website Game Informe praised the story, saying it was well-written with good dialogue, characters, and violence along with brutality.
He was considered one of the 100 best players of his era by Complex, ranking 81th.[2]
Controversies[]
Sales[]
Gallery[]
Official Screenshots[]
Main article: Manhunt 2/Gallery
Trailers[]
Trivia[]
- Chronologically, Manhunt 2 is the final event of Rockstar North's 3D Universe.
- Manhunt 2 is one of the last Rockstar titles to use the RenderWare engine (first used in Grand Theft Auto III). Although the Wii version of Bully: Scholarship Edition is considered the last title to use the engine, Manhunt 2 was the last original game to utilize it.
- Manhunt 2 was the last title from Rockstar Vienna before the studio shut down during its development.
- Currently, Manhunt 2 is not available for purchase. On Rockstar's own website, the game's section only features a brief description and some screenshots. Unlike the first game, it is not available on Steam. This means that the only ways to obtain Manhunt 2 are through piracy, emulation of the console versions, already owning a copy, or buying a copy of the game through secondary markets or private contacts.
Further reading[]
Websites[]
References[]
- ↑ Originally outsourced to Rockstar Vienna by the series' IP owner Rockstar North due to active development of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- ↑ The 100 Best video games of the complex decade - Wayback machine
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| Manhunt series | |
|---|---|
| Manhunt | James Earl Cash • Carcer City • Characters • Hunters • Weapons • Scenes • Cheats • Trophies |
| Manhunt 2 | Daniel Lamb • Leo Kasper • Cottonmouth • Characters • Hunters • Weapons • Environmental Executions • Episodes • Cheats |
| Related | Camhedz (Grand Theft Auto Online) • Official Manuals • Official Websites • Cut Content • Secrets and Easter Eggs • References in other games • 3D Universe • HD Universe |