Now with less casual sadism.

Manhunt 2 exploded in controversy this summer when Sony and Nintendo stated that the game could not be released in the U.S. with an Adults Only rating. And in Britain (where the PS2 version is being developed) the game was refused classification, effectively creating a ban. The ratings snag led to the game being delayed and edited for content, but it's finally coming out in the U.S., with a release date set for Halloween.

The big question, then, is what Rockstar changed in the super-violent sequel to merit an M rating instead of the un-publishable AO, and the main change is that the stealthy execution kills have been scaled back. Dark and grainy filters now obscure every stealth kill, leaving much of the murdering to the imagination. There are grunts, and sound effects like a crunch or slice, but the in-your-face executions are now hidden behind a wall of visual noise.

While some of the executions have been affected more than others, the reduced violence affects the gameplay payoff for pulling off these moves, since putting in the effort to achieve the most violent kills in many cases grants you an execution scene that's not much different from the easier-to-perform moves.

The story and setting, which are also plenty disturbing, remain untouched in the re-edited Manhunt 2. You are still playing as Danny Lamb, a medical patient on the run who is trying to piece together the details of a bizarre experiment called "The Project." Danny visits hardcore locations like a brothel, an S&M club, and an adult bookstore early in the game, gathering clues about The Project while evading and eliminating vicious thugs that mean to kill him.

The stealth gameplay also remains intact, including the characteristic hiding in the shadows and attacking from behind using unconventional weapons like bricks, bags, and broken glass. Rockstar has removed one highly talked-about finishing move involving pliers from the game, because realistically nobody performs spinal surgery that way in real life...we hope.

Despite the changes, Manhunt 2 still looks to be one of the most violent games on the market, and if we hadn't seen it before all the controversy, we probably wouldn't have had a second thought about the game lacking intensity. So while it now carries a bit of baggage, the overall game looks pretty similar -- it's still creepy, still makes decent use of the Wii motion controls, and still is one of the few games on the market willing to take things this far.

Original link: Click Here