Manhunt 2

It's not as shocking as you'd expect, but Manhunt 2 still satisfies your primal instincts.

This is a game that's definitely for the hardcore stealth gamer, not the casual crowd. The violence is too edited for you to see anything clearly, so concerned parents need not obsessively worry.

Manhunt 2 is a good game for it is, but the Wii just doesn't feel like the perfect fit for such a gruesome action game.

The story will captivate you to till the end and the gameplay, while repetitive in nature, has enough to charm any fan of stealth games.

Manhunt 2 has suffered many delays and lots of problems before release, but it's finally here. A game that is not suitable for everyone due to its gore and violent nature, but it has some charm for those Wii users who are looking for something different for their machine. Sadly, a confusing story and some problems like close combat controls make it not as good as it could have been.

Manhunt 2 is an average stealth game with an extreme gimmick. The story’s what-the-hell-happened scenario mixed with the weird characters and scenes is enough to keep you shuffling along. But it quickly feels like busy work, when it should feel like, well, murder.

Highly stylised, dark and immersive, Manhunt 2 is a study in brutality, depravity and the spiralling descent into madness. In terms of content, it’s no worse than the original, but it’s not really any better, either.

The stupidity of the enemies and the inability to see what exactly you are doing when the time for an execution commences takes all the fun out of fighting. The game gives off a chilling vibe, but it’s for all the wrong reasons.

Hiding in the shadows isn't as simple as dodging into the dark. When a hunter peers into the blackness, players must hold the Wii remote completely still. One twitch of the controller, and the jig is up.

Only mildly amusing and the violence and gore gets tired after a while. If you're into movies like Eli Roth's Hostel then this game's right up your alley. But, if you're looking for a thriller with a little more substance, you might want to look elsewhere.

Manhunt 2 doesn't quite live up to the hype of its predecessor. It is incredibly violent, but it doesn't have the same effect as the original due to the muted kill sequences.

Rather than providing the knockout punch they are intended to give, the comic extremity of the executions tends to diffuse the tension the game so effectively manages to build. [Aug 2007, p.106]

When you add camera issues to the mediocre graphics and unreliable controls, you end up with a final package that is somewhat disappointing.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this game to anybody as a purchase unless you really loved the first game and just couldn’t wait for another installment.

I agree the premise isn't as intriguing as the first game's, but Manhunt 2's still got plenty of creeps and creepy atmosphere--it's the 8mm and Hostel of videogames. [Holiday 2007, p.69]

The background material behind the storyline is well developed enough, and those with considerable tolerance for over-the-top gore and violence may derive some pleasure from it. But the game's execution as a bland third-person stealth adventure with sub-par combat and annoyingly stylized death sequences hamstrings what could have been a sleeper hit for mature audiences.

Manhunt has turned from a violent, yet solid stealth game into a mediocre stealth game with a clichéd story and toned-down ultraviolence.

There are just too many nagging gameplay problems for the story to overcome and once your reach one of the two final endings, you’ll be wondering why Danny didn’t get on that flight to Paraguay ten hours earlier.

With the furore objectively moved aside, Manhunt 2 is left a game which has tremendous atmosphere but that unfortunately counts for nothing when hampered by sloppy controls and poor implementation.