Manhunt 2

So, on the grounds discussed thus far, even with the passivity versus interactivity gaming argument (which is somewhat spoiled by the gameplay similarities between not-banned prequel and sequel), it would seem Manhunt 2 has been hard done by. Sadly, things just never are that black and white.

Returning to The Punisher, THQ's bloody shooter boasted a tone heavily comic-book in nature, a Marvel world so over-the-top, a lead star so anti-heroically far-fetched, and villains so obviously bad (and shallow), that the whole experience, despite the violence, was really quite hilarious in a disgustingly twisted way. As with Max Payne, it was pure John Woo bullet opera served up for the video game medium. Interestingly, there was even a hint of narrative purpose to some of the environmental kills, too - interrogation. By threatening certain captors with gruesome demises, you could extract important information, and then decide whether they should croak it or not.

Now, let's discuss one of the three Manhunt 2's levels that I was taken through, entitled Sexual Deviants. After some apparent snooping, the quest for your identity leads you to a mysterious S&M club. As soon as I was inside this club, my character was ruthlessly eliminating its inhabitants in that typical Manhunt extreme brutality. We were several levels into the game, so perhaps the story may have been slightly out of context, but I honestly couldn't see how there was any logical justification for your character's slaughter of everyone and anyone in such a sadistic manner.

The assumption, of course, is that if you don't kill, they kill you, but hell, this was an S&M club, not the original Manhunt where you're imprisoned in a cat-and-mouse arena, facing off against a bunch of murderous punks. Here, I could easily have been gutting the cleaner. As the 'outside' gamer, we know that we need to kill these people. But does your character?

If tiny little alarm bells were ringing, then they were bashing me in the cranium when I encountered the door puzzle. Having butchered nearly every worker of the club's top floor with abattoir-like precision, my path into the next section was blocked by a doorman operating the other side of a doorflap. Guess what, he wouldn't let me through because he didn't recognise me.

So hang on a second, I'd just been murdering everyone else in the club because I assumed they'd kill me, and here was this guy - a genuine member of security refusing me right of passage because he didn't know who I was. Go and tell that to the bloodied, twitching hole-ridden carcass of the barman I'd just gleefully castrated and disembowelled with a large, rusty medieval mace...

To intensify the silliness, the puzzle was cracked using a decapitated head of any of my murder victims, incidentally, all of whom were wearing gimps masks. Such perverted disguise didn't stop the doorman recognising our character as Bill, John or Tony, though - perhaps he had a distinguishable incisor tooth or something...? Maybe. Who knows? Not me. I was flummoxed.

So shoot me for being pedantic, but outside of that 'snuff movie' arena of the original, I genuinely felt unjustified in the bloodshed. Who for me to call Rockstar's development team lazy after the investment and time in producing such an effective thriller (which Manhunt 2 most certainly is), but it hints of too much time being spent on the mood and the set-pieces, and not enough on the psychological reasoning behind the ordeal.

Even your character, Mr Lamb, is an odd one. In Manhunt, you played a hardened criminal, forced to kill. Here, you're an amnesiac escaping an asylum, who, incidentally, vomits after committing his first kill. Next thing you know it, he's ripping balls off with pliers and sawing unfortunates in half with DIY tools. Okay, so there's a strong implication of madness, illustrated through the presence of a mysterious companion who follows you through parts of the game (a voice in your head, a ghost? Expect plot developments to reveal all). But it's too ambiguous. Even for a videogame, which requires no strong character development. But we're in dangerous waters here. Why not establish the fact he's a schizophrenic or a madman - distance him from us, the player - find justification in his behaviour.

Of course, it's impossible to be too critical - I only played/saw three levels of the game, but if the narrative holes are apparent here, then God knows what else lurks in the rest of the story.

If there's a conclusion to be gained from my brief time with Manhunt 2, it's that Rockstar appears to have been naïve and reckless when, considering the microscope its predecessor fell under, it should have been cautious, clever and alert. Because for all the other criticisms levelled against it, there's too much grey area and weighty arguments for it to fight back with.

Rockstar hasn't leapt dramatically over the mark, but through slight carelessness, has stumbled over it, and given fuel for fire for people a little too wary of video games. After all, there's always the knowledge that 18 certificates won't stop masses of minors desiring, and getting hold of, these games. Let's just hope its not too late for the publisher/developer to find some kind of reprieve for this fantastic game. Even if it does mean zombies and green blood...