Manhunt 2: Extensive First-Hand Preview

Rockstar treats us to an advanced look at Manhunt 2 for this detailed preview.

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"Environment execution hotspots are marked on the radar... one signals an spot with a humming fuse box on the wall..."

Our demonstration moved on to The Honeypot - a level later in the game, when Danny and Leo have been on the run for a while and gathered information about the project. They desperately need to find out more for Danny to piece his life back together, and come across a technician from the Pickman project: a woman by the name of Judy, who gave some clarity to the goings on. The details lead them to a brothel, a project-run recruitment den, believing that Judy could be here and that she knows more that she'd been letting on.

This level introduces us to some of the new gameplay built into Manhunt 2. The big new thing is called 'environmental execution' - strategically using set objects in the environment as part of your kill. The first one in this level us the use of a public payphone to smash and strangle the brothel's front desk guy. These specially created executions are all individually thought out and animated, and this phone manoeuvre is just the first of many. Environment execution hotspots are marked on the radar with a white cross. The next one signals an execution hotspot with a humming fuse box on the wall... you can imagine what happens next. A QTE-like combination of correct random button presses either ensures or ruins the opportunity and then BANG.

P L E A S E   V I S I T   O U R   S P O N S O R :

"The most brutal execution we saw was with a wire cutter... Danny gets down and reaches through between this guy's legs..."

Rockstar wouldn't give us a number on how many environmental executions are in the game in total, but said we can expect to see the white cross of terror appear three or four times in the particular area we looked at, so we could assume this is an average per level. The most brutal execution we saw was with a wire cutter. Danny goes up from behind, gets down, reaches through between this guy's legs, and gets to work. We can't be completely sure of what we saw at this point, but let's just say, it didn't look pleasant.

It's not just shadows in the game that can protect you from getting caught. An interesting take on 'sound cover' in this level is when Danny passes a room in which a couple are up to what you may expect in a brothel (yes, you do catch a glimpse), and each time they make, shall we say, outbursts of noise, it's a potential opportunity for you to smash a window to avoid drawing the attention of the security guard, allowing you to proceed undetected. If timed right, when the security guard's icon turns blue, you're clear to make the smash undetected.

Moving on, and once we steal a shotgun, the pace of the game increases substantially, because Danny's confidence is up, though a sprinkling of caution is still required to get through the level alive, of course. There's auto-aim with the gun, but you can also manually aim by pressing up on the d-pad when aiming. Of course, guns can be used a little more brutally as well. "Lots of fans of the original Manhunt wanted to see executions with guns", explains PJ.

"This time it has higher production values, a proper storyline and a more complex moral backdrop that suggests greater depth."

We found it interesting that for the most part, you can only hear but not actually see Leo, so we couldn't help but wonder more about the relationship with this mysterious friend. Would it all turn out to be some sort of Fight Club Pitt/Norton trick? "Leo is helping Danny out of the hospital. You hear Leo talking to Danny, but there are times when Leo is in the hallway ahead of him, and then other times you're not sure where he is. They're both in quite fragile mental states. As you play through, you will find out more about what's really happening behind the storyline, and a lot more will be revealed." Sounds intriguing. "This demonstration scratches the surface - there's a lot more to the game."

The guys eventually catch up with Judy and a cut-scene ensues, but we'll keep the rest a secret for now. There are auto saves that are placed pretty well, so that when you die it's not too frustrating, but there are no manual saves which is a good thing in a game that's all about tension and build-up. Rockstar doesn't have a number of levels for us, but says it will be "substantial".

It's still a game that's all about violence for entertainment at its core, but this time it has higher production values, a proper storyline and a more complex moral backdrop that suggests Manhunt 2 could offer greater depth than the original, while remaining just as gruesome. To me, whether the sort of violence paraded here is in an extreme horror flick, a TV drama torture scene, or in a game like Manhunt 2, it's entertaining and often quite amusing, harmless fun.

Manhunt 2 will be released in the summer for PS2, PSP, as well as for Wii - essentially the same game and the same story, being developed at Rockstar Toronto who is reconfiguring for Wii based on the developments in the London studio.

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