The Differences Between the AO and M Versions of Manhunt 2

Via Kotaku, IGN had the chance to play both the AO- and M-rated versions of Manhunt 2, and they now have a piece up pointing out the differences in the re-rated game. If you've been curious about what is in that warez copy floating around online, they'll piece it together for you. Be forewarned: the stuff that got cut out is pretty gross. "The content may be too much for some to stomach, but the presentation is well done regardless. Manhunt 2's storyline is made more believable with realistic voice acting, atmospheric camera angles and pans, and moody transitional effects. There's even some comedy thrown in for good measure. Take, for example, a scene in which Danny decapitates a hunter and then uses his severed head to gain entry through a security door. A guard on the other side opens a peephole and sees the decapitated head staring back at him. 'Georgie Boy!' he exclaims. 'Come on in.'"

Comments

And 3 months later, the gore patch will surface

[Leo Sasquatch]

Because it looks like almost everything's intact, just blurred and darkened. So the patch to unblur and brighten those sequences shouldn't be a problem. So the game as sold at retail conforms to some antiquated notions of what a game should be, and the patch lets those of us who are fully functioning adults make our own choices about which version to play. Everybody happy. I'm a male in my forties, who's raised a child to adulthood, held down a number of really shitty jobs, served in my country's armed forces, been trusted with a number of weapons and fully trained in their use. I've dealt with real death of close friends and relations, and the aftermath of same. What, exactly, do these fuckers think they're protecting me from? There are a number of things in my life that perhaps I wouldn't have minded being shielded from, but a video game is never going to make that list.

Re:Enough with all the ManHunt Slashvertising

[plague3106]

hey Jon,

Realize that YOU are not the only person that reads /. that matters. Also realize that some like me have been wondering what the differences were, but don't necessarly want to buy it or read IGN.

How about this, if you see a story that doesn't interest you, scroll by and look at one that does.

Re:Enough with all the ManHunt Slashvertising

[vimh42]

"Hey editors, can we scale back on the ManHunt Slashvertising a bit?" I think you have completely missed the point of this discussion. The developer has been forced to censor their game so they could get it released. I understand that you don't actually care about this game, but do you care about censorship? This is game industry self censorship. Of that I'm glad. At least it's not the government. But I can't help wonder about outside influence. I can't help wonder about the people who came to the decision that the original should be AO. Basically I'd like to see the artists presentation unaltered.

Screw this

[Floritard]

In the M-rated version, Rockstar has added both an extreme blur effect and in most cases darkened the graphics so that it is nearly impossible to make any sense of what is going on. Players will be able to see character movement, blood splatters, and sometimes they may catch a glimpse of an identifiable action (for example, Danny jamming nails into the legs of a chair-bound opponent), but mostly it's guesswork - a garbled, motiony mess that's far less satisfying. Well fuck it then. I mean really. Personally I've always hated stealth games. They're boring. As Sam Fischer or Solid Snake you're just a wanker in tight pants girl-palming your way through each snore-inducing level. In Manhunt, at least you have actual climaxes. In Manhunt you are a maniac. It's the Quake 3 Arena of stealth games. It's gritty, it's ugly. It has great weapon progression (finally getting a gun actually feels empowering). It has superb sound design. It has atmosphere. It has Brian Cox! And yea it's brutal as hell. It was the only game I ever played that made people leave the room, creeped out by the sounds victims made as they died. That is something special.

I've been psyched about the sequel, and was hopeful things would work out. Now I read that you once had the ability to rip a guy's nuts off with a pair of plyers. Well I wish I never knew that! What milk-toast ESRB namby-pamby shook his limp-wristed finger at that and demanded, with effeminate indignation, that it be excised? I hope they take that weapon completely out of the game, otherwise I'm going to be thinking the whole time of just how much I wish I could neuter my victims with it. That just ain't right.

If the game doesn't interest you then good for you. Don't like these types of games? Vote with your wallet then. Don't think this sort of entertainment should be available at all? Where's your campaign to shutdown Fangoria magazine? Some people like gore. Didn't like the original Manhunt? Fine then. I did. I loved it and I've really been looking forward to the sequel. It was one of the reasons I bought a Wii. Look I'll play Mario Galaxy or Little Big Planet. I like cute too! But pardon me if I just want a little unabashed violence, a little balls in a game every once and a while. Mean, malicious and sweaty! While you're all out playing space marine in fluorescent green armor shooting each other in the fanny with guns like the Needler (oooh scandal!), ignoring the homoerotic undertones of the whole gay pageant you've for months been pining away for, I'll be wondering what might have been.

Yea go ahead. Take my karma!