Macabre Month of Horror day 15 - Manhunt 2

[JSchlansky]

Today's review is the follow up to yesterday's
http://youtu.be/UWeFR_pC_Y0

[Ag0stoMesmer]

Interesting stuff, not played either of these but there's a halloween sale coming...

While I'm sceptical about catharsis of violence through games and films (I'm closer to this) other Rockstar games I've played have had the humour and narrative strength to 'earn' the use of the violence y'know. You make it sound as if they've pulled it off in these too.

The first one looks more interesting. Judging from your review, where you mention Carpenter and Manhunter, it does look Friday the 13th/ halloween gameplay-wise (more Jason than Myers?) with a bit of Manhunter and 8mm in the presentation?

Again, only from your review, 2 brought Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and 8mm to mind, art-style-wise, it'd be interesting to see how they handle sex -so often near-absent in games, especially compared to those two films.

I only played the xbox demos but the Condemned games reminded me of 8mm and Seven -with toned-down sex/fetish stuff, that could just have been the demos though. Vaguely remember a slight Crow vibe too, think it was the baddie. Sure didn't seem very clever, satirical or what as these though, they were going to be made into films...

[JSchlansky]

There's practically no humor in either of the games unless you take the excess of violence as comedy in itself. I think the violence is justified in the first because it's being used as tool for social commentary. The main character being in a snuff film means that he's killing all these people for the sake of entertainment, and when you think about it, that's what the game is doing to the people playing it, just on a digital scale. It brings the violence to such an extreme that it is at least somewhat self aware and not just blissfully ignorant.

[Ag0stoMesmer]

Violence to absurdity is something I enjoyed (if that's the right word) about Henry:.., anyone who's seen it will know the particular scene I'm thinking of, really added to the creepiness.

Taking swipes at the audience sounds quite Haneke, and -if done right- really interesting.

I mentioned both of these to a friend who's a fan of the game and was advised not to get my hopes up though, ah well.

[ShogunRua]

I really liked the original Manhunt. Very neat game with a colorful, memorable in-game setting and amusing characters.

The sequel was a let-down, although I wouldn't call it bad. Just rather average and predictable.