Manhunt 2 censored scenes

[CptStern]

I've never been a fan of the term 'torture porn' when it comes to videogames, but if ever a game deserved such a label, this would be it. Watching these scenes, I feel like they're not meant for my eyes, like they were intended for more perverse minds to enjoy. I wasn't disgusted, nor was I shocked, I felt ... nothing watching this. No emotion whatsoever. The bleak and needlessly grim way with which these scenes are carried out just fills me with emptiness.

There's something about this nasty little showreel that makes me feel one thing, though -- an overwhelming urge to never buy Manhunt 2 -- edited, hacked or otherwise. I also find myself filled with more words than a mainpage normally allows, so please hit the jump. I have a lot to say about this artistic vision of Rockstar's.
There is a reason why games like this aren't made, and it's a reason that disproves the entire 'violent games' argument from people like Thompson. We as gamers love violence, that is certainly true ... but not like this. This is too real. This is the closest to murder simulation that you can get. It's not over the top, crazy violence with explosions and un-natural fountains of blood -- that's fun. This isn't fun. It's dreary, it's drab and it's far too real. It's downright creepy.

agreed


http://www.destructoid.com/the-tort...-that-they-didn-t-want-you-to-see-52507.phtml

 

[Steel.Inferno]

Wow, that footage is hard to describe. Not fun, by any stretch of the imagination.

It's long too, I stopped watching them after the guy drowning in some orange-looking liquid, and it had been a quite a few kills by then.

 

[CyberPitz]

So somebody complaining about a game that is supposed to be full of gore? OK?

 

[Alan00000]

Man if there is a pc version im buying it. Hey if i cant kill in real life i would like to do it in a videogame.

 

[Asuka]

I think its great! Crysis gfx game like this would RULE! Seriously its just a game, go have some GORE-FUN.


Btw i just watch the un-cut scenes and seriously, you call this AO rating? What kind of pussy shit is that? There were like 3 scenes that were seriously crazy, even they were just meh. Watch some Japanese horror or torture movies, then come back to this and tell me its gory.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Eh, it's comparable to a real-life nc-17 mock-snuff film. It should be handled as such. I don't see all the shock over ESRB and others refusing to rate or sell the game.

The gore and scenes displayed here are nothing surprising if you've seen any modern slasher flick or visited rotten.com, I'm more disturbed by how Call of Duty 4 portrays "modern warfare" than this so called "murder simulator". The fact is the Manhunt games just really never interested me. It would be laughable for a movie with this type of content went for an "R" rating and play at normal theaters - so why all the outrage when it's not sold on normal store shelves?

I'm not going to lie I'd have fun for a while just getting off on the violence of it - everyone enjoys that kind of stuff to some extent, but the core game play just seems a bit boring to me. The overly dramatic comments about it being too bleak and "real" strike me as kind of silly. SNUFF FILMS TEND TO BE SORT OF DISHEARTENING, the fact that the people portrayed here are pixels is no different - it is snuff, and it will shock and give that 'life draining' numb feeling if you've not been exposed to this kind of stuff before.

It was only a matter of time before the censorship folks realized that video games have evolved past pong and pac-man into a legitimate media form capable of deriving a very emotional response in it's player/viewer and took steps to keep this kind of thing away from store shelves. The difference is now with new control schemes and more realistic graphics it can't be written off as "cute explosions and jumping on heads" anymore.

Rockstar has succeeded in it's tried and true controversy-based marketing and gotten the response it wanted all around. This type of 'art' isn't for everyone (obviously), and should be handled like movies such as Cannibal Holocaust or Icchi The Killer.

Cable news anchors are pissing and moaning and countries are banning the game - and that's about all that could save this game's box sales (stateside) after the delay.

 

[TCfromBN]

And I quote... "This game is ****ing messed up to the point where I think it just should be completely ignored."

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

And I quote... "This game is ****ing messed up to the point where I think it just should be completely ignored."

I think it's ****ed up to the point where it should receive extra attention. But than again, I was always the kid that would argue even if there was nothing in particular to argue about, and hold funerals for dead birds I found on the sidewalk.

 

[TCfromBN]

Heh, on the brighter side, the majority of those clips weren't anything too gory.


But seriously, what kinda game is that?



edit: lol, funerals for dead birds

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Heh, on the brighter side, the majority of those clips weren't anything too gory.


But seriously, what kinda game is that?

I guess it's not completely fair to judge the game based PURELY on the fatalities. To be fair there are moments of narrative building and espionage mixed in too. That's what saves this project from being entirely a 'snuff' game.

 

[Raziaar]

I think that's over the top for what I need in a video game. A little too much emphasis on murderous violence.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

It's funny to think about it being on the PSP, imagine someone playing out those scenes next to you on the bus on your way to school / work. Furiously mashing buttons making his character snap necks and jab people in the face with garden spades and fire axes. Portable gaming has come a long way since Pokemon and Six Golden Coins.

Snuff2Go(tm)

 

[Uriel]

Wow, I'm disturbed at the footage and some of the comments being made.

 

[CyberPitz]

Wow, I'm disturbed at the footage and some of the comments being made.

It disturbs you that we can play these things and not do them in real life?

 

[Kyorisu]

It disturbs you that we can play these things and not do them in real life?

It disturbs me why you'd want to play these games. Stupidly excessive amounts of gore are just not necessary especially considering this is a video game and it'd be quicker to just kill them as efficiently as possible and move on.

 

[mchammer75040]

Man this game looks like utter shit. Did anyone notice the sniper rifle execution? The player was standing right in front of him in a doorway and the AI didnt do one f*ckin thing before he blew his head off. Samething happens again in another part where he walks around a corner and a enemy looks at the player and all the player does is back up..then execute him. No fight at all. Is that what the entire gameplay is based on? These gorey cinematic executions look like they would get pretty f*ckin boring quick.

 

[Bad^Hat]

It disturbs you that we can play these things and not do them in real life?

Blah, this reaction has got to stop. Why can't anyone show distaste in something without getting the "yeah, but I wouldn't do it in real life" retort? So what? I'm still going to find it disgusting, and even a little reprehensible.

I watched the footage and was put off to the point of closing it (right around where he busted out the power saw). Personally I can't see how anyone could derive enjoyment from something so blatantly sadistic, but that doesn't mean I immediately drew the line from enjoyment to... murder. :|

Why do we as gamers have to be so paranoid and defensive over this sort of thing?

Also, this:

 

[Asuka]

The game may be crap but the concept is good. If done right, for example a game with the gore in solder of fortune, would kick ass! Thing of that detail with Crysis during a modern setting or a setting like Half-Life! Man im waiting for that day.

 

[Paulaner]

I watched the footage and was put off to the point of closing it

Agreed. I don't criticize people for liking this game, but I found the footage disturbing, disgusting and lacking of some real artistic value to appreciate.

 

[Tagaziel]

The footage isn't disturbing in the least to me, to the contrary, I'm rather fascinated by it.

However, fascination is ten million miles from actual real-life (nomen omen) execution. Whereas Manhunt 2 is, well, a snuff game and it doesn't disturb me in the least, seeing it done in real life would make me vomit.

The difference? Victims. Victims in Manhunt 2 are fictional, they are pixels, lines of 0s and 1s. In real life, victims are humans that have families, their own lives and most often, doing their job.

 

[[Matt]]

Its a crap game so why care?

 

[Mr Stabby]

I didn't find it disturbing, but boring, I have no interest in that type of game.

 

[Druckles]

Ok, realism can be taken to far... the graphics weren't even that great.

urgh, makes me feel sick

 

[Tagaziel]

The Punisher was far more inventive at the "brutality" aspect.

Especially without the filter. Yum! I actually recall eating something while playing.

 

[Absinthe]

I have to agree with the author of that piece. This game looks like trash. Not just because of the dated graphics or the one-trick pony basis for the game. The actual violent content is just pure, unbridled, unnecessary shit.

In no way is this a cry for censorship. I believe Rockstar should have had their game released as they wanted it. But even if it had come out unedited, that wouldn't change the fact that their "artistic vision" is just an excuse for excessive gore.

Call me crazy, but the idea of raking an enemy's genitalia off with a crowbar and then mercilessly bludgeoning them to death does not amuse me. You can rationalize this all you want, about how it's supposed to be disheartening and it's supposed to be cringeworthy, chalking this up the the "maturity" of the medium. But I think deep down inside we all know that's bullshit. Rockstar made a game not to get a message across, but to be controversial and disgusting for the sake of it. It's a hollow experience that trots out an endless parade of humanoid meatbags that you can butcher again and again with little to no regard for plot, character, or significance. I'm not entirely sure if they expected you to have fun with it either.

Before anybody thinks I'm making a double standard here: You're wrong. I hold the same exact criticism of film with this kind of content. Categorizing it under the "Snuff" label isn't a valid defense for garbage.

 

[Xeltsek]

It looks crap tbh. The AI looks awful, most of the time the people are just stood around doing absolutely nothing, and i think only one of the people in the whole clip tried to fight back. Boooooooooring. The graphics look crap as well.

 

[Plug]

I have to agree with the author of that piece. This game looks like trash. Not just because of the dated graphics or the one-trick pony basis for the game. The actual violent content is just pure, unbridled, unnecessary shit.

In no way is this a cry for censorship. I believe Rockstar should have had their game released as they wanted it. But even if it had come out unedited, that wouldn't change the fact that their "artistic vision" is just an excuse for excessive gore.

Call me crazy, but the idea of raking an enemy's genitalia off with acrowbar and then mercilessly bludgeoning them to death does not amuse me. You can rationalize this all you want, about how it's supposed to be disheartening and it's supposed to be cringeworthy, chalking this up the the "maturity" of the medium. But I think deep down inside we all know that's bullshit. Rockstar made a game not to get a message across, but to be controversial and disgusting for the sake of it. It's a hollow experience that trots out an endless parade of humanoid meatbags that you can butcher again and again with little to no regard for plot, character, or significance. I'm not entirely sure if they expected you to have fun with it either.

Before anybody thinks I'm making a double standard here: You're wrong. I hold the same exact criticism of film with this kind of content. Categorizing it under the "Snuff" label isn't a valid defense for garbage.

I agree with you 100%. That kind of extreme violence is not necessary.

I think what chilled me the most from that video were the sounds of people dying, choking, gurgling etc.

F*cking sick. I almost wish i didn't watch it... But i'm glad i did, so i know what it's all about. Utter shit.

Imagine being on the dev team for a game like that...

 

[VictimOfScience]

Yeah, this is just like so many of the torture-p0rn films that have been pretty popular of late and its not good for anyone really. The first Manhunt game had a good story but even better voice actors/acting. Brian Cox lent a lot of credibility to the project and the pigman level is still one of the scariest levels in any game for me. The violence didn't seem so over-the-top disgusting. This looks just bad and I don't see any reason for it whatsoever. Still, censoring/banning this and giving something like Hostel or Saw 4 an 'R' rating is just brainless. That and letting any kid of any age waltz right into a bookshop and buy a copy of American Psycho--great book, most graphic violence EVER though.

 

[Infoceptor]

I don't get it. If your watching over 15 minutes of people getting randomly executed, of course its going to get boring and or tasteless. What do you expect? Your not the one playing the game.

 

[Absinthe]

I don't get it. If your watching over 15 minutes of people getting randomly executed, of course its going to get boring and or tasteless. What do you expect? Your not the one playing the game.

It doesn't take a genius to know that most of the game is like this. Albeit with dumbass filters.

 

[Saltpeter]

Man if there is a pc version im buying it. Hey if i cant kill in real life i would like to do it in a videogame.

Is this even porting to the PC? Last I heard, I thought not.

I watched the reel, but it eventually bored me to the extend of making me yawn. It didn't really shock me since Manhunt was and is an over-the-top game, however, the first Manhunt had a pretty fitting storyline, whereas this one seems to be designed just for the mere purpose of getting banned in countries.

The GFX are hopelessly outdated as well. The first Manhunt looked very nice for the time it debuted in, but to try and do the same thing with the same engine years later is just cheap.

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

Eh. Im don't find any of it disturbing at all, the only thing that got me was "Well shit if thats all im gonna be doing the whole game then that seems pretty boring. Rental!"

 

[CyberPitz]

Lol, you guys can keep on hating the game all you want. Hate the idea of it, of all we care. Just stop ****ing judging us on it.

 

[Absinthe]

Lol, you guys can keep on hating the game all you want. Hate the idea of it, of all we care. Just stop ****ing judging us on it.

Who, pray tell, keeps judging you, Pitz?

 

[CyberPitz]

Who, pray tell, keeps judging you, Pitz?

People who feel they need to be disturbed at the fact we might actually ENJOY this game. I don't think I read anything in your posts about it

 

[Absinthe]

I'll be honest. I can't fathom what there possibly is to enjoy about the game. It just seems like an exercise in sadism.

But if you like it, whatever. More power to your corrupt, black heart. :|

 

[Tyguy]

So its really gory, big deal. The moment you start dicatating what you can and cannot put into a video game you lose any and all credibility when defending them. Should 12 year old kids play this game? Obviously not, and the rating system should be strictly enforced, more so than it is at the moment.

However, this game does seem like its fueling the fire that is Fred Thompson, or should I say minuscule spark.

 

[Druckles]

Rule something and something. There's a pr0n for everything

 

[Unfocused]

Looks pretty much like the first Manhunt. I quite enjoyed the game, cause of the stealthy elements. Didn't need all the gore, but wasn't bothered by the fact that it was full of it. Still, it's kinda sick and unneccessary.

The kids will have something to talk about in school.

 

[Doppelgofer]

the movie doesn't even load up for me