Story:
The game follows the story of James Cash, he was supposedly due to be executed by Lethal Injection on Death Row, however Cash awakes a few hours later to realize the injection was only a sedative. He then hears the voice of 'The Director' who wants Cash to film 20 snuff film scenes of brutal murder in exchange for his freedom, these scenes then become the levels in the game. After many brutal levels of disposing enemies such as White Supremacists, Gang members and even a gang of Pedophiles, Cash learns that The Director has captured and killed his whole family, from learning this Cash vows to kill The Director after he states 'I'm all the family you need now'. After a few more extremely violent levels of beating gangs to death with various objects, a journalist reporting on Cash's execution turns up to save him. Cash then learning the name and background of the The Director, he decides to hunt him down. Meanwhile, The Director has blackmailed the Police into killing Cash with threats of exposing Police corruption if they don't comply. After being cornered and beaten by the Police, Cash is re-captured by The Directors men and brought to his mansion where the gang members are slaughtered by a Chainsaw wielding psychopath, Piggsy. The Director had kept him as a slave in the cellar and he had finally broken out. After luring Piggsy onto a trapdoor he falls into it and is stabbed to death by the spikes underneath, it leaves Cash just left to face The Director. Upon disemboweling him with Piggsys' chainsaws, The Director pleads with Cash to spare him, stating "I made you!", but Cash thrusts the chainsaw into his face, killing him and also impaling him to the wall. The game finishes with a news report on the killings with the Police and The Directors corruption exposed. James Cash has reportedly disappeared without a trace.
Legal Issues and Controversy:
Manhunts legal issues are quite bad as it stands. In many countries it has been banned outright completely, and when it was originally released Canada wouldn't even give it a rating because it was too violent for even 'M'. In New Zealand the game again was completely banned and if you were caught in possession of the game it was deemed a criminal offence.
In 2012, Russia banned the game from being on sale on PC game distribution site: Steam after a young man named Dmitry Vinogradov attacked and killed 7 of his co-workers at the pharmacy he worked at after his sexual advances towards a female co-worker were rejected. According to friends and family he was a fan of these sorts of video games including Manhunt. Dmitry had no history of violent tendencies but according to friends he had been heavily drinking prior to the attacks. There was no solid evidence that Manhunt was to blame for the killings but the game was still banned.
It was also a heavy factor in a murder in Leicester after a 17 year old boy killed his 14 year old best friend after beating him to death with a hammer in the same way it was shown on the games, his friends had stated that the 17 year old murderer, Stefan Pakeerah was obsessed by this game and it played a huge part in the violent murder. A spokesman for the Entertainment Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) responded to the accusations by stating "We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah. However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of Manhunt. The game in question is classified 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and therefore should not be in possession of a juvenile. Simply being in someone's possession does not and should not lead to the conclusion that a game is responsible for these tragic events." During this event many retailers pulled the game off the shelves such as GAME and Dixons'. Rockstar were quoted as saying "We have always appreciated Dixons' as a retail partner, and we fully respect their actions. We are naturally very surprised and disappointed that any retailer would choose to pull any game. We reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of Manhunt. Rockstar Games is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment geared towards mature audiences, and markets it's gamers responsibly, targeting advertising and marketing only to adult consumers ages 18 and older"
Of course like with anything during the huge conundrum with the murder and the possible banning of the game, sales shot up and there was a huge demand for the game online and through retailers.
Sequel:
With the first game going down in the history books, Rockstar started developing for a sequel, taking no advice from the controversy, they made it very similar to the original with the same brutal murders and blood and gore. As Sony, Microsoft or didn't allow Adult Only titles on their systems the game would not of been able to be released on their platforms. Rockstar went back to edit the game blurring out some scenes of extreme violence and also removing a Points system. The edited version was given a M rating however, the UK still wouldn't give the game a rating but after Rockstar appealed their decision they reconsidered and gave it a 18+. The game was rated 1st in the Top 25 Goriest Games by Gameranx'.
Story:
The sequel follows a new story to the first game, following the story of Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper. It begins in a mental asylum and after a huge thunderstorm the security systems temporarily go down and the inmates cells are opened. Daniel and Leo are able to escape and Daniel takes so medication that is meant to help with his memory loss. During these events they are pursued by a gang of Bounty Hunters named 'The Project'.
As the plot unfolds, Daniels learns he was once a top scientist is a project thats main aim was to make a brain implant that would make a triggered assasin who in theory would be activated, carry out the assasination and then be deactivated with no memory of what had happened, cancelling out the problem of interrogation. After learning more of his past they go to track down Dr Whyte who Daniels believes was a co-worker during the project.
They are captured and awake to find Dr. Whyte who explains to Daniel that they had tested the implant on Daniel, it had malfunctioned and he was able to speak to his alter assassin ego. The alter ego turns out to be Leo Kasper. Dr Whyte explains that Leo is dangerous and that he took over Daniels mind before he was admitted into the Asylum, turning him psychopathic, stemming a rampage in which Daniel killed Police Officers and his own wife. After capturing him, The Project erased his memory and admitted him to the Asylum whilst they could try and fix the brain implant. After learning this Daniel enters a hypnotic state in which he will face off against Leo within his mind. He is finally allowed to let go off the guilt of killing his wife and is able to defeat Leo and assert control. After doing so, Daniel awakes in a deserted place, his mind wiped once more, he is holding a envelope explaining that his name is David Joiner and his address and wishes him the best of luck.
There is an alternative ending in which you play the role of Leo during the end battle. Having defeated Daniel, you awake in complete control of Daniels body and inform Dr Whyte you are ready to continue work on the project. The game ends with Daniel looking into the mirror and Leo's reflection looking back at him.
Controversy:
The controversy surrounding Manhunt 2 began only two days after it's announcement, before any footage or information on the game had even been released. The main topic of concern was the fact that the first game had been connected to a murder in the UK. Take-Two themselves preempted this debate, issuing a statement on February 8th saying "We are aware that in direct contradiction to all available evidence, certain individuals continue to link the original Manhunt title to the case in 2004. At sentencing, the Judge, defence, prosecution and Leicester Police all emphasised that Manhunt played no part in the case" Later that day, Patrick and Giselle Pakeerah condemned the game and insisted that Manhunt was a factor in the murder of their son. Leicester East MP, Keith Vaz supported the Pakeerahs, claiming he was "astonished" that Rockstar were making a sequel.
On February 23, activist Jack Thompson vowed to have the game banned, saying "I have been asked by individuals in the UK to help stop the distribution of Rockstars' hyper-violent video game Manhunt 2. The game will feature stealth, murder and torture. The last version allowed suffocation of victims with plastic bags. The original Manhunt was responsible for the bludgeoning death of a British youth by his friend who obsessively played the game. The killer used a hammer just as in the game he played.
On March 10, Thompson said he planned to sue Rockstar in an effort to have both Manhunt 2 and GTA 4 banned as "public nuisances".
Later on this debate was cooled and Jack Thompson said he will not attempt to sue or make any further threats. Rockstar agreed to dismiss a court case they had against Jack for a previous debate over another one of their games, Bully.
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