RipTen Videogame Blog » Manhunt-2

Wanted to Buy Manhunt 2 on PC? Sorry, Time’s Up

Sam Naylor — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:11:49 +0000

It’s now impossible to buy a copy of Manhunt 2 on PC, with the last remaining distributor having taken it off the market.

After being acquired by Gamefly, Direct2Drive (previously the only place to allow purchase of the game) have now stopped distribution of the game. When Gamersbook contacted Rockstar, they had this to say:

“There has been a change in ownership over at Direct2Drive. Gamefly, who is the new owner, does not approve of Adult Rated games, and refused to offer it on their Website now. And we also realize there is now no way for you to acquire this game for your desired platform (PC).”

The game was released in 2007 for Wii, although thanks to a huge controversy at the time was neutered to receive an “M” rating. The full-fat version was eventually released on PC in 2009, although thanks to the fact that Gamefly want to prevent people from buying stuff from them it’s no longer possible to get hold of it (barring getting hold of a boxed one on eBay).

Via RPS

Manhunt 2 Once Again a No-Go in Britain

Dylan Duarte — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:44:32 +0000

Following up on a story that our own Patrick Steen reported on earlier in the week, the British Board of Film Classification has successfully halted – yet again – the release of Manhunt 2 in the UK.

Folks following the story know that Rockstar appealed the gruesome sequel’s initial ban earlier this year, only to have their hopes shot down more than once. Early on in December, when Rockstar finally got the Video Appeals Committee to approve the game’s release, it looked as if Manhunt 2 might see the light of day.

That fantasy was short lived, however, as the BBFC successfully appealed that decision and won the right to fight the game in the High Court. The censors argued that the Video Appeals Committee approved the game’s release on a misinterpretation of the law. The judge agreed, granted their appeal, and halted the VAC’s decision to release the game. A hearing will take place before the end of January of next year.

Just when gamers were getting excited, all of that excitement gets beheaded like an escaped mental patient beheading an asylum guard. While it’s not exactly square one, Manhunt 2 still has a long battle ahead of itself.

Via BBC News

Hillary Clinton Has Her Eye on Manhunt 2

Andrew Podolsky — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:46:09 +0000

When you’re a Democrat running for President in a time of war, what’s the best way to score points with conservative Middle America? How about sniping at the videogame industry?

If that sounds crazy to you, maybe videogames haven’t fully rotted away your brain. Banking on the fact that ignorant, reactive parents are going to pay more attention to her moral crusade than voting-age gamers, prospective Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has come out swinging her Wii-mote of righteous rage at the ESRB.

Along with Senators Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh, and Sam Brownback, Clinton signed a letter to the ESRB taking it to task for not sticking Manhunt 2 with an AO rating, even after Rockstar made significant (and in some ways, fatal) changes to the game’s gore factor. And Clinton used to be so friendly with Gore!

Recycling the same junk science that put Jack Thompson in the Fox News rolodex, Clinton and company are also afraid that the Nintendo Wii will allow children to become intimately familiar with the downward stabbing motion. As if the shower scene from Psycho 48 years ago didn’t teach everyone that already.

Not to get too political here, but if you don’t want your rights as a thinking person to be trampled, or you want to see the ESRB treated with at least the same tolerance of free speech as the MPAA or other self-regulating industry organizations, better let the candidates know where you stand. To see the gaming business thrive, people need to stand up for the ESRB, or the next time Ripten writes a Top Ten Badass Weapons list, it’ll only include Nerf guns and Wiffle bats.

Source: GamePolitics

Target Banning Manhunt 2 In Stores?

Josh Pankratz — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:16:56 +0000

The origin of this rumor stems from a post on EvilAvatar.com by Dr. Finger, a prominent member of the community. Dr. Finger claims that he spoke to a “contact” of his at his local Target store. Apparently, an internal memo was released stating that all Target stores are to stop selling Manhunt 2, and that any copies the store has are to be returned to Take 2.

This announcement may have everything to do with the large amount of negative press given to the Rockstar title earlier this week. If the rumor is proven true, the question we all have on our minds is, will other department store chains follow?

With the game receiving mixed reviews, Target may have seen this an opportunity to increase publicity by stirring up the pot. It’s interesting to note that they have never pulled any title from the Grand Theft Auto series, even though publicity was markedly worse.

Below is the post by Dr. Fingers via EvilAvatar.com.

I just spoke to a contact at my local Target store, who informed me of an interesting internal memo. Apparently all Target stores are to stop selling Manhunt 2, going so far as to tell managers to refuse shipments of the title for all systems, with Take 2 agreeing to take back all unopened copies of the game.

Why is this action being taken? The extreme violence in the game is the given reason, but my contact (an employee but not a manager) was told that it was due in greater part to the unfavorable coverage the game got in the national press the last several days. Target stores had been selling the game since it’s launch, but it was only today that they were told to pull the product and refuse further shipments.

The listing for Manhunt 2 on the Target website shows that the item is “not available in stores.”

I’ve spoken to employees of several other large retailers (Best Buy, Gamestop and Circuit City) and none of them are, at this time, taking similar actions.

Source: EvilAvatar.com

The Manhunt Is Over. Sony And Nintendo “Close The Lid” On Manhunt 2.

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:58:06 +0000

The ever glaring eye that has remained open staring down the eager gamers who stared back anticipating its release for what must have seemed like an eternity, has closed its lid today.

When all was said and done, it took the combined efforts of a political, legal, and media “witch hunt” to finally put an end to a one companies release of a video game “manhunt”. Those same individuals do not understand the amount of sacrifice and dedication it takes to develop a product such as this, and it is likely they never will.

After receiving the dreaded “adults only” rating, both Nintendo and Sony officials decided to “close the lid” on Manhunt 2.

In response to the new rating Nintendo had this to say…

“Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That’s why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems.“

While we have yet to contact Take 2 directly to obtain a comment, this is a very sad day for gamers of all ages, but more so for the young children who will now be missing out on crucial “Wii murder training”. It is unclear at this time just how much of an impact this will have on the future pool of assassins and hitmen across the globe, but the world can never have enough lawyers, right Jack?

Source: Gamepro.com

“Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling” Manhunt 2 Becomes First Game Banned In Ireland.

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:44:21 +0000

Green clover, green clover, tell Rockstar that Manhunt 2 “can’t come over”.

According to an article that was published here, Manhunt 2 has just become the first video game ever to be banned in Ireland. The Irish eyes over at Rockstar are definitively not smiling today.

Top Ten Summer Games That Will Be Good

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 22 May 2007 22:36:04 +0000

Every gamer knows that the summer time is hands down the worst season to play games. Generally we get stuck with summer movie blockbusters turned in to poorly rated games and have to search for a mediocre game that will tie us over till fall’s big hits. Hopefully here at ripten.com we’ll make that search a little easier. So we bring you the “Top Ten Summer games that will be good.”

The rules are simple. It must come out between May 22 and July 31 and while it can be a port from a last generation game, it can’t be a port from this generation. Example: XBOX 360 to the PS3 does not count, but XBOX to XBOX 360 counts.” Now without further ado, let’s get to the list!

10.) Mario Party 8, (May 29, 2007. For: Wii) Rated E
I’ve stopped using the earth’s orbit around the sun to judge a year. I now use Nintendo bringing out a Mario party to know another year has come and gone. Nintendo’s eighth installment is promising to rejuvenate their milking of the franchise, and we mean that in the nicest way possible.

By using the Wii’s controller you’ll have the character that your control yell at you when it’s your turn and you’ll be swinging your arms and jump up and down through 65 mini games. Though it probably won’t be a very deep title, get a few of your buddies, better known as the homeless people you pay to be your friends, together and this game has good time written all over it.

9.) The BIGS (June 25, 2007. For: PS3, Xbox360, Wii, PSP) Rated E
To quote David Cone, “Chicks dig the long ball”, and it’s true, everybody that watches baseball loves homeruns. Throw in 98mph fastballs and unbelievable diving catches and you have The BIGS. Sure, It’s way over the top baseball much like MLB slugfest or NFL Blitz was to football made by Midway a few years back, but unlike Midway, 2K Sports is the developer and has a proven track record for sports titles.

This marks 2K Sports first attempt at creating an arcade style sports game so there are some question marks. They are going to try to put a “superstar” type mode were you create a player and strive to make him a great. No word yet as to whether or not you can take steroids to “upgrade.”

8.) Manhunt 2 (July 10, 2007. For: Wii, PS3, PSP) Rated M
The first Manhunt was known for its chilling graphic kills, which inevitably caused Jack Thompson (lawyer in the news protesting violent games) to bite through his teeth. The sequel will be known for its, well … chilling graphic kills and probably cause Mr. Thompson to bite through his gums.

Three execution kills (hasty, violent, and gruesome) are featured in the game this time around, however for the first time the game will include “environment kills” such as a face smashing a poor souls face into a fuse box, or using a phone wire to choke your enemy … now that’s taking the slogan “reach out and touch someone” to the next level. If that isn’t enough Manhunt 2 also gives gamers the option to use guns to kill people execution style. With the game set to debut on the Wii, stabbing your enemy will never feel more real … we hope.

7.) Ninja Gaiden Sigma (June 26, 2007. For: PS3) Rated M
Okay, Okay, I know this a remake of an older game again from last generation. But Ninja Gaiden was not only one of the best games to come out for the Xbox, but it was hands down one of the best games that came out on a last generation console period.

Sigma is pretty much the same game as Ninja Gaiden Black with the addition of some new weapons and a few other “extra features”, but the big difference will be that this time around the game will be running in 1080p at 60fps. This is a graphic whores dream come true!

Oh, and the game play is not only addicting, it’s one of the most challenging ever made. So sharpen your blade, turn out the lights, and start practicing your stealth attack maneuvers on your sister’s stuffed animal collection…you are going to need it.

6.) Resident Evil 4 (June 19, 2007. For: Wii) Rated M
When Resident Evil 4 came out for the Gamecube two years ago it was greeted with rave reviews. So much so that Capcom decided to re-release it on the Wii. The game is pretty much a port of the Gamecube version with the added advantages of the Wii controller.

The red laser that graced Leon’s gun will be replaced by a curser that blinks red when pointed at an enemy and green when it’s not. You will have to point the Wiimote towards the screen, much like a light gun game, and shoot with the Z button.

If you have played previous releases of the game and enjoyed obliterating zombie after zombie (as did I) then prepare yourself for a freakishly good time. If you haven’t played any of the RE titles and own a Wii get up off your mound of flesh and pick this gem up when it hits the shelves.

5.) NCAA Football 2008 (July, 17 2007. For: PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox) Rated E
The appetizer for Madden, otherwise known as NCAA Football, options its way on to store shelves June 27. Last year’s NCAA got decent reviews but still didn’t meet the expectations of next gen gamers. It seems as though EA might have put their jockstraps back on and are finally preparing themselves “for some football”.

For starters, EA has given the game a new game play engine and new animation system that will allow for gang tackling and more importantly better control. Last year’s football title ran at only 30fps, but this year NCAA will run a blistering 60 fps. We believe this is in large part due to the developer’s decision to dumb down the textures in the game. While you may not be able to see every hole in a player’s mesh jersey as he dives into the end zone, the upside is that from we have seen, the major slowdown issues have been eliminated.

Another feature making its next gen debut will be “Campus Legend Mode”. You can go in and create your high school and start off as a high school player in the state championship playoffs. Depending on how well you do you’ll have colleges try to recruit you. Where you sign is up to you. Unfortunately, just like your real high school days, dating the head cheerleader will not be an option.

4.) Shadowrun (May, 29 2007. For: Xbox 360) Rated M
Shocking news to report here, Microsoft saw something good and bought it. This time it was the developer FASA Interactive, creators of this innovative FPS title. Before you jump into battle you select from five different races; Human, Elf, Troll, Gnome, and Dwarf each with their own unique powers and abilities. This feature alone adds a level of depth in terms of online play which is very promising. For instance, Humans can equip more guns, while the dwarves suck essence.

Speaking of online play this game boasts a very significant first; it will be the first game ever to allow PC to console play. This could prove to be extremely frustrating for console players’ considering many gamers believe it is easier and faster to play with a mouse and keyboard. Microsoft says this won’t be an issue … you be the judge.

3.) Guitar Hero Encore Rocks The 80′s (July 17, 2007. For: PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) Rated: RP
Anyone that lived through the 80′s knows that it was the most confusing time in American history, hot colors, a Cold war, and fear … the fear of being attacked by Russia at any moment.

So what did we do? Party! Oh yeah, we partied with mullets blasting, maybe some of the worst hair dos and music known to man, an era that was so bad it was fantastic! That’s where Guitar Hero wants to go, with songs like “I ran” by the Flock of Seagulls, or “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister.

You’ll either remember the 80′s or live through them for the first time. I for one can feel the hair on my head taking the shape of a mullet already. Grow it out, wear it proud, and most importantly Rock on!

2.) Forza Motorsport 2 (May 29, 2007. For: Xbox 360) Rated: E
Racing sim Forza Motorsport was one of the most surprising hits of last generation gaming, competing with the likes of Grand Turismo and Project Gothem. Not Only does sequel looks amazing with 220,000 polygons per car running at 60fps, but the level of crash detail could be the best of any game to date.

When you hit a wall or car you might see your bumper, door, or even a mirror fall off and it will stay there for the rest of the race causing debris to be a driving hazarded. FM2 has an astonishing 300 cars to choose from, which along with everything else the title has to offer, might be just enough to cross the finish line in first place as the best racing sim of this generation.

1.) The Darkness (June 25, 2007. For PS3, Xbox 360) Rated: M
Based on the comic book character that hit stores in 1996 created by famed illustrator Marc Silvestri and produced by Top Cow Productions, The Darkness makes its video game debut this summer and packs enough of supernatural power to make it one of the most original first person shooters ever.

You start off as a mafia hitman by the name of Jackie Estacado who, on the eve of his 21st birthday, becomes possessed by a power known as “The Darkness”. He can’t legally drink yet but I hear his supernatural entity makes a mean martini. In all seriousness though, the game, much like the comic, immerses you in a world full of ghastly beasts and has all the suspense of a modern day crime drama with a backdrop straight out of a science fiction film.

The feature list includes both first and third person views, non-linear progression, and not one but two highly interactive and destructible environments. Make your way from the rooftops of New York City into the parallel reality crawling with darkness that is The Otherworld this June.

The Darkness might not only be the best game of the summer, it could potentially be one of the best games of the year.

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