The Manhunt Begins Again
Rockstar announces sequel to uber-violent game
Rockstar Games and their parent company, Take-Two Interactive sure don't shy away from contraversy. On February 6, they announced that a sequel to Manhunt would be released this summer.
The original game was released in December 2003 and put players in the role of a convict who is somehow spared from death row by a wealthy director named Starkweather.
But Starkweather had rather sinister purpose in saving James Earl Cash, the protagonist. He wants Cash to participate in his snuff film, forcing him to go around executing people while being filmed.
Due to the graphic violence in the game (executions are shown close-up and involve a lot of blood and gory sound effects) it was banned in New Zealand, Australia and Germany. In Ontario and the United Kingdom, sale of the game was prohibited to minors.
The bans on the original and the increased scrutiny of video game violence isn't stopping Rockstar Games, though. According to the press release, the sequel will stay close to the original concept.
It'll be released for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and....the Nintendo Wii?
The latter system has raised eyebrows, as Nintendo has a history of shying away from the truly gory games. Anyone when Mortal Kombat was ported to the SNES?
Stay tuned to Rockstar Games...this will probably get interesting.
