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Rockstar has always been the subject of much debate. Ever since the release of Grand Theft  Auto and the darker, more sinister Manhunt, Rockstar has been the center of attention concerning violence in the media. For all those who haven't kept up to date, Manhunt 2 was no different. Being slapped with an AO (Adults Only) rating earlier this year, the company was forced to retract the game and make changes, otherwise the game would go unreleased. They went back to the drawing board, tweaked a few things, and submitted the game once again. This time they earned a Mature rating, but with a price.

Manhunt 2 starts out with Daniel Lamb, the main character of the game, escaping from a mental institute for the criminally insane. A fellow inmate named Leo Kasper helps him with his escape as Daniel tries to figure out how and why he was locked up and just exactly what is going on.  Escaping the complex, Daniel is hunted for reasons unknown, and fights for his life to discover the truth. The game starts with a tutorial level showcasing all the basic controls and Wii implemented movements.  As Danny explores, he is presented with the  fundamentals of sneaking, fighting, hiding, and using various weapons throughout. Danny finds himself escaping the complex early on and  traversing through a wide variety of places. You'll end up exploring wrecked buildings, dirty hotels, and even  a nightclub with a sinister secret most similar to the film Hostel.  They're all rather dark and bland but the themes of each area keep them from growing too stale.

Most levels have you working your way through in a linear fashion from point A to point B, hiding in the shadows, and taking out anyone that stands in your way. Thankfully, Danny  has a wide variety of weapons at his disposal. Baseball bats, axes, guns, pliers, plastic bags, and saw blades are just the tip of the iceberg in the wide assortment of tools you will find and use. If spotted by the enemy you can easily defeat one or two of them, but anymore then that and you're a dead man walking. This is were the sneak kills come into play, where elimination is the key to winning, and shadows are your best friend.

While it appears that a lot of previous Wii titles simple have tacked on controls, Manhunt 2 actually seems to control fairly well. When sneaking up upon an unsuspecting victim, players will actually motion with both the remote and nunchuk in various movements to actions occurring on screen. These animations flash briefly on the screen but enough time is left to execute them without a hitch.  You'll watch as you perform the same motions for Dannys brutal on screen attacks.  So you could be swinging away with an axe or using something in the environment to finish off your enemy, each having their own unique motions to act out, and you performing them.

Unfortunately this is where Manhunt 1 and 2 differ. Now sneak kills are blurred and discolored for a disorienting and jolted look. Sometimes you can see whats happening, other times you can only imagine whats going on as you hear the crack of bones in the background. While it seems nothing is any worse then in the previous Manhunt, due to the rating it received and the re-rating after, Rockstar played it safe. It honestly takes the punch away from what made the series stand out in a crowd, but still offers plenty of macabre moments overall, blurred or not.

When it comes to gun battles, players will find themselves aiming at the screen to fire at their targets and moments like these still provide plenty of carnage. Heads still pop in satisfying glory when shot straight dead center. Danny can use walls, cars, and other environments to duck and cover while firing and the Wii remote offers enough precision to make this easier than in most titles. It doesn't feature the most elaborate gun battles but this is not what the series is about. Manhunt 2 has very little in the way of innovation, unfortunately. If you played the first Manhunt, expect the same gameplay with slightly updated graphics and a new story. They added in environmental kills and some of these are pretty brutal with a favorite being the telephone strangle. You'll once again be hiding in the shadows and running for your life when enemies spot you, all in tried and true Manhunt formula.