Interview: Manhunt 2’s producer on the controversial game’s release

 Even after all the flak and the bullets have been fired, Rockstar Games is still standing as it gets ready to release of its gory survival horror game, Manhunt 2 (PS2, PSP, Wii). In an interview with Jeronimo Barrera, the game’s producer, he talks about all the unexpected twists and turns the game has gone through until its grudgingly approved M rating from the ESRB.

Barrera wanted to take all the best aspects from the previous Manhunt game and work it into the new sequel. While everyone was too fixated on the violent aspects of the game, he said Manhunt 2 was quite story driven because of the close collaboration between the writers and the designers.

He also mentions that the audio will play a big role in immersing the player into the game. From the spine-tingling soundtrack to the psychotic dialogue, Barrera mentioned that all of this was designed to make the game world more “alive”. Even the headset functionality for the PS2 version, as well as the speaker on the Wiimote will affect how you play the game.

He admitted though that the entire staff was shocked after the game was slapped with an AO rating. He reiterated that the critics were blowing things out of proportion and that Manhunt 2 was just like any other horror movie released in terms of violence and content. Even Nintendo, known for its strict stand on censorship took into account Rockstar’s reputation before signing them onboard as a licensed developer.

However, Barrera ended the interview with a light hearted note on the new aspects the game will touch on. He had this to say:

There are so many things that need to get mentioned. We’ve elevated every aspect of the original and added so many new cool things. The interactions between Danny and Leo. The story of these two is the stuff of nightmares! The stealth gameplay is as great as ever. The environments are very dynamic. It doesn’t look or feel repetitive. The animations are top-notch. Manhunt evolved out of a weakness we felt in stealth games- that people were hiding, but they weren’t afraid of the people they were hiding from. For us, the most compelling reason to hide from someone is because you are frightened of them. This was the inspiration for the original Manhunt and it remains true for the sequel–to make the player feel like they are cowering in the shadows.

So, even after all the controversy, can we expect a third game in the Manhunt series after this one? Barrera said while there are gamers who enjoy playing Manhunt, there’s a good chance we’ll see more of the series. Only time will tell.

 Even after all the flak and the bullets have been fired, Rockstar Games is still standing as it gets ready to release of its gory survival horror game, Manhunt 2 (PS2, PSP, Wii). In an interview with Jeronimo Barrera, the game’s producer, he talks about all the unexpected twists and turns the game has gone through until its grudgingly approved M rating from the ESRB.

Barrera wanted to take all the best aspects from the previous Manhunt game and work it into the new sequel. While everyone was too fixated on the violent aspects of the game, he said Manhunt 2 was quite story driven because of the close collaboration between the writers and the designers.

He also mentions that the audio will play a big role in immersing the player into the game. From the spine-tingling soundtrack to the psychotic dialogue, Barrera mentioned that all of this was designed to make the game world more “alive”. Even the headset functionality for the PS2 version, as well as the speaker on the Wiimote will affect how you play the game.

He admitted though that the entire staff was shocked after the game was slapped with an AO rating. He reiterated that the critics were blowing things out of proportion and that Manhunt 2 was just like any other horror movie released in terms of violence and content. Even Nintendo, known for its strict stand on censorship took into account Rockstar’s reputation before signing them onboard as a licensed developer.

However, Barrera ended the interview with a light hearted note on the new aspects the game will touch on. He had this to say:

There are so many things that need to get mentioned. We’ve elevated every aspect of the original and added so many new cool things. The interactions between Danny and Leo. The story of these two is the stuff of nightmares! The stealth gameplay is as great as ever. The environments are very dynamic. It doesn’t look or feel repetitive. The animations are top-notch. Manhunt evolved out of a weakness we felt in stealth games- that people were hiding, but they weren’t afraid of the people they were hiding from. For us, the most compelling reason to hide from someone is because you are frightened of them. This was the inspiration for the original Manhunt and it remains true for the sequel–to make the player feel like they are cowering in the shadows.

So, even after all the controversy, can we expect a third game in the Manhunt series after this one? Barrera said while there are gamers who enjoy playing Manhunt, there’s a good chance we’ll see more of the series. Only time will tell.