Manhunt 2 is a controversial horror video game that was developed by Rockstar London and published by Rockstar Games. The video game was released on 29 October 2007. Due to widespread controversy of the game's violent content and public backlash the game was censored worldwide. Even with the censorship though many countries banned the game. In 2015 Twitch banned the game from being streamed in its uncut form on its platform (as AO-rated games may not be streamed on their site).
The Wii version of Manhunt 2 utilizes the Wii Remote in a manner that imitates violent moves and fatalities, some of which are particularly graphic.
It is even the most banned video game of all time.
Censorship[]
International censorship[]
(Note: Due to essentially being banned in the USA and the game being banned in the UK, the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP versions were censored to ensure the game could be released in those regions)
- During executions the game's screen turns red, then silver and then green to obscure the violence. (PlayStation 2, PSP)
- During executions the game's contrast is raised to be a lot higher and the screen starts shaking to obscure the violence. (Wii)
- The Razor, Mace, Sledgehammer, and Whisky Bottle weapons were removed. (PlayStation 2, PSP)
- Decapitations were removed. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- Head explosions were removed. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The Pliers executions were made less violent. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- Danny's dialogue is less aggressive. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The scene where Leo says "Do? We're gonna do what they trained us to do. We're gonna kill 'em." it was changed to "We have to earn our freedom. We're gonna fight back." (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The dungeon of a room with the meat hook that you can place enemies onto and kill them was removed. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- Leo's dialogue is partly censored in the cutscene introducing the Pervs. The word "blowjob" was removed. (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- Facial deformation was removed. (Wii)
- Red Kings killing the maintenance man by ripping off his nose with pliers was changed to facial deformation afterwards. (PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The scene where Leo says "Show no mercy, Danny. This whole town is a project dormitory." it was changed to "We're in deep shit now! This whole town is a project dormitory!" (Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The Bee's Honey Pot intro cutscene has a strong yellow and white hue. (PlayStation 2, PSP)
- The Assassination intro cutscene has flashes of yellow. (PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii)
- In the Ritual Cleansing level the Hacksaw and Pliers weapons were removed. (PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii)
- In the Broadcast level the Katana weapon was removed. (Wii)
German censorship[]
- Like its predecessor, the video game was banned in Germany due to "High-impact gory violence".
Irish censorship[]
- The game was banned for "Gross, unrelenting, and gratuitous violence". This was the only time the Irish film censors took action on a video game and prohibited it.
- The ban was later lifted and the game was allowed to release in Ireland.
Malaysian censorship[]
- The game was banned due to its violent content.
New Zealand censorship[]
- The game was banned in New Zealand due to "Extreme violence and offensive depictions of cruelty."
- The ban was lifted in April 2024 after a private member of the public submitted it for reconsideration. The game is now classified "R18" for both censored and uncensored versions of the game.
Saudi Arabian censorship[]
- The game was banned in Saudi Arabia due to "Gross, unrelenting, and gratuitous violence."
South Korean censorship[]
- The game was banned in South Korea due to "Violence and cruelty".
UK censorship[]
- The uncut version of the game was banned in the UK.
- A censored version would be made but was banned as well. The ban however was successfully appealed and the game released in the UK.
USA censorship[]
- The ESRB gave the game an "Adults Only" rating due to its intense violence forcing the console versions to not be sold. This resulted in the game being pulled from every major retailer. A censored version would later be produced for consoles and received a Mature rating allowing the console version to be released.
Where to find it uncensored[]
Discs of the PC release are uncensored and certain sites have it uncensored but it is hard to find.