Are video games art? The argument usually devolves into semantic bullshit, and worse, it misses the point. Games may or may not have the cultural weight we expect from the lofty word, but through interaction games do something importantâthey provoke.
Just look at the scare-game genre. From Resident Evil on, newer scare games have used advanced designs to suspend disbelief and startle players much more than a book or film ever could. Enter provocateur du jour Manhunt 2. Months ago, the horror game's hard-line violence earned a rare "Adults Only" label from games-rating board ESRB. Store chains scoffed at the board's version of triple-X, which is apparently one step too far beyond Grand Theft Auto's "M-for-Mature" hooker-killing universe. So, amid the public controversy, developer Rockstar Games caved and edited the final productâbut not before the original version was leaked online.
I rounded up a copy and what I found was a compelling game that earns its larynx yanks. Manhunt 2's fear comes not from ghoulies or zombies, but from believable psychosis, as your mild-mannered character is forced to kill his way out of a bizarre research prison, throwing up and questioning his actions along the way. As if the moral stance doesn't create enough tension, the game uses an unstable camera at maximum zoom, along with lots of waiting, sneaking, and filthy ambience. Your eyes will bug out of your head as you hide and prepare a difficult, perfect kill against cussing scumbags lurking around the corner.
The violence in the unedited Manhunt 2 is brutal and uncompromising, as murder maneuvers result in lots of stabbing, bashing and, er, plier-ing. Murder-montage videos from the original version are on the web, and watching these can be difficultâfour minutes of nonstop digital murder made even my heathen stomach queasy.
But simple queasiness is not how the game's wired. Manhunt 2 forces players to wait, wonder, and stalk amidst hallucinations and crafty, amoral foes. And in that context, murder scenes feel justified in the game's truly adult universe. While the experience won't be ruined by the edits, the copout is a shame. Rockstar should've been proud of creating an uncomfortably engaging experience, and stores should've respected it. Why can't these people take "Adults Only" as a compliment? 
