Manhunt 2 Producer Q&A
We talk to Rockstar Games producer Jeronimo Barrera about Manhunt 2 and the controversy that has surrounded it.
The road to retail has been anything but smooth for Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2, but next week fans of the first game and attention-seeking suits alike will be able to get their hands on the game. Fascinated by both Manhunt 2 and by all of the work that has gone into earning it an M as opposed to its original AO rating, we caught up with producer Jeronimo Barrera and made with the questions.
GameSpot: So before we get started, can you fill us in on who you are and how long you've been with the company?
Jeronimo Barrera: Since the beginning. I help oversee game production.
GS: Take us back to when the game was being discussed? Why another Manhunt?
JB: Obviously we're very proud of the original Manhunt and we didn't hesitate to start working on another Manhunt when the opportunity presented itself. A big motivation was the fans. We've had games that have sold more copies, but Manhunt did well and gained a very loyal following. That, coupled with the fact we love the horror genre, made it a no-brainer for us.
GS: Why did you guys take the all-new character approach? Where did you look to for inspiration?
JB: Manhunt 2 is not a true sequel to the original story. It expands on the theme of the original. The approach was to put the player in a similar situation of having to make very hard choices about survival, but where in the original the overall goal was very clear, in Manhunt 2 we introduce a heavy psychology that makes the choices to the player much more difficult. I don't want to give out any spoilers, but let's say that Manhunt 2 offers many twists and turns to keep the player on the edge of their seat.
We didn't really draw from any one source for inspiration. We're all very proud of the original game and we were in a unique situation to draw inspiration from our own work. With making sequels to games, sometimes we continue the stories of previous games, but often we feel the story itself is more or less complete and instead we want to expand on the narrative themes and gameplay mechanics and style, which leads to sequels that are related, but not necessarily narrative sequels. We've done this with GTA--where the games are related but not but not sequels--and we will continue to use this approach.
GS: Can you give us an idea of how the game came together? Was there a set plan, or was it more organic and collaborative? How long was development?
JB: There's always a plan and it always ends up getting changed massively as the game takes shape and it's always a collaborative effort. We had the story in place early, and then it was a matter of fleshing out the game using the story as the core and building upon it. From the start we knew we had to really surpass the first game's narrative, so there was an emphasis on having the story in place before we started building the game. One thing that isn't mentioned often is that Manhunt 2 is a very story-driven game. The writers needed to work very closely with the designers to ensure that the game mechanics fit within the world we were creating and that the actions onscreen were being complemented with strong dialogue and audio. Things tend to get more organic once you have all the pieces in place, and then you have to really start critiquing your work, and sometimes that means going back to the drawing board.
GS: There have been a number of survival horror games and quite a few successful stealth action games in the last couple of years. But the original Manhunt really presented something unique in terms of combining the best of both stealth and horror gameplay. What was the motivation to continue in this vein, and what were you looking to improve on with this second installment of Manhunt?
JB: First, the original Manhunt has a very loyal fan base, and when we decided to start working on Manhunt 2 it was immediately decided that we had to stick to certain themes and mechanics to keep the original fans happy--but we also wanted to expand and surpass what the original accomplished so well. That was very difficult, but in the end we created a piece of horror fiction that is not only terrifying at times but incredibly thought-provoking in the themes that we explore.
GS: The first Manhunt went to extraordinary lengths to craft unforgettably creepy--and sometimes very funny--dialogue. The audio experience of Manhunt was quiet memorable. Care to discuss what you have going on this time regarding the audio in Manhunt 2? What have you done to surpass expectations?
JB: The real star of the game is the audio. Not only does it play an important part of the gameplay, it sets the tone and mood for every single experience we throw at the player. We learned so much from the original Manhunt and knew going into writing the dialogue what works well in the game. The emphasis [is] on making the interactions (especially of the Hunters) seem real but so twisted that we blur the lines and it truly comes off sounding psychotic and at times very funny. We hope we have surpassed expectations by maintaining the production quality all Rockstar games have and at the same time increasing the variety of situations people speak in, which aligned to improvements in the AI that should lead to a game world that feels more "alive."
But the PS2 version still has headset functionality! This really helps to enhance the experience. You'll hear Leo, and you can use the mic to make sounds that attract the Hunters. On the Wii, we use the speaker on the Wii-Mote in interesting ways too.
GS: As it was taking shape did the violence stand out at all? Did it raise any flags for anyone?
JB: Since we started out making a horror game, we knew this would be a pretty violent game. The vision for the game was very clear to everybody that was working on it. We wanted a game that created the same feelings as watching a horror movie, similar to the original game but with a greater focus on psychological horror.
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- GameSpot Score7.0good
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