This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Manhunt for PlayStation 2
Manhunt for PlayStation 2 is a dark stealth game in which death-row prisoner James Earl Cash wakes in the decaying Carcer City. A voice calling himself the Director forces him through abandoned streets, factories and institutions while violent gangs hunt him. You use shadows, sound and distractions to avoid enemies or approach them unseen from behind.
The radar shows sound and enemy attention, but not a complete view of every room. Bottles and bricks lure hunters to a chosen spot. Improvised weapons break after use, while firearms remain scarce and open combat quickly becomes dangerous. The longer Cash waits unseen behind an enemy, the harsher the attack; the game deliberately presents these scenes as brutal and uncomfortable.
The campaign is entirely single-player and has no local or online multiplayer. On the original PS2, a headset could be used to hear the Director and microphone noise could alert enemies, but it is not required to finish the game. Progress is stored on a PlayStation 2 memory card. This page covers the original PS2 disc, not later digital reissues or Manhunt 2.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Manhunt for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Manhunt
Rockstar North developed Manhunt after its work on Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. Rockstar Games released the PlayStation 2 version in November 2003; Xbox and PC versions followed in 2004. The studio chose not an open city with free assignments, but a series of tightly built levels presented as scenes from the Director's sadistic recordings.
The design revolved around audibility, sight lines and the safety of dark places. Enemy gangs had recognizable clothing, voices and behaviour, helping players judge their position without constant fighting. Grainy camera work and distorted execution audio evoked cheap videotapes and made violence repellent rather than triumphant. This created a horror experience unlike Rockstar's crime games.
Manhunt caused extensive debate at release because of its explicit content and faced restrictions in several countries. It nevertheless gained a dedicated following. Manhunt 2 appeared years later with new characters and a separate story. The first game remains defined by James Earl Cash, Carcer City and the Director, and by levels where waiting, listening and finding a safe route matter more than collecting ammunition.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
The Warriors is also by Rockstar and features violent street gangs, but focuses on group fights, chases and local cooperation. Manhunt sends Cash alone through quieter areas and punishes frontal attacks. Both create a raw urban atmosphere, but Manhunt uses horror, shadows and individual hunters instead of large brawls.
Metal Gear Solid 2 rewards unseen movement, distractions and reading patrols. Its radar and tools give more information, while Manhunt restricts sight and sound and centres on safe shadows. Metal Gear tells a technological spy story; Manhunt stays small, grimy and focused on survival in Carcer City.
Hitman: Contracts often lets missions be solved with disguises, planned routes and different weapons. Manhunt offers less freedom in the objective, but makes every corridor a stealth puzzle of sound, shadow and lures. Hitman rewards professional execution; Manhunt shows a prisoner repeatedly seeking escape under coercion.
Siren also uses vulnerable characters, limited resources and enemies best avoided. It switches between several stories and uses sightjacking to see through opponents' eyes. Manhunt follows one protagonist and uses sound and shadow as its main information. Siren is more supernatural; Manhunt bases its fear on human hunters.
The Suffering also takes place in a violent, decaying environment and follows a prisoner, but uses monsters and much more direct gunplay. Manhunt keeps enemies human and deliberately makes ammunition and strong weapons scarce. The Suffering mixes horror with large fights; Manhunt builds tension through slow observation and approaching one target at a time.
