By Mike Rougeau

Manhunt 2

Alas, RockStar’s highly anticipated “Grand Theft Auto IV” has been delayed.

The thousands of gamers who were eagerly looking toward October find themselves waiting, once again, until next year. Maybe the newest release in Rockstar’s other franchise, “Manhunt 2,” can tide them over? Maybe not …

For those who are unfamiliar with the plight of “Manhunt 2,” the latest release from “Grand Theft Auto” developers Rockstar, here’s the scoop. It was originally given an Adults Only rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) due to the horrifically violent “executions” used to dispatch enemies. Since no major retailers across the country will sell AO rated games, this effectively made it obsolete.

The game’s release was subsequently delayed so Rockstar could tone it down to the more acceptable rating of Mature. Although the company was successful in the United States, the game was once again rejected by the British Board of Film Classification, making it impossible to sell in the UK.

Despite these setbacks, the game was finally released in the United States Oct. 31. The story begins in a chaotic insane asylum, where the player must kill dozens of crazed inmates and sadistic guards in order to escape. Various predictable plot twists ensue. This is not exactly a great plot, even for a video game.

But then again, who really expects it to be? Unfortunately, the game play in “Manhunt 2” fails 95 percent of the time. This is Grand Theft Auto without all the fun parts of the wickedly open-ended series. There are no cars, no stars and no sprawling city to terrorize, just linear levels and stale game play mechanics.

Whether the player is firing an assault rifle, wielding a shovel or simply throwing down in fisticuffs, the combat system is literally identical to that of “Grand Theft Auto”: mash on a button until someone dies. However, “Manhunt 2” does bring one interesting thing to the table, namely the executions.

To perform an execution, the player must sneak up behind an enemy with a weapon drawn and hold down a button. The longer the button is held down, the more gruesome the execution. The range of possible weapons is impressive, including plastic bags, crowbars, shards of glass, pens and even certain situational weapons, like toilet seat lids.

If the player is spotted, he or she must run away for a few seconds and hide in a shadow until the enemy loses interest, at which point stalking can be resumed. Though occasionally fun and often surprising, this gets old fast.

And yes, the game is as violent as they say. The disgusting and creative ways in which the foes are executed will either make one sick or make the player want to keep playing a little longer. Think of it like the “Saw” movies; not for the mainstream consumer, but someone out there will like it.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Remember those awesome light gun shooter arcade games? The ones where two players could team up to point a plastic gun at the screen, while hordes of zombies, terrorists, dinosaurs and other such things leapt into view?

OK, now who remembers the first time they played “Resident Evil?” Most gamers have experienced one of the games in this series. Fans rave about the beautiful graphics, the unparalleled atmosphere and the tense, nail-biting game play.

“Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles” for the Nintendo Wii combines the atmosphere and story of the well known series with the intense, arcade style shooting action many gamers still recall from the days of arcades.

The nostalgia doesn’t end there. The game features several new scenarios, many providing alternate points of view to the original stories. The primary levels are recreations of several earlier installments in the series. Not only does this allow gamers a chance to revisit their favorite decrepit mansions and apocalyptic cities, but it also provides some insight into the often muddled story lines.

“The Umbrella Chronicles” replicates the situations and environments of the earlier games with surprising accuracy. Players will rejoice as they blast zombies through familiar hallways and battle old bosses, like Yawn, the giant T-virus infected snake, and Tyrant, the ultimate bioweapon, in brand new ways.

The arcade experience is enhanced further with the addition of Nintendo’s newest Wii peripheral, the Wii Zapper. The Zapper, which turns the Wii remote into a replica of an arcade-style light gun, is by no means necessary, but it does add significantly to the immersion.

The game play itself, while not exactly revolutionary, is fun enough to keep fans of light gun games interested, and does feature some interesting mechanics. Shake the remote to reload, hold a button and shake the remote to slash at enemies with the knife and press two buttons simultaneously to throw a grenade.

Shooting certain parts of enemies’ bodies will result in critical hits, and shooting the environment often yields rewards like more ammo and secret files containing back story that can be read from the menu. At the end of the level, players earn stars based on their score, which can be used to upgrade one’s arsenal. Weapons players can earn include shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers and even the infamous handcannon revolver.

The graphics, while not terrible, aren’t great either. This probably won’t bother most Wii owners, as they already know that graphics aren’t everything. More importantly, the game play itself is usually frightening, often frantic and always fun. Add to all this the opportunity to team up with a friend in true arcade style cooperative play, and this game becomes a must-play for fans.