How long has it been since you've hurt somone? Patience- you won't have to wait too much longer. The developer of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has announced a release date of Q3 so we can all return to that dark and twisted world and do what we do best.
The announcement comes, as these things tend to do, via the official Twitter page.
"Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will launch in Q3 2014. Act accordingly. #BusinessTalk"
Hotline Miami 2 is of course the sequel to the smash (and I do mean smash) hit original, an ultraviolent game inspired by Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive". You can see the influence in the 80s style and the dark, moody dance music. The soundtrack is as much a highlight as the brutal gameplay, in which you can die as easily as you can kill. One hit is all it takes and you're restarting the level yet you will, over and over again, until you kill absolutely everyone in your way. That's your one goal as a hitman- leave no survivors and kill everyone as badly as you can, hopefully changing up the method of death each time in order to get a higher score. What's the fun in just running through shooting everyone with a shotgun when you can use knives, bottles, bricks, doors, and all manner of guns? You'll wear a mask to protect your identity, each of which is an animal's face and gives you various powers to change up the game.
The sequel, of course, threatens to be even darker. The main character wears a pig mask and is actually an actor in a film about the exploits of the madman from the first game. There are many other characters in the game, including a group of fans of the man's work who seek to recreate all its ultraviolent beauty.
The Q3 release applies to the PC/Steam version- hopefully other versions (Mac/Linux and PS4/Vita) will arrive shortly thereafter. Check out the teaser trailer below.