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Manhunt Wiki has an article on Cottonmouth

Cottonmouth is a major city located in an unidentified state in the Southeastern United States that appears in Manhunt 2, as part of the 3D Universe of the Grand Theft Auto series.

The name of the city is never explicitly mentioned in dialogue; however, it is revealed on the city's sewer manhole covers in-game and other unused textures.[1]

Influences[]

Similarly to Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto III and Carcer City in Manhunt, the city of Cottonmouth is not inspired by one, but multiple cities from a specific region of the United States.

According to Rockstar Games, Cottonmouth is a hybrid of multiple large southern US cities, including New Orleans, Charleston, Atlanta, but not any one in particular. [2]

Etymology[]

The city is named after the Agkistrodon piscivorus, a species of semiaquatic vipers native to the Southeastern United States, commonly known as cottonmouths.

Geography[]

Cottonmouth-MH2-Skyline

Skyline of Cottonmouth.

Cottonmouth is much more modern, cleaner, and safer than Carcer City, with skyscrapers in the area of City Center, as well as domiciled houses and blocks.

Being in a humid-subtropical zone in the southeastern region, palm trees are commonly seen throughout the city. Many of the houses in residential districts are surrounded by palm trees and other trees native to the region.

A mountain is also seen from afar as part of the game’s skydome, seemingly inspired by the Driskill Mountain's natual summit in the real-life state of Louisiana.

Districts[]

There are multiple districts, neighborhoods and landmarks visited during the events of Manhunt 2, some of which are only named in the game's manual.

Weather[]

Cottonmouth-MH2-HurricaneDamage

Hurricane damage in Wooddale, Cottonmouth, circa 2007.

Due to its geographical location, Cottonmouth is very often at risk of hurricanes and is commonly affected by tropical or subtropical cyclones. This real-life fact is used as a plot device to explain the derelict-looking residential areas between the flashbacks and present day events in-game.

As it is located close to the Gulf of Mexico, the city experiences thunderstorms very frequently. Ironically, the present day events of Manhunt 2 are only made possible due to an inconvenient thunderstorm.

Television[]

The only known television station in Cottonmouth is TV-MK. This channel transmits news, weather, talk shows, films, etc.

The name of the station is a play on MK Ultra, a reference to the game's plot.

Crime[]

Cottonmouth-MH2-Crime

The Red Kings necrophiliac street gang killing Flipper Dixon's grocery store owner with pliers.

Run all the way to San Andreas, you little prick!
— A Red Kings member taunting former San Fierro-based doctor turned mass murderer Daniel Lamb.

During the flashback events set circa 2001, Cottonmouth is a very clean and safe place. However, in the exact same year, a major serial killer hunting would take place after a malfunction in a bioweapon manufacturing-related research experiment conducted by The Project.

The test subject, former San Fierro-based doctor Daniel Lamb[3] , a volunteer for the experiment, was implanted with a "personality sample" of deceased high-skilled government agent and hired assassin Leo Kasper, resulting in a major personality clash inside his mind with the late assassin trying to overtake his mind.

After the assassination of The Project's main financial contributor Stanley Grex in the middle of the Maibatsu Corporation plaza by doctor Lamb (under control of Kasper), a wide-spread manhunt occurred in the residential areas of Cottonmouth, resulting in the imprisonment of Lamb/Kasper.

Six years later, in the year 2007, the city is depicted as a very dark, miserable, dirty, and unsettling place, devastated by recent severe weather conditions. This gave the opportunity for the rapid rise in crime in the city, including the emerging street gang “Red Kings” trying to take control of the city's Red Light District.

A local strip club named Le Papillon Rouge is also used as a front for recruitment by The Project, as well as being a major S&M dungeon and torture chamber run by The Pervs gang.

Transport[]

While there are no known subway lines in the city, the Watkins Trainyard is located in the industrial zone, near the Ten Four Trucking company warehouse, implying the city has a functional railway system. The trainyard is located under an unnamed elevated expressway.

A Daschund Buses company was originally planned to appear in Manhunt 2, but was cut during development. According to a logo seen on Steven Walsh's portfolio, the motto of the company was "Cottonmouth's Premiere Public Transport". It was the third concept iteration of the Greyhound-inspired company, after Whippet Express Coach in GTA III and the cut Dash-hound in GTA San Andreas.

Police Department[]

Unlike the CCPD in the previous title, the Cottonmouth Police Department don't play a major role in the storyline, making minor appearances in the present day events and being dispatched to capture and kill the Maibatsu Plaza serial killer (a.k.a. Lamb/Kasper) in Wooddale.

They appear to be inspired by the New Orleans Police Department, as evidenced by the similar patches, uniforms and rankings.

References in the Grand Theft Auto Series[]

3D Universe[]

BoneVoyeur-GTALCS-JDOTooleGimp

Joseph Daniel O'Toole during the mission Bone Voyeur!

Main article: PauliesRevue.net

What, this? I'm an adventurous lover. You know I like... an experimental side, y'know?
— Joseph Daniel O'Toole to Toni Cipriani about S&M.

As part of the same shared universe, in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Joseph Daniel O'Toole is a supporter for the Rubber Fist S&M products. Some of the Cottonmouth-made products he advertises on Paulie's Revue Bar's website include The Ticklin' Table and Heidi Hole sex dolls.

JD may also make subtle references to Manhunt 2 and the duology as a whole, by filming Toni Cipriani murdering Sindacco Crime Family gangsters for “personal use” and allowing some “specialists” to film “internet gold dust” content inside the club, implied to be BDSM porn.

These are one of few direct references to Cottonmouth's setting in the 3D Universe.

HD Universe[]

ThePeepHole-Interior-GTAIV

Many of the rebooted Manhunt 2 brands are seen at The Peep Hole in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Cottonmouth is no longer mentioned by name since the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Many of the brands and products that originated from Cottonmouth and manufactured in the city in Manhunt 2 are rebranded in a different form in the HD Universe, no longer related to Cottonmouth or the Manhunt series and adapted to the new continuity started in Grand Theft Auto IV.

As usual in Rockstar North's reboots, some of the important story-related brands are either renamed or simply deleted from existence. The HD Universe counterparts of H4PP1 and Hingmyralgan drugs are no longer advertised as "made in Cottonmouth Asylum" on yourmexicandoctor.com.

Rubber Fist appears to have been wiped from existence for this separate canon, as all of the reused posters and products have the Rubber Fist logo edited out.

The 3D Universe's Velvet Glove sex shop chain has been adapted as an adult DVD publisher/distributor of the same name and logo.

Unrelated to adult entertainment brands, the 3D Universe's TV-MK is now referred to by its early concept name “MKTV” on Pirate Music posters in Grand Theft Auto IV.

The aforementioned Cottonmouth-based Daschund Buses company was eventually added to the HD Universe as the (seemingly intercity) Dashound company in Grand Theft Auto V, using a similar logo.

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Textures:
    chopper86decals128amanhole_cm
    Unused Daschund logo
  2. "Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V" - Rockstar Newswire, July 12th 2012. (Internet Archive)
  3. "Dixmor Hospital Patient Records, p. 4 - Patient Files: Daniel Lamb" (Official Manhunt 2 manual)
    DixmorHospitalPatientRecords-MH2-04
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