Manhunt

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North
Genre: Third Person Action
Release: April 20, 2004
Platforms: Playstation 2, Xbox, PC

Reviewer: Eric

Rockstar is known for making violent games. Anytime Rockstar is ready to release their latest project there is someone trying to get the game ripped off the shelves even before consumers can buy it. Back in 2003 Rockstar released one of the most violent games in video game history, Manhunt. With the second game in the series already out I thought it would be a great idea to review this classic, then I’ll go ahead and review Manhunt 2.

You are James Earl Cash, a man on death row. You were sentenced to death by lethal injection due to a horrendous crime, which is never really said in the entire game. A wealthy Hollywood director named Starkweather pays off the authorities to bring Cash to his town that he owns. Cash is now set to star in Starkweather’s latest film, which happens to be another one of his famous snuff films.

Your journey into Manhunt has a lot to explore. The stages are pretty linier, you won’t really get lost in this game. The five different gangs in this game will help you know where to go in this game, if you can see a gang member then there is a good chance you need to follow that path. When you see one of these gang members you will be treated to the best part of Manhunt and that is the games stealth kills.

Manhunt is a stealth game for the most part. You can go around and beat the hell out of every one but you won’t get too far. This game is hard, if you hate stealth games like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell then you should pass on Manhunt. In order to kill somebody in this game you have to hold down a button and let your executions meter build up. There are three levels, the longer you hold the button in the more gruesome your kill is. If you want to be a stone cold killer then hold the button in until you see red then let it go. Nice job you just killed somebody with a baseball bat in the most violent way ever.

This game will easily take you between twenty to twenty five hours to complete and this is on the easiest setting. This twenty level game (four are bonus stages) will make most next generation games look like child’s play. If you can play through the entire game you will be treated to a fairly decent story too, it could have been better but hey you are playing a snuff film video game what do you really expect? You may be expecting great controls and graphics, right? Wrong, Manhunt has some minor control issues that can be a little tough getting use to. The graphics, at the time of its release, were good, but they didn’t age too well over time. Problems like this fill the game but it doesn’t really take away too much of the games experience.

Killing people is the name of the game here. Sometimes it may seem a little too hard to kill in Manhunt. The enemy AI might decide to suddenly do a quick turn to see you, causing him to yell for back up. Not only do you have to kill that guy you may have two or three others as well. They will kick your ass too, everything is against you in Manhunt, screw up one time and you are toast. Even if you can manage to win you may not be able to find an item to regain your health for awhile.

The violence level in this game is extreme. Rockstar didn’t just add in the violence and call it a day; each kill has life like sounds too. When you take that hammer and smash some bodies head there is a good chance you will hear a pretty accurate sound. Everyone you kill too may gasp for air, beg you not to kill them or anything else that somebody would do if a killer was ready to end your life. It is a scary feeling that a game like this was created but for some reason it is fun.

One neat little feature in Manhunt that is pretty darn cool deals with the Playstation 2 headset. You can actually wear this during game play and make noises to confuse your victims. It actually works real well too; Rockstar didn’t half ass this just to make Manhunt unique. I mean come on the game is already unique with its content. The tiny little problem with the headset though is if you get scared, which you will, those same guys you are trying to kill may notice you. Definitely realistic but it sucks after some one scares you, after that happens you are pretty much dead meat.

Final Verdict
Manhunt is one of those games you need to try once, if you are the proper age to play it. The violence level in this game is extreme, there are times in the game where I thought Rockstar might have went a little too far. If you are a fan of stealth games then Manhunt is definitely a challenge, but it isn’t perfect. There are some minor camera and control issues, something that should have been looked into before releasing the game. It isn’t as bad as most games but it does cause problems, the camera mainly, when you are trying to save your ass. I think if you are sick in the head then you should either Ebay this game or find it at your local used game shop; the low price tag on it now shouldn’t break anyone’s bank account.

Rating
7.50 out of 10

Manhunt Executions