if you low on funds buy this game for some fun.
Manhunt isn't particularly innovative from a gameplay perspective, nor is it a technical marvel, although it succeeds in both these categories. Instead, it stands out as a title that's simply dripping with atmosphere ? the dank, horrid feel of the game's environments and characters is at times suffocating. It's true that you can question its cultural significance, but Manhunt unequivocally proves gaming is just as much an adult entertainment medium as a child's plaything.
Rockstar North's latest can best be described as a third person stealth game, similar to Hitman 3: Contracts or Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The core gameplay revolves around hiding in shadows, sneaking up on opponents and killing them while they're unaware of your presence, although the game does also feature action gunplay sequences. If this blueprint doesn't appeal to you or you've never enjoyed stealth games in the past, Manhunt isn't likely to change that, although some people may pick the game up just to see its unashamedly violent content.
By this stage, it's safe to assume he doesn't want to be friends.
You play as James Earl Cash, a death row inmate who's not exactly on his way to heaven. Instead of the lethal injection he's supposed to have been given, Cash is pumped full of sedatives; when he wakes, he finds an earpiece on a table, and hears the voice of his new best friend who instructs him throughout the game. It's eventually revealed that this man, known as 'the director', is named Starkweather, and that you're the star of his latest snuff film. (For those not aware, snuff films depict actual rapes and killings.) When you begin the game, you're completely powerless, and no matter how fast and savagely you kill, Starkweather's men are always able to overpower you when things get out of hand. This creates a unique sensation, because the majority of video and computer games aim to empower the player ? here, you feel like there's no hope left.
The game is remarkably atmospheric. This is largely due to the attention to detail in the levels, presentation and audio. As you crawl through the underbelly of civilization and murder indiscriminately, you'll probably need go outside and smell the roses to get yourself back into a positive mood. If the idea of being affected that adversely by a game doesn't appeal to you, then perhaps Manhunt is best avoided, but if you've got the stomach for it, it's a game that you aren't likely to forget in a hurry.
Manhunt controls quite simply ? unlike most stealth/action games, there's just one context sensitive button which allows you to do just about everything you need to, from flattening your back to walls and leaning out to see around corners to opening doors and pulling switches. Cash can't jump, climb ledges, crouch or go prone ? the game isn't tactical in that sense. In fact, the basic gameplay could be criticized for being a little repetitive ? the levels are always very linear, and there's only ever limited interaction with the environment (you can occasionally pick up a fuel can to blow a hole in a wall, for example, but that's about all). When you're armed with a weapon, you can kill by walking up behind an enemy and holding down the attack button, then releasing it to perform the execution. The gunplay sequences equip you with an auto-aim button, and holding down on the left analogue stick will allow you to perform headshots at close range, but beyond this, there's not much you need to know to play the game.
The interface is very streamlined and works effectively. A helpful image of Cash in the lower right hand corner of the screen always lets you know whether or not you're hidden from view, while a circular radar on your lower left shows your enemies' position, and a red circle which expands from the center of the radar indicates the amount of noise you're making. On PlayStation 2, with the USB headset plugged in, you could use your voice to actually make sounds in the game, alerting nearby enemies so they could be lured into traps. On the Xbox and PC, you'll have to rely on tapping walls to make noise, which seems like a missed opportunity, given the high percentage of Xbox owners who subscribe to Xbox Live and own a headset.
Hiding bodies keeps guards unsuspecting.
The execution sequences are obviously the most brutal parts of the game ? there are a massive variety of weapons at your disposal, from single use items like wire, glass shards and plastic bags to axes, machetes, knives, baseball bats, meat cleavers and sickles. Each weapon allows Cash to perform three different types of executions ? depending on how long you hold down the attack button when you go to kill an enemy, you can perform a standard, violent or brutal kill (indicated by white, yellow and red cursor marks around your unsuspecting enemy). Without going into too much detail, you'll see some pretty shocking sequences. Scenes where Cash puts a plastic bag over his enemy's head and beats him to death while he suffocates seem light next to sequences where he removes their genitalia with a sickle or decapitates them in three, uneven, messy hacks at their neck, complete with the unpleasant sound of metal tearing through bone and tissue. If these descriptions are enough to turn you off your food, the game is probably not for you, because things get much, much worse
The enemies that you'll face in the game play a large part in creating the atmosphere, although there are some noteworthy problems with the A.I. (artificial intelligence). Rockstar North has crafted a wide variety of enemies for Cash to encounter, from the criminally insane gang 'The Smileys' to the hooded gangs which patrol the first levels, you'll find all sorts of freaks out to tear you limb from limb. They all have something interesting to say and look incredibly scary, which really creates a sense of panic when you're spotted. Unlike most stealth games, you can often run back to some nearby shadows and hide if you're spotted, so Manhunt doesn't rely too heavily on trial and error. Unfortunately, that's often the case because it's easy to exploit the A.I.'s shortcomings. While this isn't really true of the stealth sections, your opponents are pretty dimwitted during the gunplay sequences ? they'll occasionally take cover behind nearby objects, but most of the time they'll just stand still and shoot or rush on your position. We can think of more than one occasion when we were able to stand at the top of a flight of stairs and gun down enemy after enemy, each one eager to meet the same fate as his fallen comrades. This isn't a huge problem, but it does make Manhunt feel less refined than other, more tactical stealth games on the market.
The screenshots that you'll see of Manhunt really don't do the game justice. Captures from the game just look washed out, but the game itself has a very deliberate, grainy, dark appearance which creates a terrific atmosphere. The enemies in the game are, as mentioned, particularly scary. The insane Smileys, for example, have 'please stop me?' etched into their face masks, while gangs such as the fat, white neo-Nazis in the early levels have obscenities scrawled all over their bodies and carry large blades. Each murder is viewed through a distorted camera lens, which gives the game a very voyeuristic feel. The environments themselves are well designed and packed with plenty of detail ? from the blood stained padded cells of the insane asylum to the freakish statues in the game's abandoned zoo, there's plenty to scare you in Rockstar North's latest title. Both the Xbox and PC versions of the game have a sharper look to them than the PlayStation 2 build, but it's possible to argue that the low resolution look of the game on Sony's console contributed to the atmosphere.
It reads "Peace and Love" backwards.
Much of the game's success can be attributed to its audio ? the soundtrack has a borderline cheesy '80s horror feel to it, but the irony is, you're actually scared, which makes for a pretty gripping experience. The voice acting in the game is simply superb, especially the almost friendly deliveries from Brian Cox's Starkweather. Your enemies are also quite talkative ? it's rare that you'll hear any gang member say the same thing twice. Some of the lines are particularly disturbing, such as one time when our stalker explained that he wanted to "take some lily white flesh home to [his] momma'".
Before we conclude, the point needs to be made that Manhunt isn't a game for children; its graphic depiction of violence is unparalleled in most forms of popular media, so if you decide to purchase the game, keep it well out of the hands of young gamers.
As a stealth action game, Manhunt for Xbox and PC is enjoyable, but it's true that it's not in the same league as, say, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. That said, as a piece of art and a socially significant product, Manhunt is a game that you probably shouldn't pass up. Providing, that is, that you're not overly repulsed by its shocking subject matter.