Manhunt

Rockstar Games is at it again. Already insanely successful with their Grand Theft Auto games, they upped the ante of brutality in video games with Manhunt. The game is rated "M" for mature(17+ to play) and earns this rating over and over.

You play the part of James Earl Cash, a death-row convict who is supposed to be dead. He was executed but it was all a show so that an even more twisted individual could use him as the star of a reality murder film. Cash will be taken to different locations and let loose while other criminals and street gangs hunt him done. The body count determines the winner.

Normally, this game would not have made me interested in it. I would never have even bought it, but I wanted to see what all the noise from the would-be game legislators was about. Two of the stores I normally buy games from, do not carry the game. I assume due to the controversy. That just made me want to see what was really wrong with the game, or right with it, since it was getting so much attention. So I played the game trying to be critical of not only the game play but also the content and entire premise behind the game.

The settings in the game are done very well. You view the proceedings mostly from a third person view. Your goal is pretty simple, kill or be killed. But you are given your tasks by the director of the movie you are starring in. He tells you where to go and who to kill. He opens the gates to your freedom, or at least he keeps telling you that you will be free.

The game control is simple and easily mastered. The toughest part in the whole game is learning to be patient and stealthy. One-on-one, face-to-face confrontation is not rewarded. Those characters that are hunting you are rarely alone for long and all are better fighters than you. So you must be stealthy and learn to hide in the shadows. Pouncing on your prey from the dark is the best method of winning the game. The more bloody the executions, the better the "scene" ratings. The executions are carried out in a cut-scene style and some are quite graphic. But there is also a cartoonish element to some of them. Getting a good rating on a scene will unlock some bonus features in the game which will extend the life of the game and gives you more bang for your gaming dollar.

Adding to the atmosphere of the game are the characters themselves. Gang members and various psychopaths wander around the levels searching for you. They taunt you and try to bait you to show yourself. And the language is not the Queen's English. The dialogue is every bit inspired by the streets. If you have a problem with the F-bomb being dropped on a regular basis, then give this game a pass. But the most (and best) aspect of the atmosphere is the omnipresent voice of the director, Swackhammer. He just makes your skin crawl. Two-thumbs up for the voice acting here.

The AI in the game is pretty mediocre. Nothing ground breaking in this department. In fact I think they could have done a better job in having the bad guys hear footsteps behind them. Most of the time I was able to walk up behind my prey from a good distance and execute them. I could hear my own footsteps but the bad guys were oblivious to them. But the AI does get a little tougher later in the game when dealing with the SWAT teams and special Cerebus Guards.

Overall, I found this game to be everything it should be. The stealth element adds a level to the gameplay that forces the player to ponder situations a little more carefully. The brutality of the killing was a little unnerving at first when learning the game but soon it was a challenge to get the most gruesome executions when there were many bad guys hanging around.

Simply put, the game works. But remember the rating. The game earned the rating. I can imagine this game being made into a movie one day. Bruce Willis as Cash and Danny Devito as Swackhammer. It could work!