"Incredibly brutal, over the top violence, yet is still fiendishly entertaining."

After Grand Theft Auto made a successful transition to 3D with GTA III, and a good sequel, Vice City, Rockstar had a great, 3D engine ready to use. Thats where Manhunt comes in, after Rockstar decided to have a change. Manhunt sees you, well, hunting humans across Carcer City, in some very gory ways.

You play as James Earl Cash, a man sent to death row. However, it seems Cash was not killed, and instead was given a powerful sedative. He wakes up when a mystery man, who calls himself the Director, contacts Cash. He then sets him the task of escaping the city, killing anyone who gets in his way, whilst being recorded by hidden cameras. Thats pretty much the story, although there is an obvious plot twist that you can most probably guess a mile away.

The gameplay of the game is fairly simple. You have to try and kill all the gang members in one area, before going to the next area. To do this, you must use many melee weapons and firearms found in the game. Weapons are divided into four different colours. Green is the most silent weapon, but is lost after use (plastic bag, glass, wire). Blue is medium sized, and won't be lost, but is louder. Red, is the biggest form (usually the big firearms, and a baseball bat), but is the loudest, and you're most likely to be heard. Finally, yellow weapons are distraction items, which can be thrown to make a noise, like bricks, cans, and even enemy heads (as long as they're cut off). To kill an enemy, you must walk behind them, with a melee weapon, until Cash raises his hand. When he does, holding the attack button for a certain amount of time will do a different level execution (of which there are 3), in which Gray (level 1), is the worst, and red (level 3), is the best, which gets you more points at the end of the game. It's not quite that simple though, since enemy AI is intelligent, and they will stay in groups, stay in the light, or just not come at all. Running out to fight is a lot harder than hiding in the shadows, and will most likely result in death.

Unfortunately, about half way through, the game changes, a lot. You suddenly find yourself using more guns than melee weapons, and it turns more into an action shooter, which it isn't too good at. On the PC, aiming is used with the mouse, you can hide on walls and peak around the corner to get a quick shot, in which head shots usually kill in one hit. But since guns are louder, you're forced to take your time to try and hide in the shadows, and to be honest, I don't think it's as much fun, since it can get incredibly frustrating at times. If the firearms were handled well, and were in the game less, instead favouring stealth and melee weapons, overall the game might of been more enjoyable.

Manhunt has a fairly good length, taking me about 15 hours to complete. Despite some poor shooting sections, I have to admit I did enjoy those 15 hours of gameplay, and for its cheap price now, its definitely worth it. Difficulty wise, it can be tough, especially at some of the shooting sections. To restore your health you rely on Painkillers, which can be a rarity, and the game is saved via checkpoints, forcing you to continue from them when you die (which is easy). The game sets you into it fairly easily at first, but it soon becomes a challenge, but never hard enough for you to give up. Since you die so easily though, the shooting sections can be a pain, and where you're most likely to die.

Graphics wise, Manhunt is fairly decent, despite originally being on a console. The lighting effects and character models are well done, as are the bleak, but sometimes repetitive environments. Whilst the PC had better at the time, they were still good enough for a console game. If I am honest, I didn't really hear much music, since it is fairly quiet. However, the music is very good for the atmosphere of the game, low, quiet, and never too frantic (although there is a little for gun fights). Sound effects are top notch, and voice acting is fairly good too.

Overall, Manhunt is a good experience for stealth and action fans alike. The combat or gun combat isn't too good, although stealth sections are good and can even match games like Splinter Cell. The level design can get a bit repetitive toward the end, but its still a blast, and definitely worth checking out. Overall, I would give it a 8.3 out of ten, rounding down to a 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/07

Game Release: Manhunt (EU, 04/23/04)