Manhunt

"A Blood-Splattered Masterpiece"

Rockstar doesn’t necessarily have a problem with taking the darker aspects of society and using them for themes in their games. From the Noir-ish vengeance story Max Payne to the epic Grand Theft Auto series, Rockstar seems to have given the gaming world the impression that they only make games for a more mature audience. But with the release of their most recent creation, Manhunt, that impression seems to have solidified itself as a fact. Manhunt is, with little debate, the most obscene, graphic, and overall disturbing game to have graced the platform gaming world; and I love it.

For the precious few of you who don’t already know the story behind the game, Manhunt puts you into the shoes of James Earl Cash (we’ll just call him Cash for short), an incarcerated criminal who has been on death row for three years now for crimes unknown to the player. Well, the day has finally come for him to walk the green mile and as they put Cash to sleep to deliver his lethal injection, something happens. You don’t know what it is, but it involves Cash regaining his consciousness in the crime-ravaged Carcer City. A metropolis abandoned by decent folks where only ruthless gangs and criminals, ranging from Neo-Nazis to the militia-like War Dogs, roam the streets (ever seen “Escape From New York”? It’s a lot like that). Cash soon learns that he has somehow fallen into the hands of an underground snuff film director known as Mr. Starkweather. Starkweather reveals that he plans to use Cash to, um, well, make cash. Communicating to Cash from an earpiece, Starkweather guides Cash through the city as his coach and tormenter; praising Cash on his executions and belting him on his mistakes. The deal is if Cash survives Starkweather’s game to produce his gory, underground film projects, then Cash is free to leave out onto the real world.

The haunting premise doesn’t do justice to the game’s disturbing nature. The city is torn apart with flipped vehicles, large vermin, and garbage piling up everywhere. But the garbage doesn’t confine itself to the ground, but also in the mouths of the many gang members that Cash must plow through in order to survive. If there’s anything vulgarity out there that can be said in the world of the English language, it’s said here. Whereas Max Payne and GTA dealt with violence in a movie-dynamic and sometimes cartoonish nature, Manhunt does it’s best to make the gore seem less surreal. The fact that when Cash performs an execution that the player sees it through the eyes of the director (a film camera with grainy recording quality and bad tracking) doesn’t necessarily make the experience easier to watch. These factors aren’t flaws however. In a matter of fact, it’s icing on the cake. The game’s realistic nature gives Manhunt an edge over most survival-horror games such as Silent Hill, which have more of a fictional horror aspect.

It would be a mistake however to mistake Manhunt with a game like GTA, Max Payne, or even other survival-horror games like Silent Hill. Even when armed to the teeth with full health, it would be a grave mistake for Cash to simply bust out both barrels blazing onto five other street thugs. The game’s AI is rather clever and leaves the gangs capable of teaming up with other’s in order to make them more formidable foes. If Cash was to kill a gang member and leave their body out in the open where others can see it, it will be found. A gang member will notice it, call for all of the other thugs to come check it out and then will scout the area together until they either find you or give up the search and split, returning to their original posts. This means that there’s only one proper method of exterminating your enemies; hiding in the shadows, luring them near your position, and silently taking them out while their backs are turned. The gameplay is quite similar to that of Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. The key to the game is to be as covert as possible, proving the point that your brain can be more dangerous than any weapon you can carry in the game. The strategy isn’t always going to be hook-line-and-sinker. As the game progresses, the gameplay evolves as it includes other factors. Some missions will require Cash to transport objects, pursue others, escort people from one point to another, remain completely unseen, and even rescue your kidnapped family members! There will even be levels where you will begin with all of your weapons stripped from you and having to start from scratch. You cannot go through the entire game undetected however. There are a number of points in the game, which Starkweather likes to call “set-ups”. Here, Cash will have to go head-to-head with a foe in combat. The head-to-head combat system takes a few tries to get used to and, at times, feels a bit slow to respond, but if you got the gameplay down, you will luckily not have to deal with the system unless you have to. The game doesn’t restrict itself to melee weapons though. As Cash progresses through the game, the player will become more familiar with firearms ranging from nail-guns to automatic rifles. The gun-fighting system has a short learning curve (there is a stage called “View of Innocence” which works almost as a tutorial of sorts) where players will learn to duck and hide behind object, peek from behind corners and learn the pop-and-hide technique providing for a rather authentic gunfight feel.

The level-based game’s mechanics aren’t too difficult to master. Cash moves silently and steadily when using the analog stick and can sprint with the threat of being detected using the L1 button. When armed with a weapon, Cash can creep up from behind an enemy and, when either Starkweather indicates so or Cash assumes the proper stance, you can prepare for the execution. In order to perform these delightful sequences, the player must hold down either the X or Square button for a period of time and, when they believe the time is right, release for the kill. Each weapon, raging from one time use plastic bags all the way up to machetes and chainsaws, has three different kill sequences depending on how long the player suspends themselves behind the thug before going in for the kill. For the first three seconds, the target on the opponent’s head will be white, indicating a “Hasty” kill (a quick and generic death). If the player goes for 4-6 seconds, the kill will be labeled as “Violent” (where Cash punishes his adversaries before killing them). And, if he goes for 7 seconds and beyond, the kill is “Gruesome” (a style that lives up to it’s name and usually involves Cash doing something unpleasant to the guy’s neck or face). Naturally, Gruesome kills are more dangerous to achieve since it will involve Cash following his target longer, giving them more time to turn around and catch you in the corner of their eye whereas Hasty kills can be performed quickly without Cash having to stray too far from his safety zone. One can play it safe and go for only the Hasty kills, but going for the whole nine yards is on one the many keys to unlocking Manhunt’s hidden features. Your performance in each level is based on a one-to-five star rating. The reckless player who plays only on Fetish mode (more on this later), gets caught frequently, does only Hasty kills, and takes his precious time on situations where it’s not necessary will get one star whereas the bolder player who plays on Hardcore mode (note that you cannot receive a five-star rating unless you play on this mode), kills gruesomely without detection, and blazes through the map will get the five-star treatment. These five-star ratings are what the player needs to get the bonus goodies for each episode such as design art, cheat codes, and even bonus levels.

As mentioned earlier, there are two modes of gameplay; “Fetish” (or Normal) and “Hardcore” (Hard). Sorry, no Easy mode. The only significant difference between the two is the availability of the game’s radar (which is turned-off completely in Hardcore mode). This may sound like it isn’t a big deal, but to someone who’s just warming-up the game, it’s all the difference. The radar on the game’s hub is used to detect the positions of gang members and their state of mind. The radar is based on sound so if a thug speaks or walks loudly, they will appear on the radar as an arrow indicating the direction they’re facing, yet if they are silent, they go undetected (much like yourself). The radar also indicates the target’s state of mind. If a thug is unaware of your presence, they will appear as yellow. If suspicious (this occurs when you make noise or any other distraction), they turn to orange, and if they are fully aware of your presence, it turns to red. Dead bodies also appear on the radar as black dots. Without this radar, the player must rely on their experience and gut feelings to locate and hunt down their prey/hunters making for a more realistic gaming experience.

But the realism doesn’t stop there. The sound and music of the game is superb. When Cash is in a safe situation, the music is slow and low and intensifies depending on the level of danger Cash is in. The thugs are also very entertaining. Each gang has their own arsenal of one-liners they make while in all sorts of situations ranging from the hilarious to blood-boiling insults. Manhunt also has a very unique feature in where the user can attach a USB headset to the Playstation console and listen to Starkweather communicate to them directly through the earpiece, just like Cash. Plus, if the user makes a substantial amount of noise into the microphone, the noise can alert thugs nearby making for a great distraction or a grave mistake, making Manhunt all the more realistic.

Manhunt is not an easy experience however. After the first three levels (which teaches the player the basics), the game kicks it into the next gear and starts putting Cash in situations involving more than two thugs nearby with fewer, smaller, and more sparse safety zones. I can assure you that unless you’re using a game enhancer or if you’re the Second Coming, you WILL die at some point in this game…over…and over…and over. The game is a basic learn-from-your-mistakes strategy that puts you into ever-evolving scenarios.

Manhunt is a blood-splattered masterpiece filled with intriguing and challenging gameplay. The grainy video sequences and storyline (which doesn’t really start taking shape until half-way through the game) also give Manhunt the allure of a very innovative survival horror experience as compared to others such as Resident Evil series. If you have a strong stomach, hunger for a challenge, and a taste for horror, then Manhunt is unquestionably the gaming oasis you seek.

PROS: Fantastic level and character designs; challenging gameplay; sound features and voice acting is phenomenal; innovative story and theme.

CONS: May be too challenging or disturbing for some.

OVERALL: A 9 out of a possible 10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/03