Manhunt

"It's like Splinter Cell meets Saw"

As we all know, Rockstar doesn't really care about the rating of their games as long as they are good. In this case it's a really good thing. Manhunt places you in place of James Earl Cash, a man thought to have died by lethal injection. As it turns out, what he received was merely a sedative. James wakes up hours later to the voice of a man over an intercom. James finds himself in a small room in Carcer City, a run-down ghetto city that nobody cares about any more. He steps outside only to find out that he is going to be hunted down until he can get out of the city. Guided by the director via an earpiece, James makes his way through Carcer City in hopes of making it out alive.

Now, just because this is a Rockstar game, don't expect to be gunning people down left-and-right. This is a stealth game and requires skill, unlike Grand Theft Auto. The main aim of the game is to eliminate your enemies by stealth kills.

Your main enemies are the hunters. The hunters consist of a few different gangs that have their own hunting style. Some of them carry shotguns and shout out profanities. Others just patrol areas like normal. Along with hunters are some bosses that carry special weapons and have special outfits. One of the most notable bosses is Piggsy. His outfit consists of a disembodied pig head. Other than that he is naked. This is just one of the few demented bosses of the game. You'll also encounter Carcer City SWAT members later in the game. They are the hardest as they carry sniper rifles.

To eliminate these demented hunters you'll need to stick to the shadows and be quiet. You'll sneak up behind one and execute them with the weapon in your hand. This is the easiest and best way to take down your enemies. You'll do this by sneaking up on them, pressing/holding the attack button and watching the cut scene as James executes them. While you can fight them hand-to-hand it is not suggested as the often carry weapons and even two of them can take you down with ease.

Along with getting rid of your enemies you'll be doing certain tasks at the request of the director. Why you have to do stuff for him you ask? Well, this guy can basically take you out if he wanted to. Luckily, you are the star in his twisted snuff films so it's a win-win situation. You get to live and he gets his footage. Back on topic, the tasks are normally easy, but the hunters are always lurking around and trying to stop you.

At the end of each mission you get a star rating system like critics give movie ratings. You are rated on your performance, time, and difficulty. Getting a five star rating will unlock one half of a cheat code. You'll need to unlock both sides to even be able to enter the code. The cheats range from regenerating health to different costumes.

All together the game isn't too difficult. And you'll quickly learn how to successfully take down hunters. You might have some difficulty though, with the later missions and bosses.

Graphically the game isn't all too impressive. I mean, the graphics work for this game, but they could be better. The character models are decent and pretty detailed. The different environments are good, but tend to get a bit repetitive every now and then. Although none of that is as important as the special effects. The best of the graphics are during the cut-scenes. And even then they aren't the best.

All of the special effects are good. From the blood to the gunshots, everything is done gr. Although it tends to get a bit graphic at times. The gore looks good and realistic (as far as I can tell). The gunshot effects are good too. You can see the muzzle flash and everything. The only thing is that the way the camera is you can't really see a bunch of effects. Although the grainy filter on the camera fit's the game nice and adds to the feel of the things.

Manhunt is great sound wise. Every thing from the voice acting to the executions are realistic. Although, like the graphics, sometimes too realistic. While playing you'll hear the footsteps of your enemies and even hear them whistle. You will also hear the blows landing during fights and executions. You'll also have to pay attention to the sound you're making. If you make too much noise the hunters will be alerted to your presence and you will have to hide before they find you. The music is also good and fit's the creepy feeling of the game.

You will definitely spend a lot of time with this game. Whether it's unlocking cheats or just playing the game again for fun. Overall you should spend a minimum of twenty hours on your first play through. After that you'll spend a good amount of time replaying missions trying to get a higher star rating.

You should definitely buy this game. It's great, fun, and cheap. I bought mine for twenty-five bucks a year ago and have been playing it ever since. It is by far my favorite stealth game on the PS2.

Story - 7/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics - 6/10
Sound - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/03/07

Game Release: Manhunt (US, 04/20/04)