Manhunt

"Rockstars answer to Hitman"

For all those who don't know, Manhunt is Rockstar Games (makers of the controversial grand theft auto series) answer to Metal Gear Solid 2. It is at its core, a great stealth experience with a little bit of a 3rd person shooter mixed in. It is very similar to the recent title Hitman Contracts. I found it to be a great game, a little too gory, but still great.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay is almost perfect. You have a wide array of weapons at your disposal such as knives, shivs, bats, axes, ect. In addition to all the melee weapons you also have several guns such as a revolver, sawed off shotgun or a submachine gun. The main point of the game is stealth. Even with guns, you will still be using stealth. Manhunt is like any other stealth game. You use shadows to hide then sneak up on your enemy when they are not looking. In order to kill your foes, you must simply walk up behind them and do an "execution". Later in the game you will start to have more firefights. This is a simple process of finding cover and peeking out to blow pop someone. The game is extremely bloody. Whenever you perform and execution the screen will go to a cheap digital video type mode and show you killing them. The only thing that knocks this down is the fact that it gets repetitive, but if you like the game it won't bother you. The game is full of foul language and sexual content, so beware if you have kids.

Story: 8/10

You are James Earl Cash, convicted murderer ready to be put to death. But somehow instead of killing you, the injection only knocks you out. You awake to find a hoarse voice telling you to put on the headset. Once you do, the director begins to talk. You are in Carcer City, which is basically hell on earth. The director has decided to put together a little snuff film with you as the star. He promises you freedom, but you must do what he says. The story goes on from there. Through the game the story gets better, but you will often feel as if nothing is being explained to you. Your character talks only a few times, and its usually quick phrases shouted at people.

Graphics/Sound: 9/10

The graphics in this game are definitely better than average. The environments are some of the best I've ever seen. Rockstar was able to capture that trashy rundown city look perfectly. The models are extremely detailed. The lighting is great too, almost everything has an accurate shadow that moves. Even though this sounds kind of disgusting, the gore is also done really well. The sound in this game is pretty good, but could definitely have used some more work. The environment provides most of the sounds, but indoor the sound becomes dull. The guns all sound authentic and have a real BANG. The weapon slashes all sound pretty good as well.

Replayability: 6/10

Here is where I hit my snag. The game has very little replayability. Since you basically do the same thing on every single seen, by the time you beat it you will most likely be sick of it. The game is decent in length however, probably taking the average gamer around 15 hours to beat. On the stander difficulty setting the game doesn't really get hard till the end, where it takes a steep curve.

Overall Recommendation: Buy it if you like stealth titles or are in the mood for some hack and slash.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/04