I wanted to play Manhunt more as someone who would want to watch a car accident than anything else. I had heard about the depravity of the title and wanted to see for myself why some reviewers had such moral problems with the game.
What I found was a stealth game and from my perspective, a very good stealth game. The controls were easy to get used to and they performed without a hitch. As a stealth title, Manhunt is very good. The AI ranges from good to dumb. This combination actually works for the game. Good in the sense that the AI will track and react to you when they are supposed to. In fact, the AI will team up to track you. The AI talks to each other during the game. This banter is exceptional. The AI has its dumb moments though, like when you snipe one out of a pack of four. At first, when the kill is made, they go on alert, but after a while, they act as if nothing happened, with their dead comrade bleeding from the head at their feet
. Gunplay is introduced later in the game, however, auto targeting is exclusively used. The game remains very challenging and is by no means a walk in the park. The game also maintains a good level of tension throughout even though at times the somewhat repetitive gameplay might make you question as to whether or not you should continue. You should as the game eventually winds up satisfying as the game reveals itself to you in both gameplay and story. As guns are introduced, the gameplay meter rises. The best part of the game for me was walking up to an AI and blowing his head off . Manhunt is not a short game. It is 20 levels of pure stealth and it takes a while to complete, except for the last which went by pretty quick. As for controversial, the game is sick and the people that designed it are sick. The AI that you mutilate range from gang members to gays to law enforcement. The latter I had a serious problem with as killing police officers in this fashion bothered me at first. Yes, you do get used to it but I found it disturbing. The game hook in mutilating people is to sneak up behind them and hold the attack button. The longer you hold it the worse the mutilation. This gameplay element does add a level of tension and excitement, as most times you want to hold out for the most gruesome kill. There are different mutilations for each weapon and each weapon has three levels of mutilation so there is no shortage of kill scenes. At various points during gameplay you have a choice of weapons, so choose wisely. Weapons are classified as three types and you can hold one of each. Red (makes a sh*tload of noise), blue (less likely that you will be noticed), and green (which offers pure stealth kills). You also have one slot to hold an object that you can throw. Objects can vary from breakable bottles to a head that you are responsible for decapitating (my favorite).
There is a graininess filter as in Silent Hill 2, which can be turned off. I left it on as it adds to the immersion of the game. The graphics match the theme of the game and are decent but nothing special, but certainly set the mood, which is both violent (to an extreme) and dark.
The audio in Manhunt is excellent. 5.1 Dolby Digital sounds are put to excellent use. The AI banter as I discussed is excellent. The music fits the mood of the game and is situational or goverend by events in the game. Weapon sounds are awesome, both guns and other weapons like knives and cleavers, which when they hit the flesh of the victim, make you squirm.
The game makes excellent use of the Xbox communicator. Do not play Manhunt without one. Manhunt is all about your unwilling participation in a snuff film directed by a deranged director who is a very disturbed individual by anybodys standards. He puts you in difficult situations and watches as you play the leading role. For a good portion of the game, he talks to you through the Xbox communicator. This aspect of the game is exceptional. As you play, this aspect of the game eventually disappears, but I wish it did not. It was great and more games should find a use for the communicator.
Two difficulties are available and you are rated on each level from between 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars can only be achieved by playing the game on its hardest level and meeting an established time limit, though the levels are not timed in the sense that you can take as long as you want. Something I like to do in stealth games since I enjoy studying the AI. Get at least three stars on a level and you unlock a graphic from the design of the game. The rating concept and the unlockables do add a bit of longevity if that's your thing.
I like the design of the game. I like the presentation of the kill scenes, played out as you are watching a film, which is actually the point of the game, in that you are an unwilling participant of a snuff film. It's a sick game and from my point of view, Manhunt gets next generation points for it's brutality and it's presentation, of which both are original.
Manhunt has garnered different reactions from the press. After playing the game, I have a hard time understanding why there has been no outcry from the gay or law enforcement community concerning the method of how members of these groups are systematically executed. Sneaking up behind a police officer with a knife, sticking the knife into his eyes as blood spurts out of the skull is not for the squeamish and serious demeans the heroism of these brave men and women. As for gays, the game explicity uses gay banter in some areas as the AI roams their scripted paths. It is clear that the designers intended for you the player to mutilate gays. Was this needed given the nature of how some young people that will play Manhunt view gay people? How you view the world will affect your view towards this game. Are you an angry person, explictly or implicit? Do you ever fantasize about murdering or mutilating? Do you enjoy acting out your aggressions through video games? Are your moral values such that you can have fun making people suffer, even if its only a video game? Manhunt has something for everyone who can answer yes to any of these questions.
My score:
Graphics: 6, Mediocre
Sound: 10, Excellent.
Longevity: 7, Average
Gameplay:8, Very good.
Tilt: 9 Many implications involved while playing this title.
Overall: 8.0. Can be enjoyable and believe it or not, a certain crowd can derive fun from this title.
What I found was a stealth game and from my perspective, a very good stealth game. The controls were easy to get used to and they performed without a hitch. As a stealth title, Manhunt is very good. The AI ranges from good to dumb. This combination actually works for the game. Good in the sense that the AI will track and react to you when they are supposed to. In fact, the AI will team up to track you. The AI talks to each other during the game. This banter is exceptional. The AI has its dumb moments though, like when you snipe one out of a pack of four. At first, when the kill is made, they go on alert, but after a while, they act as if nothing happened, with their dead comrade bleeding from the head at their feet
. Gunplay is introduced later in the game, however, auto targeting is exclusively used. The game remains very challenging and is by no means a walk in the park. The game also maintains a good level of tension throughout even though at times the somewhat repetitive gameplay might make you question as to whether or not you should continue. You should as the game eventually winds up satisfying as the game reveals itself to you in both gameplay and story. As guns are introduced, the gameplay meter rises. The best part of the game for me was walking up to an AI and blowing his head off . Manhunt is not a short game. It is 20 levels of pure stealth and it takes a while to complete, except for the last which went by pretty quick. As for controversial, the game is sick and the people that designed it are sick. The AI that you mutilate range from gang members to gays to law enforcement. The latter I had a serious problem with as killing police officers in this fashion bothered me at first. Yes, you do get used to it but I found it disturbing. The game hook in mutilating people is to sneak up behind them and hold the attack button. The longer you hold it the worse the mutilation. This gameplay element does add a level of tension and excitement, as most times you want to hold out for the most gruesome kill. There are different mutilations for each weapon and each weapon has three levels of mutilation so there is no shortage of kill scenes. At various points during gameplay you have a choice of weapons, so choose wisely. Weapons are classified as three types and you can hold one of each. Red (makes a sh*tload of noise), blue (less likely that you will be noticed), and green (which offers pure stealth kills). You also have one slot to hold an object that you can throw. Objects can vary from breakable bottles to a head that you are responsible for decapitating (my favorite).There is a graininess filter as in Silent Hill 2, which can be turned off. I left it on as it adds to the immersion of the game. The graphics match the theme of the game and are decent but nothing special, but certainly set the mood, which is both violent (to an extreme) and dark.
The audio in Manhunt is excellent. 5.1 Dolby Digital sounds are put to excellent use. The AI banter as I discussed is excellent. The music fits the mood of the game and is situational or goverend by events in the game. Weapon sounds are awesome, both guns and other weapons like knives and cleavers, which when they hit the flesh of the victim, make you squirm.
The game makes excellent use of the Xbox communicator. Do not play Manhunt without one. Manhunt is all about your unwilling participation in a snuff film directed by a deranged director who is a very disturbed individual by anybodys standards. He puts you in difficult situations and watches as you play the leading role. For a good portion of the game, he talks to you through the Xbox communicator. This aspect of the game is exceptional. As you play, this aspect of the game eventually disappears, but I wish it did not. It was great and more games should find a use for the communicator.
Two difficulties are available and you are rated on each level from between 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars can only be achieved by playing the game on its hardest level and meeting an established time limit, though the levels are not timed in the sense that you can take as long as you want. Something I like to do in stealth games since I enjoy studying the AI. Get at least three stars on a level and you unlock a graphic from the design of the game. The rating concept and the unlockables do add a bit of longevity if that's your thing.
I like the design of the game. I like the presentation of the kill scenes, played out as you are watching a film, which is actually the point of the game, in that you are an unwilling participant of a snuff film. It's a sick game and from my point of view, Manhunt gets next generation points for it's brutality and it's presentation, of which both are original.
Manhunt has garnered different reactions from the press. After playing the game, I have a hard time understanding why there has been no outcry from the gay or law enforcement community concerning the method of how members of these groups are systematically executed. Sneaking up behind a police officer with a knife, sticking the knife into his eyes as blood spurts out of the skull is not for the squeamish and serious demeans the heroism of these brave men and women. As for gays, the game explicity uses gay banter in some areas as the AI roams their scripted paths. It is clear that the designers intended for you the player to mutilate gays. Was this needed given the nature of how some young people that will play Manhunt view gay people? How you view the world will affect your view towards this game. Are you an angry person, explictly or implicit? Do you ever fantasize about murdering or mutilating? Do you enjoy acting out your aggressions through video games? Are your moral values such that you can have fun making people suffer, even if its only a video game? Manhunt has something for everyone who can answer yes to any of these questions.
My score:
Graphics: 6, Mediocre
Sound: 10, Excellent.
Longevity: 7, Average
Gameplay:8, Very good.
Tilt: 9 Many implications involved while playing this title.
Overall: 8.0. Can be enjoyable and believe it or not, a certain crowd can derive fun from this title.