Manhunt (video game)

An execution in Manhunt, in which James Earl Cash suffocates a hunter with a plastic bag.

Manhunt is a stealth-based urban horror styled game played from a third-person perspective. The game consists of twenty levels, called "scenes", as well as four unlockable bonus scenes.[2] Players survive the scenes by dispatching enemy gang members, occasionally with firearms, but primarily by stealthily executing them.[4] At the end of each scene, players are graded based on their performance, and awarded one to five stars. Unlockable content becomes available only when the player achieves three or more stars on a certain number of levels. On normal difficulty (called "Fetish"), players can earn only four stars; one is awarded for completing the scene under a certain amount of time, and one to three stars are awarded based on the brutality of the executions carried out during the scene. On hard difficulty (called "Hardcore"), players are graded out of five stars; one for speed, one to three for brutality and one for simply completing the scene. To gain the maximum number of stars, a set number of brutal executions must be carried out over the course of each scene; face-to-face fighting does not award stars.[4]

In order to carry out executions, players must approach a hunter from behind, undetected. To facilitate this, each scene is full of "dark spots" (shadows where the player can hide). Enemies cannot see into the shadows (unless they see the player actually entering the area). A standard technique in the game is to hide in the shadows and tap a wall to attract the attention of a nearby hunter. When the hunter has examined the area and is moving away, players can emerge from the shadows behind them, and execute them.[5] The game has three levels of execution, with each level progressively more violent and graphic than the last: "hasty" executions are quick and not very bloody, "violent" are considerably more gory, and "gruesome" are over-the-top blood-soaked murders. Players are entirely in control of which level they use; once players have locked onto an enemy, the lock-on reticule changes color over time to indicate the three levels: white, yellow and red.[6][7]

Over the course of the game, players can use a wide variety of weapons, including plastic bags, baseball bats, crowbars and a variety of bladed items. Later in the game, firearms become available (which cannot be used for executions). Should players take damage, their health depletes; health can be restored through the use of painkillers, which are available throughout each scene.[5] Players also have a stamina meter which depletes as they sprint, but automatically replenishes when remaining stationary.[4] Manhunt also makes use of the PlayStation 2's optional USB Microphone and the Xbox Live microphone feature on the Xbox in their respective versions of the game. When such a device is connected, players can use the sound of their own voice to distract in-game enemies. This adds an extra element to the stealth aspect of the game, as players must refrain from making noises such as coughing as these sounds too can attract the attention of any nearby hunters.[4]

In 2003, in Carcer City, a journalist reports on the news about James Earl Cash, a death row prisoner recently executed by lethal injection. However, Cash was only sedated, awakening to an unknown voice referring to himself as "The Director" giving him instructions through an earpiece. The Director promises Cash his freedom, but only if he murders "Hunters" – gang members sent to hunt him – in special areas filmed by CCTV. Cash is instructed to kill members of "The Hoods", a gang of corrupt police officers patrolling an abandoned area of Carcer City. He kills the Hoods but is abducted by the Cerberus, a unit of mercenaries working as private security for the Director. Cash is forced to kill numerous dangerous gangs in various abandoned locations to satisfy the Director's needs, including "The Skinz" (a Nazi skinhead gang), "The Wardogs" (a sadistic paramilitary, who use Cash's family as bait to lure him out), and "The Innocentz" (divided between the "Skullyz" - Hispanics, occultist gangsters - and "The Babyfaces" - demented perverts). After discovering the Director had his family killed, Cash vows revenge.

After facing "The Smileys" (a gang of schizophrenic psychopathic inmates) in an insane asylum, Cash is instructed to follow the "White Rabbit", a man dressed in a rabbit costume, until the Director ultimately betrays him for the "final scene" of his film. Cash survives and escapes after killing the White Rabbit, prompting the Director to deploy the remaining Wardogs, led by Ramirez, to find and kill him. Ramirez catches Cash and decides to play a cat and mouse game with him. Cash ends up managing to kill Ramirez and his men. He is then rescued by the journalist reporting on him, who explains that the Director is Lionel Starkweather, a famous former film producer from Los Santos who now produces for a snuff film ring. The journalist has been compiling evidence against Starkweather and now has enough to expose him, but needs to retrieve some from her apartment. Starkweather blackmails corrupt police chief Gary Schaffer into apprehending Cash and the journalist, but Cash is able to protect her from the police, before leaving to deal with Starkweather.

Cash fights police and SWAT teams hunting him through the subway and streets until he is cornered in a train yard. He is almost summarily executed before the police are killed by the Cerberus, who recapture Cash and bring him to Starkweather's mansion compound where he is almost executed again. The Cerberus are distracted when Piggsy, a mentally disturbed, chainsaw-wielding psychopath who wears a pig's head as a mask and is normally kept chained up in Starkweather's attic, breaks free. Cash makes his way through the compound, killing all the members of the Cerberus along the way, until facing Piggsy in the upper levels of the mansion, whom he defeats by luring onto a grate that collapses under his weight and causes him to fall to his death. Afterwards, Cash finally confronts Starkweather in his office and disembowels him with Piggsy's chainsaw, killing him.

Later, the media and the police arrive at the mansion, with the journalist exposing Starkweather's snuff ring and police complicity, leading to Schaffer being criminally prosecuted for corruption. Cash, however, is nowhere to be found.

Rockstar North began development of Manhunt in the mid-early nineties, building the game with the RenderWare engine that had been used for the Grand Theft Auto titles.[8] In September 2003, GamesMaster published a preview of Manhunt, commenting "[Rockstar North has] scraped its imagination to further twist the way games are made in the future and delivers a chiseled, no-apologies assault on gaming standards. [...] it possesses a warped subtlety that questions game reality... It creates a barren, harsh, violent experience and then punctures it with something trippy and darkly comic..."

Many more news outlets, including magazines and websites such as GameSpy, GameSpot and IGN, all previewed Manhunt from late 2003 to early 2004,[9] when the game was released on PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows and Xbox. Rockstar also released exclusive merchandise, limited editions and pre-order bonuses such as official soundtracks, a Piggsy figure, and a handheld voice changer.[10] During the release of the first game, a former Rockstar employee admitted that the game almost caused a mutiny in the company, saying that the team had "already weathered plenty of controversy over GTA III and Vice City—we were no strangers to it—but Manhunt felt different. With GTA, we always had the excuse that the gameplay was untethered—you never had to hurt anybody that wasn't a "bad guy" in one of the missions. You could play completely ethically if you wanted, and the game was parody anyway, so lighten up".[11]

The PlayStation 2 version of Manhunt was made available for the PlayStation 3 on May 14, 2013, under the PlayStation Network's PS2 Classics category.[12] It was later released for the PlayStation 4 on March 22, 2016, upscaled to 1080p and with support for trophies.[13]

Reception

Review scores Publication Score PC PS2 Xbox CGM [14] N/A N/A CGW [15] N/A N/A EGM N/A 6.83/10[16] N/A Eurogamer N/A 7/10[17] 6/10[18] Game Informer N/A 9.25/10[19] 9/10[20] GamePro N/A [21] [22] GameRevolution B[23] B[24] B[23] GameSpot 8.3/10[25] 8.4/10[5] 8.3/10[25] GameSpy [26] [27] [28] GameZone 8/10[29] 8.3/10[30] 8.3/10[31] IGN 8.3/10[32] 8.5/10[2] 8.3/10[32] OPM (US) N/A [33] N/A OXM (US) N/A N/A 4.5/10[34] PC Gamer (US) 78%[35] N/A N/A Entertainment Weekly N/A A−[36] N/A Maxim N/A 10/10[37] N/A Aggregate score Metacritic 75/100[38] 76/100[39] 74/100[40]

The PlayStation 2 and PC versions of Manhunt received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[38][39][40] As of March 26, 2008, the Manhunt series has sold 1.7 million copies worldwide.[41] At the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the game was nominated for "Console Action Adventure Game of the Year".[42] In 2010, it was included in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die,[43] and listed at #85 in IGN's "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games".[44] Manhunt received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[45] indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[46]

The game's dark nihilistic tone and violent nature were singled out by many critics as representing something unique in the world of video gaming. GameSpot concluded that, "like it or not, the game pushes the envelope of video game violence and shows you countless scenes of wholly uncensored, heavily stylized carnage".[5] Game Informer praised the PS2 version's audacity and competent technical capabilities, stating "it's a frightening premise that places gamers in a psychological impasse. The crimes that you commit are unspeakable, yet the gameplay that leads to these horrendous acts is so polished and fierce that it's thrilling."[19] IGN complimented the same console version's overall challenge, calling it a "solid, deep experience for seasoned gamers pining for some hardcore, challenging games".[2] Edge gave the same console version eight out of ten, saying, "Like GTA there's more to this than shock and awe. Within its linear structure there is a lot of freedom within which to act, much more so than both Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid 2, the titles which Manhunt most closely resembles."[47]

The Chicago Tribune was especially complimentary of the game, arguing that it marked a significant moment in video gaming history;

Manhunt is easily the most violent game ever made. It will likely be dismissed by many as a disgusting murder simulator with no reason to exist. But Manhunt also is the Clockwork Orange of video games, holding your eyes open so as to not miss a single splatter – asking you, is this really what you enjoy watching? Had Manhunt been poorly made, using the snuff film angle as a cheap gimmick, the game would have been shameful and exploitative. What elevates it to a grotesque, chilling work of art is both presentation and game play. Manhunt is solid as a game; it's engaging to use stealth as you creep through the streets of this wicked city, using your smarts to avoid death, while dishing out much of your own. It's Ubisoft's Splinter Cell meets the cult Faces of Death videos [...] If Manhunt succeeds at retail, it will say more about America's fascination with violence than any political discourse or social debate. That makes Manhunt the most important video game of the last five years.[48]

The PS2 version received some criticism. Certain gameplay elements, such as the shooting mechanics, were called "frustrating" by Eurogamer, who claimed that "more than half the time the targeting reticule refuses to acknowledge an oncoming enemy until they're virtually in front of you."[17] GameSpot concurred, noting that the "AI is much worse in the more action-oriented levels".[5] 1UP.com said that one quickly became "tired of [the] violence ... AI quirks [and] repetitive level design."[6]

The controversy surrounding the game stems primarily from the graphic manner in which the player executes enemies. In 2007, former Rockstar employee Jeff Williams revealed that even the game's staff were somewhat uncomfortable about the level of violence; "there was almost a mutiny at the company over that game."[49] Williams explained that the game "just made us all feel icky. It was all about the violence, and it was realistic violence. We all knew there was no way we could explain away that game. There was no way to rationalize it. We were crossing a line."[11]

The violence in the game drew the attention of U.S. Representative Joe Baca, who was the sponsor of a legislation to fine those who sell adult-themed games to players younger than 17. Baca said of Manhunt, "it's telling kids how to kill someone, and it uses vicious, sadistic and cruel methods to kill".[50] The media was also drawn into the debate. For example, The Globe and Mail wrote "Manhunt is a venal disconnect for the genre. There's no challenge, just assembly-line, ritualistic slaughter. It's less a video game and more a weapon of personal destruction. This is about stacking bodies. Perhaps the scariest fact of all: Manhunt is so user-friendly that any sharp 12-year-old could navigate through the entire game in one sitting."[51]

Toronto Star writer Ben Rayner, however, praised the relevance of the game, defending its violence and graphic nature as very much a product of its time, and condemning calls to have it banned;

As entertainment and cultural artifact, Manhunt is totally disturbing. But so is the evening news, the "I'll eat anything for money" lunacy of Fear Factor and the unfettered, misanthropic gunplay of Bad Boys II, so I will defend until my last breath Rockstar's right to sell this stuff to me and anyone else who wants it. ... Do I think games such as these could have dire psychological consequences, particularly for young people? As always, I remain agnostic on the matter. Who knows, really? The debate will never be resolved. The American military obviously thinks there's something there: The troubling new TV ad campaign for the U.S. reserves lures potential young soldiers with tales of adventure accompanied by blatant, video-game-styled animation. And, curiously, no one has complained about or tried to ban SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, in which stealth and killing figure even more heavily than in Manhunt.[52]

• Official site
• Manhunt at MobyGames