"I was hoping to make a few bucks off a 12-year-old but, unlike the Beer Store, there weren?t any kids hanging outside my local game source. T?was a shame because I could really use the money. Even a kid?s allowance would feel pretty good in my pocket, right about now. In case you?re wondering, yah, I left my morals by the curb a long time ago. Hey, I got bills to pay, mouths to feed (albeit dog mouths). It?s a dog-eat-dog world out there and you gotta get them before they get you. Steal from the rich and steal from the poor ¡ª that?s my motto. Rob Peter to pay Paul, then rob Paul, too. And, maybe, even give him a few whacks with a crowbar when he?s down. Yah, it?s a crazy, sick world..."

Beginning to get the idea?

Crazy, sick world, indeed! When beating people into red, pulpy masses and getting ?style points? for artistic merit has become an entertainment pastime, we, as people on this planet, should know we?re in trouble. Not that there weren?t plenty of signs before this but, now, with games like Manhunt on the market, depravity knows no bounds. At this rate, it won?t be all that long before we see games with titles like Puppy Killer, Wife Beater and Ted Bundy Lives!

Irresistible curiosity

When I first heard that the Ontario Film Review Board (OFRB) had slapped a ?restricted? rating on a game (i.e.- Manhunt), I was shocked and, well, almost annoyed. Like a stranger looking in your ?undies? drawer, the OFRB was not only snooping, it was controlling, too. Big Brother was here, at last. On the other hand, I was also intensely curious about what could possibly be in this game to have warranted the rating.

So, on April 21, 2004, when the PC version came out, I bought a copy of Manhunt. I didn?t get carded at the store although I did offer to show my ID to prove I was over 18.

The sales guy didn?t take me up on it. Sigh...

The Manhunt box is creepy enough with its blood-spattered, goalie mask-wearing thug on the front cover. It?s a face designed to give you nightmares, that?s for sure and it only gets worse when you?re actually playing. The visuals, the dialogue and the sound effects all combine to create a very, very disturbing game.

Gruesome premise

The premise is simple enough. You, as James Earl Cash, have been spared death by a snuff film director, Lionel Starkweather. Now, you?re an unwilling star in Starkweather?s films where you must ?execute? your way to freedom. Starkweather coaches you along the way, applauding your efforts and encouraging you to commit gruesome crimes. It is these executions that place Manhunt in the ?way out there? category and is also probably why the game has a ?restricted? rating.

When you execute a thug, you sneak up behind him, raise your weapon and wait until the aiming arrows turn white, yellow or red. White arrows produce a ?hasty? death scene with some gore, yellow arrows produce a more-violent scene and red puts you into the gruesome category complete with squishy, juicy sound effects.

At the end of the level, your character?s ?performance? is rated and bonuses are awarded.
Executions aside, there?s also lots of offensive dialogue replete with swear words and I don?t mean ?fudge? or ?darn?. I?m saying that the characters in Manhunt could make a sailor blush.

Technically speaking

On the technical side, Manhunt is a third-person stealth/shooter-style game. The camera angles are well done  you can see what you need to without your character getting in the way. The controls are easy to learn and respond well. Graphics are purposely grainy at times to give you the feeling you?re watching a 16 mm film. The landscape is very drab, grey and rundown looking  similar to abandoned areas in big cities. There is no option to save your game when you want. Rather, you must save at dedicated ?save game points?. This makes it more difficult and frustrating, of course. And the manual is so terrible that it?s close to useless.

On balance...

Ratings and controversy aside, the big questions about any game are: "Is it fun?" and, "Is it worth playing?"

For starters, I?m not offended by the language, guts and gore or the morality issues. Plain and simple, Manhunt just wasn?t fun. In fact, it was almost like work, where each level was a chore. On the other hand, Manhunt is certainly a different gaming experience, based on its bizarre content. Does that make it worth playing? Probably, but only when it gets to the bargain bin. M

Till next time, remember, I?m ¡ª
The Game Goddess

--------------Originally from Monitor.CA