Gore aplenty, but it doesn't keep Manhunt from becoming stale

Manhunt is probably one of the goriest games you'll ever play. Gamers these days look upon many a violent act, and with the improving graphics that the new generation of consoles have brought us, that violence is getting more and more graphic and realistic. Still, few games are as focused as Manhunt is. This game is entirely about slaughtering your opponents. The moment you start up the game, you are instructed to mess up an endless stream of guards and lunatics whose only desire is to do the same to you. The "gore-porn" that Manhunt offers certainly is entertaining, but it can't keep the game from becoming a bit repetitive around the halfway point.

Manhunt has you taking control of James Earl Cash, an inmate that has been sentenced to death. You wake up

after your execution to find out the injection was merely a strong sedative, and that a mysterious man who calls himself  "the director" now pulls your strings. The director, aka Lionel Starkweather, talks to you through an earpiece over the course of the game, and he is a brilliant character indeed. He is a famous snuff movie maker, which are movies that have nothing fake about their violence. Cash rolls into this affair without being able to do anything about it.

There is very little story in Manhunt. The first half of the game, you will go through different environments following Starkweather's orders, and the second half has you going through environments in order to hunt the director down. Rockstar has proven they are masters of the narrative, especially with games like GTAIV, but there simply are few opportunities for them to put together anything meaningful. However, the quality of the writing is outstanding, and you'll meet some complete psycho's over the course of your trial. The voicework is excellent, with especially Starkweather's actor delivering some real quality stuff, that'll really rattle your cage as he sends you into a complete hellhole. The personalities of characters like Starkweather get worked out really well, even though you never encounter them in the flesh before you take them down. Because you hate them so much, it feels extra good when you finally get to completely rip them apart in ways that only a game like Manhunt would dare show on camera.

In the gameplay departement however, Manhunt isn't all that great. You start out the game with the main focus on

melee weapons. You must avoid facing off with enemies directly, because while Cash is a strong man, his enemies are stronger and have better equipment than he does. Instead, you must lure them to the shadows that you reside in and wait until they turn their back. At this point, the cursor will change colour and you have to hold down the attack button until the level of execution that you want is charged. There are three levels, and while the first level is (relatively) straightforward and quick, the third level can be unbelievable gruesome. Have you ever pulled off a man's head with a shoelace? You can in this game.

Later on however, the focus of the game shifts to gunplay, and honestly, it sucks compared to sneaking up on enemies. Manhunt has a great atmosphere, but from a gameplay perspective, it all felt a bit clumsy to me. While completely removing a dude's head with a snipershot is satisfying, the combat in general just isn't all that enjoyable.

The enemy AI is quite terrible too. While having an enemy stand inches away from your face can be really suspenseful, the fact that as long as you are leaning against a black wall, they can't detect you just isn't believable. The AI is too easily manipulated, although one could argue this is simply because of the hardware limitations the PS2 offers. Shadows are an extremely important part of the gameplay, but the engine - which is the same one Grand Theft Auto: Vice City uses - just isn't up to the task of making good-looking games, especially by today's standards. Sometimes, you'll be in a small patch of shadows but you can't believe an enemy can't detect you when you are obviously lit up. Your leg will be blatantly sticking out, but still the dumb enemies can't see you at a distance where they should be able to smell you.

That's just the problem with Manhunt. While the writing is great and the game is pretty atmospheric, with great voice-acting, it just can't back it up with fluid gameplay and decent graphics, which is a shame. It seems like the game just hasn't aged all that well. However, there is definitely some fun to be had here. I recommend you rent the game rather than buy it.