Manhunt- Not another State of Emergency
Posted: 2003-11-19 09:25pm
Thank god for that anyway.. well here are my first impressions of Rockstar North's 'Manhunt'
Well today I picked up my reserved copies of Final Fantasy X-2 and Manhunt. Seeing as how the demo gave me a good idea of what to expect from FFX-2 I decided that Manhunt got opening dibs on my time and after completing the first level I thought I'd share what I think so far.
First of all this is not an action game, or even a stealth-action like Tenchu or MGS. If you charge in fists flying or guns blazing chances are you are going to die very very quickly. This is first and foremost a stealth game. You are outnumbered, outgunned and your enemies are not retards for the most part.
Basic Story: You are James Earl Cash, a convict who has been on deathrow for the last three years and tonight you are going to die.. only you don't. Instead you wake up groggy and confused to a voice from a set of louspeakers. This is The Director and he's a man with some real pull. You see the syringe for the lethal injection had been changed out with one filled with a powerful sedative. As far as the world knows you're dead.. which means nobody'll miss you if you should happen to fail as the star of The Director's own personal snuff film. You're released from the room holding you into a gritty, dark, urban wasteland known as Carcer City. The Director is god here. He's populated the place with the most brutal and violent gangs he could find and set a rather substantial bounty on your head. And it's all on tape as the Director's seeded the city with cameras. Your only choice is to dance to the Director's tune and kill or be killed.
Well with that out of the way it's time to talk about the game itself.
Graphics: Dark. Not surprising since the whole thing takes place across the course of one night. However the guys at Rockstar North have really outdone themselves with Carcer City. The place looks RIGHT for the kind of environment it's supposed to be. Dirty, trashy, and pretty much run into the ground. The character models have some nice touches (some of the gang members are positively freaky looking) and the little cut-scenes for the stealth kills shine.
Gameplay: Sneak sneak sneak. That's the key.. and you had better use that lump between your ears to. Sure you can fistfight with enemies but it only really works if they're unarmed and alone.. and it's loud. Stealth is the key to this game, in fact I don't think I've ever seen a game where it's so integral to survival. Basically you want to pull a Jason. Stalk your prey and pick them off one at a time. Of course once you are detected the idea changes instead it's usually best to imitate a scared rabbit and run like hell to hide. The easiest way to back this is the stealth kill, which I'll get to in a minute (I feel it deserves a section all its own).
Controls: The controls are solid though a bit strange at first due to the fact that the horizontal look axis is inverted in addition to the vertical, but you get used to it eventually. It's good to because you'll be using that analogue ability on the joysticks a lot.
Sound: Oh lordy this is the best sound I've ever heard in a game, and it's integral to it as well. In this game your 'radar' (as most stealth games have) is auditory based.. enemies who are holding still and not making noise do not show up on it. But (in the first level at least) that wasn't too much of a problem. The gangs yell, curse, and taunt you as you sneak about, sometimes they talk to each other, or just start whistling. It's a two edged sword though as they can hear you just as easily as you hear them. Sneaking and walking make next to no noise. Throwing a punch makes a bit but you have to be pretty close to the guy for him to pick up on it. Running echoes through the decrepit canyons of carcer city however and is almost sure to bring the gangers down upon you. You also have to watch the environment. I've had one perfectly good ambush ruined so far because I didn't noticed that in the course of sneaking up on one of the gang members there was a metal grate in front of me. Much yelling and running commenced. There's also things about like trashbags, garbage cans, and shopping carts you can step on or knock over that'll produce plenty of noise to attract attention. Of course this can serve you well if you're smart.. such as knocking on a wall to seperate two gang members so you can ambush the one investigating the sound. Sound is king so cut out the lights, pull the shades closed and crank up the volume on your set.
Ratings Content: It's easy to see why this game got an M rating and doubtless in we're going to here quite a bit of bitching from the same folks who got all over GTA about it's content in the coming months. Manhunt is graphic, disturbing, and pretty much something you want to keep the hell away from small children.
Stealth Kills: These are a big enough thing I felt it deserved it's own section. Throughout the game you will come across various weapons. Now in the segment I played it's limited to items the manual dubs 'one-offs', that is you can use them for one Execution and that's it. Basically a stealth kill involves sneaking up behind a hunter. Once you get close enough Cash'll change his stance and you'll usually hear the Director yelling for you to frag him. You then hold down the Square or X buttons and hold. As you hold it your crosshair will go from grey to yellow to red indicating what level Execution you're performing. They all have the same result though: one more dead gang member. The level just ups the brutality of the moves, and yes you are scored on that at the end of the level. The gorier your kills the better the footage the Director gets (and the more stars you get to open up the unlockables). When you perform a stealth kill the camera cuts to a grainy, distorted image like what you'd get from a small cheap video cam, letting you see exactly what the Director is seeing at that moment. This is of course followed by Cash doing something invariably lethal to his enemy. I've only come across two weapons so far, a plastic bag and a glass shard, both one-offs but I'll give you a rundown on their three kill levels.
Plastic Bag:
Hasty Kill: Cash throws the bag over the unlucky ganger's head and suffocates him.
Violent Kill: Cash throws the bag over the ganger's head and starts suffocating him then punctuates it with several blows to the face (complete with blood spray) and finally finishes it out with multiple knees to the skull.
Gruesome Kill: Cash throws the bag over their head and starts choking them, punches them in the face four or five times, then snaps their neck with a sickening crack.
Glass Shard:
Hasty Kill: Cash stabs them in the neck with the glass shard giving off a nice arterial spray.
Violent kill: Cash stabs them in the stomach then slaps on a headlock and proceeds to start jabbing them in the chest or face (hard to tell which) with the shard.
Gruesome kill: Cash shanks them in the kidneys then takes several seconds to gouge out their eyes with it.
And these are the two smallest weapons in the game.. other fun things like axes, cleavers, machetes, garrote wire, etc. await.
Now while these kills may seem to lack the sheer bloodiness of what you'd see in a Mortal Kombat game one must take into account that Manhunt takes itself seriously. Unlike MK or Kill Bill where the violence is so over the top it really can't be that gross (MK has several other things that help this.. like a certain Bruce Lee wannabe and his 'I just got kicked in the jimmy' battle cries). Not so in Manhunt and it really has to be seen to get the full effect.
Thus far Manhunt is a solid stealth game and one that is a definite must own for PS2 owners who aren't turned away by the rather brutal material.
Well today I picked up my reserved copies of Final Fantasy X-2 and Manhunt. Seeing as how the demo gave me a good idea of what to expect from FFX-2 I decided that Manhunt got opening dibs on my time and after completing the first level I thought I'd share what I think so far.
First of all this is not an action game, or even a stealth-action like Tenchu or MGS. If you charge in fists flying or guns blazing chances are you are going to die very very quickly. This is first and foremost a stealth game. You are outnumbered, outgunned and your enemies are not retards for the most part.
Basic Story: You are James Earl Cash, a convict who has been on deathrow for the last three years and tonight you are going to die.. only you don't. Instead you wake up groggy and confused to a voice from a set of louspeakers. This is The Director and he's a man with some real pull. You see the syringe for the lethal injection had been changed out with one filled with a powerful sedative. As far as the world knows you're dead.. which means nobody'll miss you if you should happen to fail as the star of The Director's own personal snuff film. You're released from the room holding you into a gritty, dark, urban wasteland known as Carcer City. The Director is god here. He's populated the place with the most brutal and violent gangs he could find and set a rather substantial bounty on your head. And it's all on tape as the Director's seeded the city with cameras. Your only choice is to dance to the Director's tune and kill or be killed.
Well with that out of the way it's time to talk about the game itself.
Graphics: Dark. Not surprising since the whole thing takes place across the course of one night. However the guys at Rockstar North have really outdone themselves with Carcer City. The place looks RIGHT for the kind of environment it's supposed to be. Dirty, trashy, and pretty much run into the ground. The character models have some nice touches (some of the gang members are positively freaky looking) and the little cut-scenes for the stealth kills shine.
Gameplay: Sneak sneak sneak. That's the key.. and you had better use that lump between your ears to. Sure you can fistfight with enemies but it only really works if they're unarmed and alone.. and it's loud. Stealth is the key to this game, in fact I don't think I've ever seen a game where it's so integral to survival. Basically you want to pull a Jason. Stalk your prey and pick them off one at a time. Of course once you are detected the idea changes instead it's usually best to imitate a scared rabbit and run like hell to hide. The easiest way to back this is the stealth kill, which I'll get to in a minute (I feel it deserves a section all its own).
Controls: The controls are solid though a bit strange at first due to the fact that the horizontal look axis is inverted in addition to the vertical, but you get used to it eventually. It's good to because you'll be using that analogue ability on the joysticks a lot.
Sound: Oh lordy this is the best sound I've ever heard in a game, and it's integral to it as well. In this game your 'radar' (as most stealth games have) is auditory based.. enemies who are holding still and not making noise do not show up on it. But (in the first level at least) that wasn't too much of a problem. The gangs yell, curse, and taunt you as you sneak about, sometimes they talk to each other, or just start whistling. It's a two edged sword though as they can hear you just as easily as you hear them. Sneaking and walking make next to no noise. Throwing a punch makes a bit but you have to be pretty close to the guy for him to pick up on it. Running echoes through the decrepit canyons of carcer city however and is almost sure to bring the gangers down upon you. You also have to watch the environment. I've had one perfectly good ambush ruined so far because I didn't noticed that in the course of sneaking up on one of the gang members there was a metal grate in front of me. Much yelling and running commenced. There's also things about like trashbags, garbage cans, and shopping carts you can step on or knock over that'll produce plenty of noise to attract attention. Of course this can serve you well if you're smart.. such as knocking on a wall to seperate two gang members so you can ambush the one investigating the sound. Sound is king so cut out the lights, pull the shades closed and crank up the volume on your set.
Ratings Content: It's easy to see why this game got an M rating and doubtless in we're going to here quite a bit of bitching from the same folks who got all over GTA about it's content in the coming months. Manhunt is graphic, disturbing, and pretty much something you want to keep the hell away from small children.
Stealth Kills: These are a big enough thing I felt it deserved it's own section. Throughout the game you will come across various weapons. Now in the segment I played it's limited to items the manual dubs 'one-offs', that is you can use them for one Execution and that's it. Basically a stealth kill involves sneaking up behind a hunter. Once you get close enough Cash'll change his stance and you'll usually hear the Director yelling for you to frag him. You then hold down the Square or X buttons and hold. As you hold it your crosshair will go from grey to yellow to red indicating what level Execution you're performing. They all have the same result though: one more dead gang member. The level just ups the brutality of the moves, and yes you are scored on that at the end of the level. The gorier your kills the better the footage the Director gets (and the more stars you get to open up the unlockables). When you perform a stealth kill the camera cuts to a grainy, distorted image like what you'd get from a small cheap video cam, letting you see exactly what the Director is seeing at that moment. This is of course followed by Cash doing something invariably lethal to his enemy. I've only come across two weapons so far, a plastic bag and a glass shard, both one-offs but I'll give you a rundown on their three kill levels.
Plastic Bag:
Hasty Kill: Cash throws the bag over the unlucky ganger's head and suffocates him.
Violent Kill: Cash throws the bag over the ganger's head and starts suffocating him then punctuates it with several blows to the face (complete with blood spray) and finally finishes it out with multiple knees to the skull.
Gruesome Kill: Cash throws the bag over their head and starts choking them, punches them in the face four or five times, then snaps their neck with a sickening crack.
Glass Shard:
Hasty Kill: Cash stabs them in the neck with the glass shard giving off a nice arterial spray.
Violent kill: Cash stabs them in the stomach then slaps on a headlock and proceeds to start jabbing them in the chest or face (hard to tell which) with the shard.
Gruesome kill: Cash shanks them in the kidneys then takes several seconds to gouge out their eyes with it.
And these are the two smallest weapons in the game.. other fun things like axes, cleavers, machetes, garrote wire, etc. await.
Now while these kills may seem to lack the sheer bloodiness of what you'd see in a Mortal Kombat game one must take into account that Manhunt takes itself seriously. Unlike MK or Kill Bill where the violence is so over the top it really can't be that gross (MK has several other things that help this.. like a certain Bruce Lee wannabe and his 'I just got kicked in the jimmy' battle cries). Not so in Manhunt and it really has to be seen to get the full effect.
Thus far Manhunt is a solid stealth game and one that is a definite must own for PS2 owners who aren't turned away by the rather brutal material.
