Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11453 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Rockstar Games
• Released on: 2004-04-23
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Platforms: Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98

Amazon.co.uk Review
Manhunt is perhaps the most violent, amoral video game ever made, and it's entirely unapologetic about it. Produced by the same team that created Grand Theft Auto, it sees you cast as a death-row inmate reprieved from the chair to take part in a sick game run by a snuff-movie producer.

You're forced to sneak around a series of maze-like levels killing "hunters" and SWAT-team members as you go, using such unsavoury methods as suffocating them with plastic bags and cutting their throats with shards of glass. This is primarily a stealth-based title, using many of the same techniques as Metal Gear Solid--you shuffle around walls, peer round corners and use noise to attract and distract the enemy.

This aspect of the game works extremely well thanks to the superb graphics and sound. These create an intense level of tension, so that when you mistakenly knock into an abandoned shopping trolley and alert a hunter, it's really quite terrifying. The combat, just as in GTA, is handled rather less well--but it's not anywhere bad enough to ruin the whole game.

In gameplay terms the only real fault with Manhunt is a lack of variety, with the game seemingly running out of new ideas well before the end. The true problem then is whether it's simply too depraved--but that's a decision you must make for yourself. It's definitely not for under-18s, though. --David Jenkins

Customer Reviews

Survival horror at its best!
ManHunt is an action filled, gritty urban game. It contains many of the elements seen in games like Hitman, Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil. The stages or scenes are dark, gritty and textured to look like CCTV footage, especially seen when you execute the hunters. It is highly atmospheric and tense throughout, effects like always hearing the sound of your characters heartbeat and a real sense of realism. The only downside is the repetition which starts to dog the game as you progress. However this isn't too much of a problem if you like your'e games dark and violent.
Overall this is game is for someone who doesn't have the patience for Hitman, is bored of Resident Evil and is looking for a change in the survival horror genre.
Enjoy!

Missed opportunity
Nice idea, but falls down in a few places. The whole of the first few levels of this game are entirely stealth based. You sneak around hiding in shadows, making the occasional bit of noise to atract an enemy, then you execute him when his back is turned. You are given new weapons along the way in an attempt to stop the game becoming tedious by allowing you to see new tyes of execution. Unfortunately it still becomes tedious until the shooting starts about 7 levels in.

The bit where you first have to involve yourself in firefights is extreamly fustrating, not least because the manual does not explain the "firefight" system, which means you'll either get massacred or run out of ammo very fast. Once you know how the system works it's actually quite good as it automatically allows you to pop out, fire, and then duck back behind cover with ease. You still tend to take damage though unless you're lucky. Unfortunately towards the end of the game (last 2 levels in particular) it becomes very fustrating as the firefight system is rather erratic. It doesn't always aim correctly which can result in you being killed quite easily if you don't manage to kill a guy with an assault rifle on the first shot. Also if you are hiding in a shadow and you wait for an enemy to come right up close it has a rather idiotic habbit of hitting the enemy with your gun rather than firing it, which also tends to result in you getting killed. This has happened to me a 2 key points when I was playing a section for ages, which resulted in me wishing to practice some of these execution techniques on the idiot who wrote that particular peice of code.

The AI is definately a bit weak. Some of the enemys act like morons and others like tactical geniuses, with no steady progression as the game goes on. The storyline is interesting, the graphics and sound are outstanding, as is the excellent atmosphere created by the game, but ultimately the game itself is just a bit too fustrating.

Disappointing
I had high hopes for Manhunt simply because it has been produced by the same team that worked on the GTA series and the plot line sounded compelling. Unfortunately I have to say that I feel extremely unsatisifed. I was very frustrated with gameplay throughout most of the game finding it simple, repetitive and quickly very boring.

The first half of the game is quite entertaining and the violence is novel but this wears off quickly, once you look past the violence there isn't much to look forward to. The stealth is weak at best, you can run around alerting as many enemies as you can find simply to round a corner, step into some shadows and have them completely unable to find you unless they blindly walk directly into you. It's this simplistic gameplay that is used throughout the entire game and the only variation is the level you're playing.

The gameplay is just a case of luring enemies to you so you can step out of your hiding place and perform an "execution", a small clip of you butchering your victim in a variety of ways determined by how long you hold down the attack button. They try to introduce aspects to change the gameplay but they fail to have any effect, as an example, you are given a tramp and later a reporter who follow you and you need to keep alive, this is simply a case of dumping them in a shadowy spot and forgetting about them until everything is clear and it's safe for them to follow you.

This game is weak at best and I found myself getting annoyed having to repeat sections of a level numerous times because of the "trial and error" approach of the game, it uses typical linear progression through a level with "checkpoint" style saves, if you die, which can happen very frequently in some spots, you'll find yourself returning to the last checkpoint to repeat it ad nauseum. Probably the most annoying aspect of repeating a section is that you might have to watch an uninterruptable video clip before you can even try again. I resorted to using an infinite ammo cheat to alleviate some of the boredom and would have welcomed an invincibility cheat. I can't imagine what it would have been like without the cheat as it sped up my progress vastly and made the whole experience more enjoyable.

The combat feels inconsistent based on what weapons you have available to you, if you only have melee weapons then you will be entirely dependent on using stealth and executions to stay alive. As soon as you get ahold of a gun, particularly the shotgun or the assault rifle, then the game becomes laughably easy, anybody with some first person shooter experience should have no problem dispatching as many enemies as the game throws at you, this might not be the case without the ammo cheat I used but there is still an enormous difference.

Having cleared the game the only reason I can see to play Manhunt again is to try out all the combinations of weapons and executions. You're unable to roam and explore due to the fact that anybody who sees you will try and kill you meaning you have to keep your eyes on your enemies and not on your surroundings. Manhunt does look good and the production quality is very high it simply doesn't have the gameplay and substance to back it up.

I feel the Hitman series does a far better job of stealth and is more entertaining overall, if you are looking for a new game of this genre I would recommend "Hitman: Contracts" rather than this. If you just want to try it out because of the novelty of the violence then I suggest you either try to borrow it before purchasing it or wait for a demo.