2003’s Manhunt is a brutal, gritty title that occupies a strange place in Rockstar’s catalog as something that should be considered the company’s best work, yet it remains overshadowed by their own mega-hit franchises. This bleak, uncompromising meditation on the nature of voyeurism questioned the player’s participation in horrific bloodshed, and has since become something of a cult title — and PIGFACE is certainly one of its descendants.
Continuing my journey through the game Manhunt, this time I’m joined by my oldest friend Natasha, who both doesn’t play video games, and can’t bring herself to watch horror movies because she finds them too scary!
That’s right, I’m back for another episode of The Manhunt’n Project, in which I introduce people to the game Manhunt for the first time, and see how they react to it! This episode, I thought to myself – ‘hey, you know who’s completely unfamiliar with Manhunt? My mother.’ This is the video that resulted.
The Manhunt'n Project is back for more!
This week I'm joined by Melissa, who goes from never having heard of Manhunt to being a huge fan of it over the course of 90 bloody and foul-mouthed minutes!
Check out the video for hypergore, pornography criticism, and so many beheadings!
Some years back, Rockstar released the game 'Manhunt' on an unsuspecting world, scarring many people for life. Now, more than a decade on, I think it's time that we look back on that game and try to analyze its impact on the culture at large. How will I accomplish this? […]
Finished Manhunt (PlayStation 2) today for the first time. It was an interesting experience. Although it certainly lives up to its reputation as being an extremely graphic and gory game, there was a lot more to it than just that… the story and setting (death-row convict is rescued from the chair only to be thrust into a kill-or-be-killed game of hide and seek) were engaging, and the work with tone and mood were excellent. The stark, brutal feel and incredibly bleak outlook of the game’s entire world were very well-realized. There's also quite a bit of meat to chew on for people who like to delve into meta-commentary, but I'll save that for another post.
I wish I could talk about Manhunt 2 without addressing the endless debacle over its censorship. The press coverage of the game's AO rating, its near-cancellation, and eventual bowdlerized release has been so overpowering that it drowned out any discussion of the game's actual merits and flaws.
According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Nihilistic tone wasn't the only thing that really impressed me about Manhunt, though—there are about a bazillion technical elements that stand out as well. Everything from the art design, the casting of the inimitable Brian Cox as the voice of the game's antagonist, to the ingenious use of the USB headset to add to the immersiveness of the gameplay is top notch.