Manhunt: What's the point?

[Ady]

It's vacuous, repetitive, lowest-common-denominator pap, imo. The only thing it had going for it was its implementation of the headset.

Oh, and stealth does my head in.

[Ajay1986]

Like all of Rockstars games it is just violence for the sake of it, lots lots of violence to create a hype. When the story about the mother whos child was murdered by someone who played lots of Manhunt came out im sure Rock* where upset and sorry for her. But on the other hand im sure some slimey exec was happy due to all the press that gave to the game.

Its that can of thing that Rock* want for all there games, same as the controversy already surrounding Bully, because they know that kind of bad press gets certain people more intrested and can persuade them to buy a game.

Well thats my view personnally i can do without any of Rock*'s games GTA3 on PS2 was the last one I played for any lengh of time.

[Grim Reaper]

It's almost as if the desire to kill is already in the player and that the game encourages it.

All of us can have the desire to kill, given the right motivation. The game storyline suggests the motivation of survival and revenge. None of us are beyond it - consider what "Lord of the Flies" demonstrates about the fragility of civilisation's bonds on human nature.

I only started playing the game a few months ago. I have very limited time, and I have only been playing it on and off, so it has taken me a while and I haven't quite finished it yet. I can understand those that really don't like it, or who find the idea distasteful, though I think it's a bit lazy to dismiss it as something that only appeals to the lowest common denominator. I think it's just a matter of differing tastes, and I think anyone who buys it should have a good idea of what to expect.

I enjoy the tense, and sometimes intense (panic), atmosphere of creeping around "uncomfortable" environments (e.g. a prison, an empty zoo at night, a deserted shopping mall) trying to survive against some irrational opposition. Comparing it to a title like "Thief", I like the fact that you are more of a match for your enemies should you encounter them, though you still need to avoid being outnumbered. While I would agree that it can and does become repetitive, the violence can be cathartic in some ways. I have often encountered social situations where other people have behaved irrationally, often like pack animals, victimising someone without any reasonable justification. I see parallels with the plight of the game's protagonist but his fictional status and criminal background allows him to fight fire with fire. If you play through more of the game, you will also see the character attempt to protect innocent people, so his moral colouring as a criminal is not absolute.

Technically I think some of the video effects are pretty good too - they certainly suggest poor VHS quality for me, and I quite like the voice acting too - including the movie director who gives a performance which reminds me a little of Vincent Price's style of movie narration. Lastly, I think it understands its subject - the much maligned "video nasty" of the eighties. Films banned during that period, subsequently released, have generally proven to be either cult classics, just plain awful (or sometimes both ). Manhunt recognizes the amateurish, low-budget style of many of those movies and evokes it from the VHS-style box art onwards. It's not a classic game; it won't appeal to everyone, and I don't think it's brilliant by any means, but for me it does a good enough job to be reasonably enjoyable escapism for the price I paid.

As for it being a bad influence on people, I suggest that researchers compare the aggression levels of the average adult:

• During, and shortly after, playing such a game ... and ...
• When being told that another adult who has experienced something has unilaterally decided that no other adults should be entitled to do so.

Alternatively, show me the figures for the number of censors who have gone on to perform criminal acts as a result of exposure to material which, by their own judgement, is not fit for consumption by the adult population.

Regards,

Jim

[Il Postino]

eye licked teh bit wear a man hit te otter man on hims hed wit a bassbal bar...







I liked Manhunt and couldn't understand why it generated so much hatred within certain groups.

I could (but will not) go into why I liked the game, but as has been suggested elsewhere, you should read (I'll admit I haven't, but hey I don't need to) that massive essay/novel/white paper (what was it?) Concept posted a while back.

Surely, something that big must contain at least one or two points of interest; law of averages and all that jazz, like.

That is all.

[Kaladron]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I got back from the session a couple of hours ago having watched some good presentations on Manhunt and taken part in a great discussion. Your contributions were very valuable.