Games have come a long way since the days of Pac Man and Space Invaders where the boundaries between realism are cartoon have changed. No longer do we have to look at simple sprite characters that lack detail where it is left to the player to use his or her imagination as much as their gaming skills. Since the use of polygons to build fully 3D models on screen the overall look of games have become more realistic looking yet still remaining totally fictional. Some games have tried to incorporate film into their games such as Firefox in the arcades in the late 80’s using the laser disc technology. However with the current techniques used for creating 3D characters these models are becoming more realistic looking at an alarming rate. Games have always been at the edge of controversy as many parents and officials have made their complaints about the effect video game violence has on young impressionable minds. Games such as Mortal Kombat with its excessive graphic violence using digitised characters caused quite a stir as anti gamers only saw red and lots of it. Again with the original GTA game this caused a major stir as politicians tried to ban this game due to its politically incorrect content. However games and gaming have survived this and as the hardware becomes more powerful the games quite frankly are becoming more realistic looking and undoubtedly are fuelling the anti gaming argument. Manhunt is the latest game to step into the spotlight regarding controversial content. Although it appears the anti gaming brigade seem to be losing the battle as many games have been released with so called questionable content. Maybe attitudes are changing and perhaps gamers are being given the benefit of the doubt when it comes down to separating fantasy from reality. Who knows? Manhunt follows the story of supposed murderer of his family, James Earl Cash. Sentenced to a life on death row until the time of his termination Cash is out of options and has to face up to the harsh reality of his fate. However when the time comes for his execution things don’t go according to plan. As Cash lies strapped in the chair to receive the lethal injection his mind becomes a blur as his days are seemingly numbered. However instead of rising to the pearly gates above or the hot depths below Cash finds himself in a locked room alive and kicking. It appears that this reprieve is not for Cash’s benefit as a voice over a set of speakers begins to bark orders at him. Cash is ordered to compose himself and put in an earpiece then to get moving. Confused and not really aware of what is going on Cash reluctantly does as he is told. It transpires that Cash has become a mere pawn for someone else’s enjoyment as he enters a realm bordering on hell itself. Cue deserted littered streets and a cold eerie howling wind as Cash is thrown into the thick of urban gang land culture. His task being simply to survive the prowling gangs who are intent on killing him whist providing entertainment for his captor. In fact Cash has landed himself into the hardcore underground world of snuff movies. Snuff movies are films which capture someone deliberately killing for the sake of filming it. In a kill or be killed situation Cash has to rely on the limited guidance from his captor’s voice via the earpiece and his own animal instincts. Let the manhunt begin. GAMEPLAY Manhunt is a 3rd person stealth action game where players take control of Cash and his struggle for freedom. However success in the game relies entirely on how well Cash can kill the patrolling gang members. Not going toe to toe with fists or weapons but to sneak into the shadows striking from them on unaware foes. This is accomplished with a wide variety of death dealing weapons such as plastic bags used for suffocation or perhaps a crowbar for splitting heads open. There are a number of these weapons for Cash to find and use each having their own death animation viewed through a hazy video close up image. Later on in the game Cash does get to play with more conventional gaming weapons but the main onus is on stealth kills. The gang members themselves are a pretty weird bunch as each area has its own gang displaying different traits. These gang members patrol the routes that cash needs to take and therefore its up to cash to be as sneaky as possible. This means being aware of how much noise he is making and generally getting behind an opponent and striking with one of the stealth weapons mentioned earlier. The gang members are very sensitive to the slightest sound that cash makes whether it be his footsteps when running or Cash hitting trash cans whilst walking. The player also has the option to make noises deliberately to either taunt his enemies or lure them into a trap via the Xbox Live headset. The noise Cash makes is indicated by an on screen display as are nearby gang members locations. The levels themselves are set within the confines of a city so there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. however as the game progresses these hiding spots become less frequent meaning the player has to be extra cautious. If things do go pear shaped then Cash is a pretty formidable street fighter. However the problem lies in the fact that a toe to toe encounter is noisy and usually attracts more than one opponent. In these situations Cash’s only hope is to run like the wind and find a place to hide from his pursuers. This game play element like other stealth games works very well here as the tension rises from trying to hide as you run out of breath. At the end of each level you are graded on your performance which is based upon how graphic your kills were. These are determined by how long you prep the attack whilst remaining undetected behind your opponent. Naturally as you progress through the game it becomes much harder to perform these prepped kills. Usually your cover is blown by a gang member spotting you creeping behind another whilst you prep the kill. The kills themselves are very graphic but not in a way that you haven’t seen before. Think of Mortal kombat fatalities or perhaps the Wu-Tang clan fighting game death animations in close ups. Either way I found these very satisfying and complimentary of the game play. GRAPHICS Graphically Manhunt looks pretty crisp especially when you turn the noise filter off in the options before playing. The character models are suitably detailed and have varied animations as they search for you. As mentioned before the death scenes are quite graphic and a lot of fun to watch for those with a mature mind. Other wise you may end up laughing as they are rather comical in a warped kind of way. SOUND Sound is one of Manhunt’s better features as there are some great voices used throughout. Your captor’s voice for one seems very believable and well performed as are the random comments the gang members make. In fact at times I was laughing pretty hard at some of the comments that were being uttered none of which I can repeat now I’m afraid. The language in the game is very adult yet very fitting to the situation Cash is in and breathing a lot of character into the game. Music in the game is also very good and deliberately reminiscent of those early 90’s horror movies like Friday 13th or Nightmare On Elm Street. Complimenting the game play as the music changes when discovered, then becoming more eerie as Cash remains hidden. The use of the Live headset is also very good for those that have one and adds a little bit more to the overall experience. LONGEVITY Manhunt is strictly a single player game with some 16 levels to survive. Each level can be played again at any time to try and improve your score and hopefully unlock one of the games hidden levels. For purists there is a harder difficulty setting as well. However the only problem I see here is that the game relies too heavily on the instant shock tactics that soon become second nature thus losing the appeal for any proper replay. OVERALL Manhunt is a good solid title that offers something different compared to the usual secret agent ninja type stealth game. However the game play does get repetitive as you simply go from A to B doing the same things over and over with little variation except in weapons and levels. For some I could see how this could get boring after prolonged play so I would recommend playing in smaller doses. Everything else points to a well thought out and devised game that just lacks that little bit extra in its game play. Buy or Rent? Not sure but well worth a look either way.