Price: £39.99 Players: 1 Ok, so when they decided to release this game they employed some very sick weirdos! All the mystery and controversy about the no pre-release game shots or any real info kinda put this game to the back of my mind if it wasnt for the hubby going "Is Manhunt out yet?" every day! but after the long and (on my part) not too anticipated wait... it was released. Needless to say the title gives away the plot (if you can call it that), your some guy who was on death row and your meant to be dead but some sicko TV editor guy took you away to star in his own little creation something a bit like The Running Man. The basic idea is that this guy runs around (or skulks around for the most part) hiding in shadows and murdering anything that moves. Nothing is a friendly apart from on one level where you have to guide a hobo to safety but it makes it a lot easier than those games where you fail if you kill a friendly or your rating isn't so good. ITS A BLOOD BATH! The plot's really easy to forget or ignore as I'm pretty sure no-one who buys this game cares about it anyway, they just put it in there to justify a reason behind the game.

Starting with a plastic bag that you wrap round people's heads then twist their neck in lovely manner; you progress through a variety of normal and bizarre weapons, each with its own grusome way of doing in your enemy. Hand-to-hand combat is not really advised in this game as you WILL die within a few seconds, but sneaking behind an enemy leads to more brutal deaths with the gore becoming increasingly violent and erm.... well horrible! Sneaking behind an enemy is the best way to make the most of this game, the longer you keep the trigger pressed whilst following an enemy, the more violent your final attack will be on the poor chap! A red finisher being the most brutal - however you have to watch that the guy your following doesn't become aware of you as that spoils the whole thing and you just have to attack him normally. The controls are just like other games of this style (i mean sneaky killy games) and the game play is real good and fluent too. Auto-target is an added bonus for when you have far too many people to fight than you can shake a stick at! Blood every where all the time with weapons like a sickle, knife, piece of glass and for those who love their gun games, yes there's still the compulsory guns - however you dont get any of the cool close up finishing gruesome death shots - just the normal 'bang bang you're dead' crap - but useful in the later levels when the enemies are coming quick and fast with a better sense of direction. A lot of the game is played lurking around the shadows and in the dark/night but taking this into consideration the basic game graphics are fantastic. Then we move onto the death scene graphics - a little dodgy as they're meant to be recorded on CCTV, but i think if they were any clearer or more vivid then they would not have got a license at all for this game! If blood, guts, death and general chaos are your thing then you will think you've died and gone to bloody heaven, however if your a little faint hearted then stay clear of this game and go read some animal rights leafleting or something.

Each enemy gang in the game has something different about them - like smiley face masks or skeleton masks or something - i think thats just for a little bit of variety - but when you're into the game I don't think you care that much and are more concerned about what weapon to finish the dumb guy whose standing 2ft in front of you and still hasn't noticed you with! The plot isnt up to much but for what the game lacks in this (but no-one cares any way) it more than makes up for in being a ground breaking massacre experience - you always wanted to be a one-man murdering machine? Well you got your wish in the most graphic way currently available on any format! Graphics are vivid and out of this world. Erm... got too carried away watching the game, the music and sound effects werent that noticeable which means that they fit and weren't out of place! Some funky guy whistles a bit and there are the funniest insults in the world on it. Playability is full marks for the simple fact you could run round and kill these people all day every day for the rest of eternity if you're sick in the head! Finally, enjoyment has to be 5 - i was encapsulated! Overall, a very strong 5!

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Review copyright © Kirsten, 2004.