Take a walk on the wild side
A controversial game on its release, Manhunt is best known these days for the shock and horror which sprang up in its wake due to its exceedingly graphic content, which made Postal look tame in comparison. It's effectively a very gruesome stealth/actioner, a sort of gory version of Metal Gear Solid, and if you can get past the blood and guts, it actually remains a surprisingly decent experience. The game casts you in the role of a Death Row inmate who finds himself unexpectedly alive after receiving a supposedly lethal injection. He then discovers he's been kidnapped to take part in a snuff movie and if he can follow directions and kill enough people, he might just earn his freedom. What follows is basically a stealth 'em up as you sneak your way through various seedy locales which are crawling with gang members while taking out the bad guys without being seen. Perhaps the game's main appeal is the range of weapons which include traditional things like guns as well as more unpleasant implements like sickles, each of which can be used in various increasingly bloody ways. Manhunt's subject matter is certainly going to put a lot of people off and which is fair enough as it is a pretty disturbing game to play. The violence is graphic and extremely unpleasant, very different from most games, but underneath it all, there's a decent stealth game. The visuals are suitably grim and gritty while there's also an appropriately downbeat air hanging over the whole thing. The stealth elements are generally well implemented so if you want a trip down some very mean streets, this is a solid choice.
