Manhunt

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 205 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 136 out of 205
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 205
  3. Negative: 17 out of 205
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  1. ShawnH.
    Nov 21, 2005
    6
    Not a very deep game, but it is still entertaining. The grainy video look of the game takes some getting used too, especially since most of the game takes place in darkened areas. The kill sequences are gruesome and unusual, but become repetitious. I agree with Bahman that the Director should have been fleshed out more. Even though the Director is thoroughly evil, there is a funny edge to Not a very deep game, but it is still entertaining. The grainy video look of the game takes some getting used too, especially since most of the game takes place in darkened areas. The kill sequences are gruesome and unusual, but become repetitious. I agree with Bahman that the Director should have been fleshed out more. Even though the Director is thoroughly evil, there is a funny edge to him and that could have been expanded on. The Director is excellently voiced, and there is a variety of dialogue for the rest of the loonies, crazies and psychos found in the game. In the end, this is a very average game with a twist.… Expand
  2. ERB
    Jul 28, 2013
    7
    A violent and brutal game,I proclaim this game as one of the deadliest,most violent,and brutal video game I have ever played.And still I kinda like this game because of my reason.
  3. Groundfisher
    May 6, 2004
    5
    This game was a huge disappointment. I'm not a big fan of 'stealth' games, but a good game is a good game and this is not a good game. In a word: boring.
  4. AndyL.
    May 4, 2004
    5
    Ugh, its almost like taking all the gameplay and fun outta of gta3 and instead opting for a storyline, which while being decent, is certainly no half-life. Dull is the best word here.
  5. JawadP.
    Aug 19, 2005
    7
    It is nice stratigic game i lke it but it is weird that it is nice since it have some logical blunders u can locate them.
  6. R.S.
    May 26, 2004
    5
    Repitive killing styles wich get boring after alot of the levels. The end, yet tough, is as the same as the last levels, just with more men with god-like accuracy and flashlights. I didnt care what the ending looked like ( uninstalled ) but by the way the trailers on TV show, it makes it look like you've escaped from prision and a bounty is placed on your head. Your running Repitive killing styles wich get boring after alot of the levels. The end, yet tough, is as the same as the last levels, just with more men with god-like accuracy and flashlights. I didnt care what the ending looked like ( uninstalled ) but by the way the trailers on TV show, it makes it look like you've escaped from prision and a bounty is placed on your head. Your running (literaly) for your life, not placed in a deserted location with men looking for you. After awahile you lose that being hunted feeling and more of a slaughter-hide and sneek game.… Expand
  7. deadspacer47
    Apr 10, 2014
    9
    It's GORY it's VIOLENT it's also difficult and will make you fear your enemies and what makes it even better is that epic atmosphere combined with awesome soundtracks and voice acting.
    This game started with some boring levels but after that level when you get to rescue your family you'll path through awesome atmospheric levels that will make you play till the end for about 12 hours of    It's GORY it's VIOLENT it's also difficult and will make you fear your enemies and what makes it even better is that epic atmosphere combined with awesome soundtracks and voice acting.
    This game started with some boring levels but after that level when you get to rescue your family you'll path through awesome atmospheric levels that will make you play till the end for about 12 hours of gameplay.
    My problem with this game was that you won't solve puzzles or get to see many characters and i also wanted to more enemies that you can't fight and will make you only run and kill them stealthy like that piggsy from the final level
    Totally one of the best games of its year and if you wanna know the feeling to be a psychopath you should get this game.
    8.5 out of 10    … Expand
  8. AndreiKiller98
    Apr 3, 2014
    10
    Awesome...great graphics,good story,amazing voice acting, badass gameplay..and the executions are so **** cool...this game is one of the best games ever made ;)
  9. LouieP
    Feb 3, 2010
    8
    Horror fans, this is a great thriller. Gore-shy peaceniks and action junkies whining about repetitive, overly difficult or substandard gameplay obviously completely missed the point. Tense and immersive. Definitely could have used more character and story development though.
  10. BoltzmannBaby
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    Praise it or hate it, this is a game you WILL remember! If the killing scenes were softer, there still would be enough elements in this game to make it a cult!
  11. Panica3643D
    Jun 17, 2018
    8
    Несмотря на всю жестокость этой игры, она классная. Интересная механика с необычным сеттингом сделали своё дело.
  12. Horus
    May 1, 2004
    4
    A well-produced game, but a dull one. The grainy, cheap cinematic effect is good, the environments are suitably bleak, and the voice-acting and camera controls are slick, but Manhunt is overall immensely shallow. Once the novelty of the gratuitous and unnecessarily-indulgent violence wears off, it's very easy to get bored. Fighting involves either sneaking up behind people and A well-produced game, but a dull one. The grainy, cheap cinematic effect is good, the environments are suitably bleak, and the voice-acting and camera controls are slick, but Manhunt is overall immensely shallow. Once the novelty of the gratuitous and unnecessarily-indulgent violence wears off, it's very easy to get bored. Fighting involves either sneaking up behind people and executing them, or just clicking the mouse buttons and moving around a bit until one of you runs out of health. Hand to hand combat is dire and repetitive, and even gun combat later on is uninspiring. I can't help but feel that, unlike the GTA games, the only thing pushing sales of Manhunt is the deliberate, self-serving and somewhat cynical controversy that it has so obviously set out to exploit. One to miss.… Expand
  13. WassoZ.
    Jun 2, 2004
    8
    There are so many ways to kill and that makes it a brilliant game.
  14. BahmanS.
    Sep 1, 2004
    10
    It makes you play to the end,although it becomes boring at the end. I think if they could work more on the story it could be the best game that ever made. it lacks in characters, and is mainly dependent on killing scenes. after the level that cash ran away, we did'nt hear much about the DIRECTOR until the end. i think he could continue talking more to Cash (persuading him to stop). It makes you play to the end,although it becomes boring at the end. I think if they could work more on the story it could be the best game that ever made. it lacks in characters, and is mainly dependent on killing scenes. after the level that cash ran away, we did'nt hear much about the DIRECTOR until the end. i think he could continue talking more to Cash (persuading him to stop). and ramirez execution could be more planned. overally,It was a NEW horror Game. … Expand
  15. HeineT.
    May 21, 2004
    10
    GREAT GAME!!!!
  16. SkyMoose
    May 11, 2004
    10
    If you like stealth based games such as Splinter Cell, then this game is definitely worth a look. Great gameplay, graphics, sound and story... but definitely not for those who do not enjoy the darker side of gaming!
  17. INDREKfromEstonia
    Apr 24, 2005
    10
    This game is the BEST!!!
  18. DeonO.
    Jan 27, 2008
    10
    A true revalotionary,this game is really one of rockstars peak's of success,The game handles brilliantly,great GFX,The mood and Atmosphere always has you looking over you shoulder to hear that sound your sure was a footstep
  19. TomH
    Feb 19, 2009
    9
    Fantastic atmosphere, solid storyline, and gritty realism makes this one of the best stealth games around. It will literally have you on the edge of your seat at times.
  20. NickN.
    Dec 11, 2007
    9
    An immersive, heart-pounding stealth game with truly frightening characters and levels, this game does not dissapoint. Memorable, heart-stopping moments make this an interactive horror film. One of the best games for some Halloween-ish thrills ever created.
  21. Izoeros
    May 10, 2022
    8
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  22. iddqd4
    Feb 11, 2018
    8
    Жестокость, жестокость, жестокость, жестокость, и еще больше жестокости.
  23. AstiX
    Sep 2, 2018
    7
    It's not amazing, but it's fun. It takes off slowly with the first few levels, but gets more interesting toward the middle. Violent stealth kills are fun to perform, but get repetitive after a while since there are only a few kill animations that you keep seeing over and over, but luckily the second part of the game turns into guns-blazing action and keeps things varied.

    The concept of    It's not amazing, but it's fun. It takes off slowly with the first few levels, but gets more interesting toward the middle. Violent stealth kills are fun to perform, but get repetitive after a while since there are only a few kill animations that you keep seeing over and over, but luckily the second part of the game turns into guns-blazing action and keeps things varied.

    The concept of the story line is interesting, but doesn't quite develop or matter at all.    … Expand
  24. DeyvsonCaliman
    Jul 25, 2016
    8
    This is one of those games you give up, then play again and every advance you make is a victory. One of the most hard games I played in all my life, it took months to finish because I would give up and then I would think that this wasn't right, I just had to play again. I'm glad I went through the effort because the sense of satisfaction of finishing this game was great. It's a little tooThis is one of those games you give up, then play again and every advance you make is a victory. One of the most hard games I played in all my life, it took months to finish because I would give up and then I would think that this wasn't right, I just had to play again. I'm glad I went through the effort because the sense of satisfaction of finishing this game was great. It's a little too hard in my opinion, but exactly that made it rise above others.… Expand
  25. mr-NachoMen
    May 13, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Manhunt is a brutal, violent and frustrating game at times, it heavily requires to the player to be stealthy at all cost, stay hidden in the shadows , engaging in combat can be handled, but, you'll get kill in a mater of hits. The atmosphere felt dreadful with a great soundtrack that sounds like a John Carpenter's film like Halloween.
    Like i said before, it's a stealthy title, there are weapons in the game, they go from the lowest to the heaviest weapon that is usually in red, other mechanic in the game is "how gruesome the execution will be" this is marked in three phases, green (Low execution), yellow (Medium execution), and finally red (the violent execution).
    There's a large amount of execution animations, each one is brutal in their way.
    The story... well... is not exactly a masterpiece in story telling, but is fair enough, involving a death row prisoner being part of a snuff film.
    Level design... pretty average, some levels are well crafted and spooky like in the ending and some other are totally flat with almost no creativity.
    Gameplay... it's an stealth game, stay hidden in the shadows to avoid conflict it's important, enemies are brutal and they will not make it easy on you, you can still beat them, but most of the times they'll tear you apart, you can call their attention to kill them by making some noises, throwing bricks, cans, heads, etc, or hit a wall, important to know that enemies will react to every sound you make, like foot steps and they will go looking for the source. There are some gunfire mechanics in the game... those are terrible, but you can get the job done faster.
    Character design... each level or area of the game will have their respective gang, with their own look, but, some gangs had their character design well done and other just felt... lazy.
    Overall, Manhunt is a brutal game, and the most controversial to date, a hidden gem from Rockstar and a game that everyone should play in their life, at least if you have the stomach for it and the patience to beat the game without getting caught and killed.
    One final point to mark here... even if it doesn't look like it, but this game has a message, which is how morbid the human kind can be while referring to violence and how we can be engaged in that kind of media and feel entertain, even if we felt disgusted by it.    … Expand
  26. AlexKVideos1
    Feb 20, 2021
    5
    I always wondered why Manhunt wasn't given as much attention as much as Rockstar's other hit games. Now I understand why.

    I want to make this clear. This review is not negative because of the violence, or because of the issues with newer Window's OS. I don't recommend this game because its not enjoyable. The story can be phrased in one sentence. Killing gang members for a snuff film    I always wondered why Manhunt wasn't given as much attention as much as Rockstar's other hit games. Now I understand why.

    I want to make this clear. This review is not negative because of the violence, or because of the issues with newer Window's OS. I don't recommend this game because its not enjoyable.

    The story can be phrased in one sentence. Killing gang members for a snuff film in order to gain freedom. While having a simple story isn't necessarily bad, it makes the game even more of a drag.

    The game has a great, griddy, dark vibe to it that I like. However, with that comes these very boring, unrealistic, and uninteresting environments to go through. Navigating these restricted environments can be tricky when there are few dark areas to hide in and a ton of gang members.

    Another huge issue is the long time to complete a level. This will be the slowest stealth game you will ever play. While games like Hitman also take a lot of time, with good planning, and strategy, it keeps you in interesting environments, with many approaches. Here, you literally have to either wait for them to turn their back to go for a quick kill, or fight them head on. You can make noise to attract them to a certain area, or run into a dark area to escape them, but that's all the variety you will experience. It becomes super repetitive, and its really not that rewarding to get a kill after a while.

    That leads me to my biggest frustration, the save points. Sometimes there are huge areas you have to cross before you can reach a save point to save your game. There is no auto-save, and you can't save anywhere that you want. This means that you are essentially forced to keep playing a level to reach a save point so you wouldn't have to do it all over again. So if you die during the level, you are better off just quitting the game before you punch a hole through your screen.

    One of the best levels is the last bonus scene. It is a timed event, however the AI feels smarter, and you have more options on your approach. Sadly its the only mission like it.

    Just like what I said about Hatred, and Postal, there is no subsistence to this game, it was made just purely for the controversy.    … Expand
  27. shkipermann
    Feb 25, 2023
    10
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  28. painstar
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    Cult classic! You should play it at least once. Atmosphere in this game is amazing, music is big part of it. R* should cherish it and make big budget full on remake with RAGE.
  29. deadcity
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    Very impressive game. No censorship, no moralies. Brutal, violence and hardcore. It have simple gameplay and plot, but it have special atmosphere.
  30. Tyrique
    May 28, 2023
    5
    This game for it's time had great gore and stuff but it's repetitive gore scenes and bare bones stealth makes this game shallow and boring and you even forget a story even exists. I wouldn't recommend this game for anyone who's big into stealth since fighting someone in this game is a pain in the ass.
  31. Bushido95
    Oct 2, 2021
    8
    Отвратительно, жестоко, безумно, тревожно, жутко, просто омерзительно как такое вообще можно было сделать? мне нравится.
  32. Katieterk2002
    Mar 22, 2022
    10
    One of the best horror games ever with its story and characters and weapons that you can use and it has unique features in the game like stealth mechanics and it is one of those things that I really love and it Has to be Rockstar Games best games in the 00s and it needs to be remastered or remake and manhunt 3 needs to happen someday in the future because it is amazing Franchise and I amOne of the best horror games ever with its story and characters and weapons that you can use and it has unique features in the game like stealth mechanics and it is one of those things that I really love and it Has to be Rockstar Games best games in the 00s and it needs to be remastered or remake and manhunt 3 needs to happen someday in the future because it is amazing Franchise and I am sad that rockstar has abandoned it due to how controversial it is… Expand
  33. The_D4RknesS
    Jun 28, 2022
    10
    this game is wonderful! i love the atmosphere it gives us the feeling of fear and the dark soundtracks. I think the graphics of this game are beautiful and the gore is very realistic even for today.
    I highly recommend playing at night with the lights off and using headphones immersion is 100% guaranteed
  34. kerimbayramov
    Sep 28, 2022
    10
    this game is absolutely amazing. I enjoy sneaking up on people and executing and brutally murdering them. The story of the game is literally mesmerizing.
    I finished the hard mode for the second time because it is more realistic.
  35. PenetratorGod
    Aug 26, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After the Grand Theft Auto series, Manhunt was another acclaimed series of games created by Rockstar. Manhunt was released in 2003 and was an adult only action and stealth based game. The level of violence in this game surpassed that of the GTA games or any game you've ever seen before. The game's story revolves around illegal manhunts secretly organized in the United States.

    Players take on the role of James Earl Cash, a criminal sentenced to death by lethal injection. Interestingly, the sentence was carried out, but the main protagonist didn't die and woke up in a room full of cameras. At this point, a wealthy man named Starkweather, a former director of gore and violent porn videos for anonymous clients, informs our protagonist that he must participate in a manhunt.

    The game's action takes place in Carcer City, where the authorities are bribed by the likes of Starkweather and allow them to organize the aforementioned manhunts. On the streets of this corrupt city, players help James Earl Cash survive, fighting different gangs and "hunters". The main protagonist's actions are recorded by Starkweather's hidden cameras. The game offers realistic 3D visuals for the period and is very good at scaring players and making them feel trapped due to the gloomy surroundings of the city and certain buildings. The game's sound effects also add a good quality to the atmosphere.

    Gameplay mainly revolves around sneaking through enemy locations, avoiding direct confrontation and eventually eliminating enemies that threaten the main protagonist. In order to succeed, you need shadows that give you the necessary stealth and sounds that can warn you of the incoming threat, shown as red blips on the radar. You need to pay attention to these.

    Once you've decided to kill someone, you can do it in many different ways: slitting their throat, strangling them with a plastic bag, breaking their neck with a special hilt, cracking their head with a brick, and using a firearm you can find on the way. However, in the early stages of Manhunt players have to deal with all the threats with their own hands, using tools such as smashed bottles. Each murder presents the player with a level of brutality with three options to choose from.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PC Game of 2004
34
#34 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
30
#30 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. PC Gameworld
    80
    Manhunt is no kid’s game. Adult players should anticipate an incredible amount of gore and some uncomfortable scenes of violence. Looking beyond that, Manhunt does offer a unique story and some challenging, stealth-based gameplay.
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  2. Gamezilla!
    82
    It’s really up to you – the person behind the controller – to decide whether the violent content makes or breaks Manhunt since the core gameplay mechanics of Manhunt aren’t all that compelling.
    Read full review
  3. Gamer's Pulse
    80
    An optimized visual performance clearly makes the PC version the preferred edition of the game; however, the game attempts to combine excessive violence with stealth-action gameplay, but fails to invoke a sense of value and worth in play.
    Read full review
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