I love the Manhunt series by Rockstar Games. While not exactly underrated, the series has been dormant to the point where it feels like it is completely forgotten. Especially to the millennial generation, ‘Manhunt’ and its sequel probably sound like straight-to-DVD B-movies.
MANHUNT 3, WHERE ART THOU?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the next addition to the Manhunt series and what it might look like (that’s if it’s even considered by Rockstar Games and its parent company Take-Two Interactive at this point). The developers have the chance to mark the series’ return with something that will shock the industry just like the other entries have done before it. Not with gore or motion control executions, but this time with a female lead.
WOKEHUNT
Now now, put down your pitchforks and hear me out. I’m not saying this in a ‘Battlefield V’ type of way. I’m saying it will be interesting to explore how a female character would deal with the horrific scenarios and choices that characters in the Manhunt series are faced with. As long as the core game mechanics the series is known for are still there and the game doesn’t get renamed to ‘Peoplehunt’ or ‘Womanhunt’, I don’t think fans will care.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Rockstar Games has the opportunity to create a groundbreaking game starring a female character in a series that is known for flawed personalities overcoming the odds and going through intense experiences of incredible violence and coming out of them alive. Characters in the Manhunt games, especially Manhunt 2, never feel like invincible superhero killing machines. Killing is something you need to do to survive and you have the choice on how messed up those executions will be.
LARA CROFT WITH A CHAINSAW
A female lead in a Manhunt game could also help Rockstar focus on crafting a narrative that will capture audiences more than any previous entry. A grounded female character in the insanely bleak and unforgiving Manhunt universe, with issues, feelings of revenge, a thirst for blood and a buildup from vulnerability to ass-kicking. The spotlight would be on them and it will be a true test of their abilities as game makers and story-tellers. Manhunt is the perfect candidate for having a female protagonist. In a time where Hollywood is dominated by simple replacement characters or female characters that are inexplicably “gods”, a “Lara Croft in Manhunt” is the way to go.
What do you think? Is this a direction you’d be happy with or are you already sharpening that pitchfork and creating online petitions?