The Manhunt games have a special place in gaming history. Surrounded by controversy, the two games in this hyper-violent series were always in the spotlight. But let’s forget about all that for a second and focus on why Rockstar Games should focus on bringing us Manhunt 3.
Awesome childhood
The first Manhunt was life-changing for me. Probably because I played it at a very young age or watched passionately as my siblings played it. Some of the fondest gaming memories I have involve running from Piggsy, as weird as that sounds. Manhunt was fresh when it came out, unique.
The sequel
Although not connected story-wise, Manhunt 2 was a worthy continuation of this series. The second game upped the violence and tried to top the shock factor of a world sunken in filth and blood. But just like many of Rockstar’s games at the time, it was hampered by close-minded politicians, ESRB ratings and retailers who refused to sell a game with an Adults Only (AO) rating. After what was said to be a rocky development, the game released on Wii, PS2 and PSP, using filters to partially censor the violent executions.
The game to die for
I have played both the censored and uncensored Wii versions of the game and of course the uncensored one was the one that I liked the most. The motion controls are satisfying and the violent executions reward you for being stealthy and taking your time to plan your next move. While the censored version might hide some of the less than perfect animations of some executions, it throws off the vibe of the game. Don’t get me wrong, if I never knew of the existence of an uncensored version, I wouldn’t mind. The sound design makes up for the gruesomeness, the filters make everything feel more psychotic; and your imagination fills in the rest.
A new generation
The times they are a-changin’. Hillary Clinton, Jack Thompson and all the other (then) Senators that were hell-bent on blocking Rockstar’s games, are old news. TV shows (for example Game of Thrones), movies and games have more sex and violence in them than ever. Rockstar Games should revive the franchise and give us what we need; joy-con 1:1 motion executions on Nintendo Switch. All jokes aside, Manhunt 3 deserves to be made. Don’t let censorship end the franchise, Rockstar. Don’t let Them win.