Manhunt

An extra rule we used was the formation of human chains. A person could be home free simply by touching the hand of someone who was touching the Base. Another person could then touch that person's hand, and so on. I'm sure it looked interesting from afar once it got down to the last person, especially since we played with at least a dozen kids at a time.

Of course, there were always lurkers, who would cleverly wait near the Base until It was through counting, and immediately make a dash for it. Lurking, however, was considered extremely cheap-ass, and was justly frowned upon. Make up your own consequences.

Another variation of manhunt is made possible by the wonders of modern technology. Split up into several teams, as before, but make sure that each team has a cell phone. Also, unless you're lucky enough to live in a sprawl-free city with good public transportation, make sure that someone in each team has a car and can drive. Exchange phone numbers, decide on some basic boundaries (unless you want the game to turn into a road trip), and then send out the hiding team -- the other two teams should find some way to occupy themselves for whatever time period y'all decide on. After the first ten minutes (or however long) are up, the hiding team calls each of the searching teams, and gives them a suitably cryptic clue to their location. The hiding team doesn't actually have to be in their location yet, but they have to know where they will eventually be. Both searching teams head out in their cars, trying to find the hiding team, and every ten minutes (or however long), the hiding team calls with another clue. The first team to find the people hiding, obviously, wins.

You might agree on a certain interval of time after which the people hiding win by default, but winning isn't terribly important in this game. Another variation, which is a lot more fun for the people hiding, is to have them chalk a trail of clues across the city. In this case, the hiding team would have to have a bit more of a head start.

The way the game works is like this: All of the players meet at a certain location at an assigned time. They're then divided into teams. One smaller team (about 6-7 people) is designated as the hiders. The other team (about 15-20 people) is designated as the seekers. Both teams are given a list of identical targets on Lower Campus. The Hiders are attempting to tag these targets with squares of duct tape, while the Seekers are trying to tag the Hiders. While this may seem unfair, one must consider the complexities of the targets. Location is everything, and certain targets require more manpower than others, especially when there are various entry points to be considered.

To play SRC Manhunt, it is suggested that players wear all-black clothing or at least some form of camouflage (white can be substituted during winter games). Black face paint or similar can also be used. An FRS Radio, though not required per se, is highly useful and it will make your life easier, and everyone has them anyway. Less required, though useful, is a headset complete with microphone. Flashlights are iffy, but you never know what visibility in the woods will be like. Finally, squares of duct tape in an easily accessable location (i.e. on your pants leg) is necessary in order to tag your opponent.

The game ends when either a certain number of targets have been tagged (6 out of 9, etc) or the Hiders have been tagged 10 times. Each game has a different "map", i.e. different targets and rules (fewer people = fewer targets and less tags required, etc.), and it's really the players that decide the outcome. Win or lose, it's a great way to relieve stress at the end of the school week.

Now without spoiling things too badly, afterall you can gleam this from the blurb on the back of the DVD case, your execution by lethal injection was simply a tranquiliser and you wake up in a small rustbelt town with nothing but your wits and a prison uniform to start with. Then you realise that you are the star of a reality show / snuff movie and the "director" is egging you on and giving you hints through your radio earpiece.

This game is banned in New Zealand due to the extremely graphic nature of the violence which might "hurt the public good" according to an article in the Seattle Times and the general amoral nature of the protagonist who you play as. Not such a big break from the norm for Rockstar games then, afterall their previous hits (GTA3 and GTA:Vice City) both had the player take on the role of a less than stellar humanitarian in a quest to blow shit up and make big bucks in the process.

Gameplay is reminiscent of Tenchu, Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, a sneak-em-up but with a delicious new twist. Instead of just taking the enemies out so as to reach a new area or finish a mission, the "director" encourages you to kill your enemies in a variety of gory and pretty well animated sequences. When sneaking up behind an enemy, your character changes his posture to indicate when he is within range. If you hold down the square or X button (on PS2) three triangles appear around the enemy's head. They change color the longer you hold down the button and the resulting stealth execution is more gruesome with each color.

You can pick up a variety of weapons and by the 5th area you should already be well-versed in the deadly potential of a nail-gun, a hunting knife, a length of wire, a baseball bat, a small club or crowbar, a piece of glass and even a plastic bag. Now don't laugh about the plastic bag. Once you see the animation that accompanies it, you will think again.

Overall, Manhunt is a pretty cool game. The gore is adequate and realistic and does not feel overdone or forced for shock value. The gameplay is slow, patient and sometimes so tense you need to switch off your console and go out for some air inbetween plays. The voice-acting is fine although I heard complaints about the language used in the game. If you can stand an average episode of OZ you wont have trouble enjoying Manhunt.