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The
trivia has been split up into two categories,
references, where any game or any form of media
that Manhunt in referenced in will be mentioned
and trivia where basic facts, release dates
and so on will be placed.
It
is also worth pointing out that the majority
of the references is based on observation, rather
than being fact of basis. Rockstar has stated
that Manhunt was primarily based on mood, so
a lot of these similarities might just be coincidences
and nothing more.
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New
Zealand: On
November 24th of 2003 the game went under
investigation by Films, Videos and Publications
Classification (FVPC). The game was banned
in the December of 2003 in New Zealand.
More about the issue can be read by clicking
HERE.
Or alternatively you can read the entire
12 page document file about it by clicking
HERE.
United
Kingdom: On July 29th
2004, Dixons (a large electronics outlet
in the UK) pulled Manhunt off the shelves
due to the death of Stefan Pakeerah. Various
other independent outlets removed the
game from shelves. Despite the fact of
this happening, the game was never formally
banned in the UK and the retail outlets
that removed the game have since restocked
it.
Australia:
On
September 20th through to September 28th
2004 (almost a year after the games release)
the Office of Film and Literature Classification
(OFLC) in Australia decided to reclassify
Manhunt due to the death of a teen in
the UK. The game was originally rated
MA15+. You can read more about the review
process by clicking HERE.
On
September 29th the game was refused classification
which in effect means that the game can
not be legally sold. All copies still
on shelves and owned by retailers must
be returned or they are in breach of the
law. The reasoning for the refusal of
classification is as follows “Specifically,
it contains some depictions of high impact,
we well as scenes of blood and gore that
go beyond strong. It also contains a high
impact theme.”
You
can read more about it by clicking HERE.
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There
is a timeline conflict. Grand Theft Auto
III is supposed to take place around 2001
and we are told that the Carcer City,
Police Chief Gary Schaffer had been cleared
of corruption charges on one of the radio
stations. Yet at the reporters apartment
we can see from the calendar that the
date the game takes place is the 19th
of November 2003. The only other explanation
is that this is the second time that the
Police Chief has found himself in trouble.
Is a Manhunt prequel possible? |
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Throughout
the game there are numerous nods
to other games and little quirks
that only the most observant player
will pick up on. The following is
a list of such things. |
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It
is known that the beta version
of Cash never made it into
the final build of Manhunt
but a few images of Cash
did. One such image can
be found in the reporter’s
apartment during the mission
‘Press Coverage’.
The reporter goes into her
secret room inside her apartment
and pulls a box from under
the table. If you look closely
the beta version of Cash
can be seen clearly on the
wall with a bunch of headlines
around his head. The reporter
was clearly fixated on Cash
and documented the whole
thing leading up to the
games climax. |
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You
are going to require the
trainer
for this one. During the
bonus scene ‘Time
to Die’, there is
a hidden save point and
bottle of pain killers.
In order to view the hidden
save point and bottle of
pain killers, you are going
to have to jump over the
gate where the scene starts
out (f6) and you will see
a small alleyway, head down
the alley and you will see
them. Why they are here
is unknown, people speculate
that it is primarily for
loading purposes, or perhaps
they originaly intended
to extend the scene.
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During
the scene 'Press Coverage',
while exploring the news journalist's
apartment, there is a calendar.
The calendar shows the month
and year as being November
of 2003 with a small smiley
face that has been drawn on
the 19th. The 19 November
2003 was the game's release
date in North America. The
calendar is positioned directly
behind the kitchen door to
the right, directly in line
with the double glass doors
that lead you out to the balcony. |
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There
appears to be an alternate
Piggsy character model,
the very first time you
encounter him his penis
is visible. The second time
it isn't. It also isn't
visible when you change
the player skin. This was
presumably done because
it was too visible. The
very first time you encounter
Piggsy it is very dark and
it plays subtle.
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Once
you have finished the game
a short video clip plays (around
10 seconds) that shows a robotic
chef speaking backwards. When
the sound is played backwards
(the correct way) it displays
the god mode cheat. Many suggest
that the chef video is there
to suggest that Starkweather
has recorded over an old video
that originally had a kids
TV show recorded on it. |
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Piggsy's
Corpse can be seen in the
unlockable bonus scene ‘Hard
as Nails’ the interesting
thing about this being he
now has his head chopped
off and is laying in a pile
up of guts and gore, obviously
the result of the handy
work of one James Earl Cash.
Also visible is one of Piggsys
arms that were removed and
various other bones. There
is also a head of what looks
like a family member or
perhaps a Hoods member,
or it could possibly be
Piggsys head without the
mask on.
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There
is a second key at the end
of ‘Kill the Rabbit’,
to view the key you must kill
everyone so that the gate
to end of the level opens
up, but rather than exiting
the level through the gate,
walk to the right and be sure
to stay close to the wall
(so that you don't inadvertently
end the scene) and the second
key is visible, however the
key cannot be used. It is
likely there for loading reasons,
so that the other key can
be shown, this is probably
also the reason for it being
hidden and inaccessible. |
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In
the scene Border Patrol
you can see a corps nailed
to a cross like shaped tree
just outside of the entrance
to Starkweathers mansion.
The corpse is quite easy
to miss as it is dark during
this scene, the best way
to view it is to use the
shotgun with a light on
it, be sure that you have
eliminated all the Cerberus
first however as the light
would alert them to your
location. It would appear
as though the Cerberus members
have decided to hang the
corpse as a trophie of sorts.
It is believed that the
corpse is of a member of
Cash's family, on closer
inspection however it appears
as though it is the same
model used during Kill the
Rabbit.
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There
are a bunch of 5 bottles (used
as a lure item) and a knife
grouped together during the
scene 'White Trash'. They
are located at the first locked
off fence gate where you need
to cut the rope with a knife
that is keeping the fence
locked. It is also where you
encounter the first member
of the Skinz. If you look
directly to your right you
will see the bottles and knife
through the window of the
small building. The trainer
is required in order for you
to be able jump over to the
building. The reason for them
being here is unknown. |
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In
‘Kill the Rabbit’
there is room with an executed
corpse sitting in an electric
chair, which is part of
a much larger execution
chamber, glass separates
you from the corpse. You
are able to see that he
is no longer strapped into
the chair, so he was presumably
placed here or was tortured
into death. His tongue is
also hanging out and he
has a hood of sorts on,
perhaps another member of
the Hoods or another theory
is that it is a dead family
member. The same type or
corpse can be seen in ‘Border
Patrol’.
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| Fuelled
By Hate |
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| Drunk
Driving |
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In
‘Fuelled by Hate’
and ‘Drunk Driving’
another easter egg appears,
this time it is the ‘Stallion’
car from the Grand Theft Auto
games. It is broken down and
rusted in both cases so it’s
not for driving about, it
likely belongs to someone
from Liberty or Vice City
that was passing through and
was ambushed by someone in
Carcer. Or it could belong
to one of the gang members
that drove it into Carcer
one evening. The texture appears
to differ from each scene
so it is presumably intended
to reflect that they are two
separate cars, rather than
the one that could have possibly
been moved. Who knows, it
could have even belonged to
tramp. |
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At
the start of ‘Mouth
of Madness’ where
you must kill ‘Fug’
in order to pass the locked
gate, if you look through
the glass door you can see
a man strapped to an electric
chair, if you flick the
switch outside the room
he begins to get electrocuted.
The machine next to him
reads "High Tech
Solid State 1500 Watt Zapping
Machine. Please note: This
really fucking hurts!".
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When
news first broke of a new game by Rockstar
Games it was known for over a year by
the name of “Project Manhunt”
this was presumably a working title that
several publications took to be the final
name.
The
Website www.valiant-ent.tv
for "Valiant Video Enterprises"
which was set up by Rockstar Games is
the video Production Company that sells
Starkweather's films.
The
final script for Manhunt was over 520
pages long with 500 pages dedicated to
the dialogue of the hunters and Starkweather
alone. The entire story and cut scene
portion of the script came to around 25
pages.
The
hunters in the game have over 8000 lines
of dialogue that they can speak. There
are over 500 whistle and hum noises on
top of all the lines of dialogue.
8MM,
Jacob’s Ladder, Marathon Man, Romper
Stomper and reality TV shows where all
used as inspiration behind Manhunt, however
the main form of influence on the game
lays in moods, scenes, tension and mass
Markey voyeurism.
There
is no actual 'score' in Manhunt the music
is compiled mostly of fades and natural
sounds of the environment. This was done
to heighten the tension in the game.
People
often point out that during the scene
'Graveyard Shift' Cash is carrying a pump
action shotgun all while during the level
Cash uses a sawn off shotgun. The reason
for this is due to the fact that the cut
scene in question is pre rendered and
not rendered in real time like some of
the other cut scenes.
Manhunt
won awards for IGN Readers' Vote's for
Action Game of the Year, Special Achievement
in Sound, Best Action Adventure and Game
Story of the Year.
Various
ideas where dropped from the game, some
of which can be found in the art panels
of the game while others where shown through
publications such as early screenshots
and trailers. The most drastic change
was likely the change in the appearance
of Cash. More can be found out about these
changes in the Beta
section of the site.
The
god mode cheat actually becomes useable
after you have completed the game on either
Fetish or Hardcore difficulty. When you
hold L1, L2, R1 & R2 at the main menu
you will hear a voice whisper something,
when recorded and played backwards you
will hear the god mode cheat spoken. "Daddy
didn't see what would happen if she left
me. Mommy's supposed to care, but she
was never there, at this part the code
below is said backwards once reversed
the real code is revealed, down, down,
circle, up, square, triangle, square,
R2, up, up, L1, triangle" The God
mode cheat makes Cash invincible to attack.
Despite a low key release, delayed TV
advertisements and a ploy by British tabloids
to ban the game, Manhunt entered the overall
games chart at number 15 on its first
week of sale. The following week it was
in the top 10.
Various
on-line retailers
claim to sell the “uncut”
version of Manhunt when in fact the game
was never censored. The version you can
pick up in stores today is the same as
the one you could back when the game was
initially released. |
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If
you have the release date for the game
in any country not mentioned, please get
in contact with us letting us know.
Country |
Platform |
Release
Date |
USA
UK
USA
UK
Netherlands
Poland |
Playstation
2
Playstation 2
PC/XBOX
PC/ XBOX
Playstation 2
PC |
November
18th 2003
November 21st 2003
April 20th 2004
April 23rd 2004
May 7th 2004
October 5th 2004 |
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Prior
to the release of Manhunt, Rockstar
Games released an interactive screensaver;
with this screensaver they had the
ability to update it via the Internet
after its initial download. As the
messenger ran various quotes would
appear periodically, they where
designed to look at though they
where through AOL Instant Messenger.
And they would be delivered from
a user with the name ValiantentTV,
as though to spoof the Valiant Entertainment
website that was setup.
More
recently select members of the community
believe that Rockstar may be using
the screensaver to hint at the sequel
to Manhunt, as of current time no
one has had the screensaver installed
since its initial release so it
is impossible to work out if some
of these message are or not, some
are clearly there for the initial
game however. The following is some
of the quotes that pop up through
the screensaver.
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Quotes
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We will hunt this fuck for your viewing
pleasure.
- We will leak more previews of the
next hunt on the net soon. Join the
mailing list.
- Hunt fans fresh meat is on the way
soon stay tuned.
- Got new videos. Site Updated.
- You seen the new store on the valiant
site?
- November 19th. Don't forget the
date.
- It's finally coming next week.
- There are scenes in the next hunt
that are gonna blow your ******* mind.
- Working on this rough cut won't
be long now.
- It's almost time, can't *******
wait.
- Videos made to order. Fetish, hardcore,
brutality and harder worth the cost.
- Wait till you see what we have coming!
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Just added mr. nasty's hall of pain
to the valiant site. check it out.
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We will hunt this **** for your viewing
pleasure.
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Haha this ***** isn't going to know
what hit him.
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Got a special outtake hidden on the
hunt site. Gotta look at all the pages
first. check it out.
- Our best hunt ever is coming out
November 19th. |
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8MM
is probably the most obvious
film that springs to mind
when thinking of Manhunt.
It features a man who discovers
an underground snuff ring
being that is being run by
3 different men, one of which
wears a gimp mask and goes
by the name ‘Machine’.
James Gandolfini plays a character
by the name of Eddie Poole
(pictured to the left) who
acts as the go between man,
producing these movies. He
is a cold hearted ruthless
man that |
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has
his heart set on making money,
at anyone and every things expense,
much like Starkweather. Even his
physical appearance is somewhat
reminiscent of Gandolfini in the
movie. Peter Stormare plays the
part of Dino Velvet, a director
that considers his movies to be
an art form, making movies specifically
to meet the consumers needs. Perhaps
functioning similarly to the mysterious
Mr. Nasty?
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Machine
& Dino Velvet.
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Alice
Adventure In Wonderland |

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In
the book (movie, cartoon, comic,
game and every other form of media)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,
there is a White Rabbit which Alice
stumbles upon, she follows this
rabbit down a hole and meets a bunch
of weird characters. Similarly in
Manhunt, Cash must follow the White
Rabbit in order to obtain a key,
along his way he deals with the
Smilies (those crazyies!) and the
Cerberus. |
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Bully
(aka Canis Canem Edit) |

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Bully
(Canis Canem Edit) was released
in October 2006 by Take-Two
and developed by Rockstar
Vancouver, there are many
little nods to Manhunt that
you will stumble across. Some
hold more water than others.
For starters the game runs
on the Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas engine, that in itself
bonds it to Manhunt as Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas had
many aspects of Manhunt within
it. Among these similarities
is the targeting/aiming system
as well as the projectile
(throwing) aspects of the
game, and then there is the
stealth that the game uses,
although the stealth aspects
of Bully are |
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actually
more similar to the Grand Theft
Auto: San Andreas stealth mechanics,
those are originally a modified
(or simplified) version of which
is found in Manhunt. Another amusing
animation that also turns up in
Bully is the one when he is urinating
in the bathroom; it looks to be
the same animation as the Hoods
member in Manhunt.
There
is a barber/clothes shop located
in the New Coventry area called
“The Final Cut”. This
seems to suggest a reference to
Manhunt since the poster and early
released review copies of the game
included the slogan Manhunt "The
Final Cut", On the final game
however, the slogan was changed
to "This Is a Brutal Blood
Sport".
Other minor references in the game
include kids from the Halloween
stage of the game, one of them called
Pete wears a pink rabbit costume,
the rabbit in Manhunt also wears
a rabbit costume although the costume
is white, it is worth pointing out
that in Manhunt you must follow
the rabbit but in Bully (Canis Canem
Edit) the Rabbit or Pete must follow
you around the school. Jimmy the
main character in the game wears
a skeleton costume which looks something
similar to the attire of the Innocentz
in Manhunt, another one of the kids
wears a hockey mask which bares
a resemblance to the mask of the
Skinz from Manhunt. There is also
a member of the Jocks that wear
a mask that slightly resembles that
of the Innocentz and a member of
the Greasers that wears a pumpkin
on his head similar to concept are
for the Scarecrow in Manhunt. If
you complete the mission of destroying
all of the pumpkins at Halloween
you can unlock a pumpkin mask to
wear, this is also similar to the
Scarecrow art panel showing his
alternative attire. There are also
headstones that appear during Halloween.
In
the game you can go to such places
as an asylum, a junkyard, a cemetery
and a chemical factory called chem-o-lot,
in the asylum you can find a picture
of a pig with the word "piggy"
below it perhaps a reference at
Manhunt's Piggsy, an asylum also
appears in Manhunt used to enclose
the Smilies, the junkyard in Manhunt
where the Skinz gang are located
and the cemetery in Manhunt is where
you must escort the hobo/Tramp to
safety, you can also find a chemical
factory in Manhunt under the name
Carcer Chem.
In the sound department Bully lends
heavily from Manhunt, where the
music is all layered in stages.
Although in Bully it is structured
slightly different, such as when
you get on a bike the music speed
picks up. When you hide in a cupboard,
locker or bin you can hear your
heart beat (although not as tense
as in Manhunt). And perhaps most
interesting enough is the noise
of the bottle rocket launcher reloading
sounds to be an exact lift from
the shotgun reloading from Manhunt,
there are numerous other sounds
found throughout the game that seem
to have been taken from both Manhunt
and the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
There are drunken hobos lying around
the town of Bullsworth that seem
to be modified versions of the tramp
from Manhunt, down to the beard,
hat, coat and drink problem. Some
of the other character models also
seem to be taken from Manhunt and
modified, the lead characters in
Bully all have individual fingers,
Manhunt is the only other Rockstar
game to include this, the rest have
mitten like hands. A pretty amusing
possible nod to Manhunt is the fact
that you loos your shoes if you
pass out when outside the school
gates, in Manhunt the Smilies where
constantly worried about their shoes.
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Bully
montage of various little nods. |
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Aside
from sharing the same name as the last
scene in Manhunt there isn't actually
that much similar to the 1972 movie. There
are certain storyline threads that can
possibly be derived from Deliverance.
Such as the fact that those guilty of
committing the murders in the movie get
away with it. There is also a line in
the movie that could hold some influence
in Manhunt, in the scene in question;
one of the main characters, Drew (played
by Ronny Cox) is sexually assaulted, during
this scene he is being taunted with yells
of ‘scream piggy’, this could
have possibly lead to the name of Piggsy. |
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In the 1990 movie ‘Die Hard 2: Die
Harder’ there is a character by
the name of Maj. Grant (played by John
Amos) that looks almost identical to Ramirez.
Maj. Grant wears similar camouflage, a
beret, is a large African American and
bares similar physical features as Ramirez,
albeit minus the scar to his left eye. |
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The
Friday the 13th movies carry
two influences in particular
for Manhunt, one of which
is Jason’s hockey mask
that he wore in the later
films and the other is his
machete. The hockey mask looks
similar to the one worn in
the game by members of the
Skinz. The Jury also wore
them but the gang was dropped,
head over to the Beta section
for more. |
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In the game the
machete was used primarily by
the Wardogs as one of their weapons.
The executions with the machete
are similar to the way Jason uses
his machete preferring to decapitate
his victims heads rather than
just cutting into people.
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Kane
Hodder as Jason Voorhees in Jason
X.
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The
Grand Theft Auto franchise shares
a lot of things in common with Manhunt,
primarily because they both where
originally developed by Rockstar
North (formerly known as DMA Design).
Rather than list the same similarity
multiple times, we have instead
took the opportunity to list them
first by common running themes and
then list the ones that are specific
to a certain entry into the franchise.
Game |
Released |
Takes
Place |
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
Grand
Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Manhunt
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty
City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Stories |
1997
1999
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006 |
-
1969
2013
2001
1986
2003
1992
1998
1984
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The
above is a table of Rockstar North
(DMA) releases along side the year
of release and the year the game
takes place, in order to help give
a better understanding of the references.
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In
two scenes (Drunk Driving
and Fuelled By Hate) you can
see a destroyed Stallion.
The 'Stallion' is the name
of a car that was featured
in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
The image to the left is of
the 'Stallion' in all its
glory in Liberty City. The
Blista Compact from the Grand
Theft Auto series is also
the car thatthe journalist
drives in Manhunt. |
There
are soda machines that have
the title 'Sprunk' on them
have appeared in two different
Grand That Auto titles, these
machines first made an appearance
in Grand That Auto: Vice City,
albeit hidden, they where
only visible during the mission
‘Psycho Killer’
at the Love Fist concert.
They next appeared in Manhunt
and a year later In San Andreas,
in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
the ‘Sprunk’ machines
can also be used for a source
of health, much in line with
the games health mechanics,
similarly to Manhunt. |
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Grand
Theft Auto 2 |
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Released
in 1999 and also developed
by Rockstar North (known
at the time as DMA Design)
GTA 2, features a series
of gangs, one of the
gangs goes by the name
‘The Loonies’,
they are described as
‘Mental Patients’
they have a very similar
look to the Smileys
from Manhunt. Another
similarity comes from
the cars |
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they
drive, since they have a
small smiley face on the
top, similar to the simplistic
design the Smileys use for
their masks, or draw on
walls. In Manhunt the Smilieys
are referred to as ‘Loonies’
by Starkweather, during
the scene ‘Mouth of
Madness’, the fact
that they are also mental
patients bears too much
of a similarity to the ‘Loonies’
from GTA2 too simply be
a coincidence. It was obviously
taken straight from the
game for Manhunt.
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Many
of the homeless people in the city
look very similar to the tramp from
Manhunt; perhaps Manhunt took the
design or idea from Grand Theft
Auto III and tweaked it.
Near
the end of the game the News Journalist
is shown doing a news report on
Starkweather. In this news report
she says that Carcer City’s
Police Chief Gary Shaver has had
some involvement with Starkweather.
On the “Lips 106” radio
station in Grand Theft Auto III
the news reporter Andy states: "So
I'm sitting here, reading the Liberty
Tree. And it says "In nearby
Carcer City, a good day
for law and order as police chief
Gary Shaver was cleared of corruption
charges in a controversial decision
by the court. Let's hope
those missing witnesses turn up
safe and sound." |
Grand
Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
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It
is quite amazing how
many weapons have
made it into the latest
Grand Theft Auto game
(Liberty City Stories)
from Manhunt. The
weapons include a
meat cleaver, hand
axe, baseball bat
(aluminium), nitestick,
a knife and a handgun
just to name some
of the obvious ones.
Some of them even
appear to be the same
weapon model as used
in Manhunt, if not
then certainly based
on the same designs. |
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The
chainsaw is also back,
but this time it is
used in conjunction
with a set of overalls,
but there is something
special about them,
that being you wear
a hockey mask the
exact same one used
by the Skinz (albeit
it is cleaner) gang
in Manhunt, that doesn’t
mean you have to stick
with this weapon though
you can change to
any of the above this
in turn makes you
look very much like
one of the Skinz as
they had weapons like
the baseball bat.
The chainsaw design
doesn’t resemble
Piggsys in any shape
or form however, further
indication that the
chainsaw used by Piggsy
is a custom. |
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Slash
TV is another major
hint at Manhunt, set
as a mini game where
you have take out as
many different people
as you can using only
the Chainsaw with the
overalls and hockey
mask on. In Manhunt
one of the games main
characters, Piggsy specialises
in the use of the chainsaw.
Being that LCS is set
before Manhunt, perhaps
Piggsy was king of the
show? |
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Other
hints to Manhunt include
a mission titled 'Snuff',
in this mission you are
asked to eliminate members
of the 'Sindacco' family
that are putting pressure
on a fellow 'Sindacco' who
would like to become a member
of the Leone Family. The
turn coat in question is
JD Otoole, he runs a sex
shop. During the mission
he is watching from a building
and video taping it all
for his very own snuff movie,
he calls Toni to express
his gratitude for the clip.
There
is also a past time in Portland
that goes by the title 'Wrong
Side of the Tracks', which
is obviously the name of
a scene in Manhunt. However,
in Liberty City Stories
it is a bike mission where
you are required to race
three members of the Wong
brothers along the El Train
track; it shares very little
with Manhunt beyond the
title.
There
are also a few other little
hints to Manhunt, such as
callers calling in from
Carcer City, and callers
phoning in and talking about
Carcer, or events that would
later take place in Carcer.
One of the callers calls
in during the ‘The
Electron Zone’ on
LCFR with an enquiry about
the Internet.
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Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas |
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While
at Zero's RC Shop have
a look around and you
will see photos of Manhunt
figures on display.
The figures include
Cash and Piggsy. These
figure shots can also
be found in the bonus
art gallery once you
gain a 3 star ranking
on 'Trained to Kill'.
Interestingly enough
the image has now been
altered to display the
final design for Cash,
as apposed to the beta
shown in the bonus art
panel. |
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When
in one of the bars,
look at the artwork
on the walls. You
can see a Cerberus
painted on the wall.
At the Police Department
Headquarters in Las
Venturas you can find
two pictures of Cash
and three pictures
of Hoods members posted
on a bulletin board.
There is also a bunch
of writing to accompany
it; unfortunately
it is too small too
make out, but it likely
doesn’t say
anything in particular
that is worth noting.
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When
you enter the City Planning
department in Las Venturas
for one of the Casino Heist
missions, have a look around.
One of the blueprints there
is for Starkweather's Mansion.
The game
makes use of the stealth
mechanic on select missions
(CJ can perform a level
1 execution with the knife
and vibrator by creeping
up behind people) as well
as using the games aiming
system. Some of the animations
also appear in Manhunt,
in particular the death
animations, as the body
falls to the ground, or
how it lays there.
During one
of the commercial breaks
on K-Rose, listen out for
an advertisement for Carcer
City. During one of the
radio talk shows, 'Area
53', a caller by the name
of Vivian calls in from
Carcer City and talks about
crop circles. On another
radio station WCTR, a woman
calls into the show ‘The
Wild Traveller’, from
Carcer City asking why anyone
would want to vacation in
Carcer, in addition to the
caller there is yet again
another advertisement for
Carcer City that is played
.
There are
also pedestrians that can
be heard saying comments
about Carcer City such as
'this is why I am moving
to Carcer City' other lines
of dialogue include ‘Hey!
this isn't Carcer City okay!’
when bumped in to. There
is a male pedestrian that
sometime says ‘Where
do you think this is, Carcer
City? Watch out!’
One of
the gangs that roam the
San Fierro country side
in Grand Theft Auto San
has a tattoo of the word
RIFA on his chest; in Manhunt
the Innocentz also have
this same tattoo in the
exact same location.
There is
a junkyard quite similar
to that of the one in Manhunt
that the Skinz roam, it
can be found in the rural
district of ‘Flint
County’ while on the
way too San Fierro. The
blue canisters that are
around the countryside area
appear to be from Manhunt,
they are similar in design,
size and colour and have
the following written on
them ‘Carcer Gas’.
Other in game models that
look to be taken from Manhunt
include the boxes of nails
that can be found laying
around in the various Ammu-nation,
the various wheelchairs
within San Andreas also
appear to be the exact same
models from Manhunt, down
to the textures used. In
the countryside you can
spot a few of the pedestrians
wearing overalls with a
tartan shirt on, it looks
to be a reused texture from
one of the Smilies.
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Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City
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There
is a blue and white
shopping bag with
the word 'Gash' written
on it at the Journalists
Apartment (Press Coverage).
At the North Point
Mall in Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City there
is a department store
of the same name.
Gash is a slang term
often used in reference
to the female genitalia.
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In
the introduction video,
there is scene where
it shows a drug store
called 'Ryton Aide'.
Little Havana in Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City
has a drug store named
'Ryton Aide'. There
is also a mattress
store that has a poster
that says ‘The
Best Mattresses in
Carcer’, this
is likely a reference
to Joes Beds. |
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There
is a junkyard in the scene
'Fuelled by Hate' that has
the same car crusher and surroundings
as the one featured in Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City.
During one scene (View of
Innocence) on the second floor,
one of the counters has the
words 'Tarbrush Café'
and a picture of a coffee
cup. In Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City the characters Tommy
and Lance had to destroy the
"Tarbrush Café
in the 'Cop Land' mission. |
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Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City Stories |
If
you listen into the various pedestrians
you pass in the game you can hear
some claim to have had previous
occupations in Carcer City, such
as 'I was a plumber in Carcer City!’
The
junkyard in Vice City Stories has
the same tower that is features
in the scene ‘Mouth of Madness’. |
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Another John Carpenter
movie, ‘Into the Mouth of Madness’
was made in 1995, we can pin two similarities
on this one. The first one being the
title, you are probably aware of the
scene in Manhunt that is called ‘Mouth
of Madness’. In the film an author
called Sutter Cane disappears without
a trace and an insurance investigator
by the name of John Trent is sent to
find him, only to end up lost in a sleepy
little East Coast town of Hobb's End
but of course it turns out the town
is a figment of Cane's twisted imagination,
this could be the basis for Starkweathers
thoughts for the abandoned Carcer City.
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As one
of the first and perhaps
more prominent influential
‘slasher movie’,
it is only natural that
it would lend some form
of influence to a game
such as Manhunt, while
they may be subtle they
are surely there. They
come in various forms,
such as the corpses that
you can see around Carcer
City, often left in unique
positions or in some cases
mounted to a wall. There
is also the pose Cash
takes when he sneaks up
on an enemy in preparation
for an execution; Michael
Myers often takes the
same pose when stalking
his victims. Over the
years Michael has used
many of the same tools
as a means to dispense
his victims as Cash does.
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The
music is another element that
Manhunt may have sought inspiration
from, such as the suspense that
John Carpenter added to the
score. All the music in Halloween
was done with synthesisers and
wouldn’t sound to out
of place playing in the background
while you play Manhunt. They
both also have a very memorable
main theme that runs through
out them.
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Various
screenshots taken from Halloween
H20.
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Manhunter
was released in 1986
and directed by Michael
Mann, in this first
incarnation of Dr. Hannibal
Lecktor, Lecktor is
played by Brian Cox.
This is the first throw
back to Manhunter, a
very similar title and
both feature Brian Cox,
in both the movie and
the game Cox plays the
part of a man that has
clearly lost touch with
reality and share similar
character traits such
as manipulating their
foes.
Lecktor ends up in a
maximum security insane
asylum (Smilies?), similar
to Manhunt, Will Graham
(William Peterson) is
the investigator
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responsible
for putting him away. This part
could be compared to the role
of the journalist in Manhunt,
both characters become obsessed
by their work and put their life
on the line in order to get to
the end of the issue. |
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In
the movie ‘Motel Hell’
there is a killer on the loose,
the deference here however is
that he is wearing a pigs head
and is wielding a bloodied chainsaw,
not unlike Piggsy. The film, which
was released in 1980, revolves
around a motel that is open for
business all year round. People
suddenly go missing, it turns
out they are being slaughter by
the pig man, the bodies are then
left hung upside down. In Manhunt
bodies can be found in much the
same situation throughout Carcer
City. |
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Red Dead Revolver was also
published by Rockstar Games/Take-Two
interactive and was developed
by Rockstar San Diego; it
was released in 2004, a
year after Manhunt. A few
techniques in the game look
suspiciously like they where
taken directly from Manhunt,
most noticeable is the ability
to stand against an object
for cover, the animations
are very similar and it
allows for Red too shoot
from behind it, it also
allows Red to stand out
a little in order to peak
around corners.
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The
aiming is also similar
in Red Dead Revolver,
a red crosshair appears
on the target and you
can lock on to the target
the same as you could
in Manhunt, the button
combination is similar
to the functionality of
Manhunt. The game also
features some similar
weapons including the
revolver and a sniper
rifle, which has the same
zoom techniques as used
in Manhunt. When aiming
the strafing system is
also identical to Manhunt.
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Saw
seems to have been influenced
a great deal by Manhunt; the
premise of the film is there
have been various murders
happening, all as result of
this ‘Jigsaw’
killer who is diagnosed with
brain cancer, rather than
just dieing alone he sets
up fiendish games for unsuspecting
people (who have no respect
for life) to try and survive
so that they can appreciate
what they have. |
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Two of the victims
get locked up together and are
being watched via cameras that
are not dissimilar to Manhunt,
these cameras carry a very familiar
grainy like look to them and are
taken from angles that any respectful
Manhunt fan would be familiar
with. The detail of this camera
work goes right down to the ‘rec’
warning that can be found during
the cut scenes in Manhunt. The
colouring of the movie is also
a lot like Manhunt in certain
respects, at times using high
saturations of green and blue,
as used in various scenes during
the game.
The
film also has another similarity
to Manhunt in the form of one
of the killers wearing a pig mask,
as worn by Piggsy. There is also
a puppet used during the movie
(which through watching the bonus
features goes by the name ‘Billy’),
the puppets use is to instruct
the victim of the game, the look
of the puppet isn’t too
distant to that of the mask wearing
Skinz member.
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Camera
and Pig mask references.
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The movie Stay Alive (released
in 2006 and written and directed by William
Brent Bell) is a horror movie with a story
that revolves around a group of friends
that play a video game, the catch is when
they die in the game, they die in real
life. The movie references many horror
videogames, and Manhunt is no exception,
in the opening scene, Rex (played by Billy
Slaughter) is wearing a pig mask that
is similar to Piggsys mask. |
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The Punisher has a few influences
that are took from Manhunt
these being in the form of
the different method of kills
in the game, it is possible
to sneak up on an enemy and
kill him from behind. This
is similar to what can be
done in Manhunt this type
of kill is called a quick
kill; you can also do special
kills in the game where an
object or item in the environment
is used to kill. This type
of kill actually is very similar
to the style of Manhunt, objects
can be used to cut heads off
or cut into enemies just like
the machete can do when killing
in Manhunt. |
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Another
thing to note from the game
is the ‘slaughter
mode’, these execution
style kills can be preformed
by throwing knives into
the head and the chest of
enemies, in Manhunt you
can use a knife to do similar
kills. The one exception
however in the case of The
Punisher is that it is heavily
censored. The camera will
cut away, not allowing you
to fully see the execution
and the screen turns black
and white to hide any blood
that may be visable.
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Even the camera edits
used in The Punisher seem
like a throw away to Manhunt,
when the screen goes black
and white there is also
a grain filter added.
There is no explanation
for the grain since nothing
in The Punisher would
suggest someone is watching.
The game also makes use
of similar weapons as
Manhunt, using weapons
like a revolver, shotgun
and submachine guns. As
a side note the developer
behind The Punisher also
released 'Saints Row',
another (GTA rip-off)
game inspired by a Rockstar
title.
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Possibly
one of the most influential
movies for Manhunt is the
1987 film starring Arnold
Schwarzenegger, The Running
Man; the movie was based on
a novel by Richard Bachman,
who turned out to be none
other than Stephen King. The
film featured 5 different
hunters (named stalkers),
and their job was to kill
the main character all for
the sake of entertainment,
the hero of the movie was
falsely accused of murder
by the state and was forced
to partake in the game show
by a bunch of corrupt cops,
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unlike
in Manhunt. The whole production
is run by a man by the name of,
Damon Killian, a game show host
that has nothing on his mind but
ratings. This all takes places
as part of a live televised TV
show called 'The Running Man';
all of the action takes place
in an abandoned, run down part
of a city loosely based on a futuristic
Bakersfield, California.
All
of the hunters featured in the
film had their own quirks and
abilities such as Subzero, who
has a metal hockey stick which
he uses much like a machete to
slice open opponents or Buzzsaw,
who wields a chainsaw, in order
to cut into his opponents flesh
and bones. Around the city there
are a bunch of grunts working
for Killian, their jobs is to
make sure that the contestants
get to where they need to be,
acting much like the Cerberus
do in Manhunt.
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Subzero,
Buzzsaw, Dynamo, Fireball &
Captain Freedom.
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Released in 1980 and starring
Jack Nicholson, the Stanley
Kubrick classic, The Shining
is perhaps one of most referenced
movies in history. I suppose
one of the obvious things
that may jump out at you
as perhaps being referenced
in Manhunt would be the
mental stability of the
character played by Jack
Nicholson, perhaps a throw
away to the Smilies. But
the one thing in particular
that jumps out at you is
near the end of the film,
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into
a garden maze, the maze seems
reminiscent of the one used during
the scene ‘Border Patrol’.
Although in the movie it is covered
in snow, there is just something
that jumps out at you to suggest
it may have been the basis for
the maze used outside Starkweathers
mansion. |
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The Suffering takes cues from
Manhunt in a few instances.
For a start both games start
in a State Penitentiary and
both lead characters are on
death row awaiting execution
via lethal injection, the
lead characters aren’t
particularly likeable or good.
Both games also deal in isolation,
in The Suffering it is provided
by being on an island, isolating
it from the rest of the world
and in Manhunt the game takes
place in Carcer City, which
is also isolated from the
rest of the world as the city
is run down and abandoned.
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The
game also has similar weapons
to Manhunt including the
revolver, axe and the shotgun,
it also features the ability
to switch from 1st and 3rd
person views much like you
can do in Manhunt. The weapon
system also works much like
Manhunt, where you can only
carry two primary weapons
at any one given time. Torque
also gets covered in cuts,
bruises and blood much like
Cash does. Another influence
that are worth mentioning
include the use of camera
monitors, in the game things
will happen on the screen,
like people being killed
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monsters
and other strange things, in Manhunt
each kill was viewed thorough a
camera lens and at specific points
in the game emphasis was put on
Cash viewing things from a cameras
perspective. In the game you will
meet different characters that will
help you just like in Manhunt where
the Journalist helps you out. You
can also turn on an electric chair
to kill prisoners awaiting execution,
also done in Manhunt. |
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The
Texas Chain Saw Massacre
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Originally
released in 1974, the Tobe Hooper
classic ‘The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre’ has influenced
almost everything to have graced
the genre since. The most obvious
similarity is drawn from the movies
cult icon ‘Leatherface’,
who wears the skin of his victims
on his face and wields a chainsaw,
just like Piggsy does in Manhunt. |
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True
Crime: New York City
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True
Crime: New York City is the sequel to
True Crime: Streets of L.A (released around
the time of Manhunt) and is a series of
games that are (GTA rip-offs) inspired
by Rockstars Grand Theft Auto series.
In True Crime: Streets of L.A, the developer
Luxiflux took a stab at Rockstar, in Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas. Rockstar struck
back with the billboard logo ‘True
Grime: Street Cleaners’. In True
Crime: New York City the developer once
again took a shot at Rockstar with the
lead character saying something along
the lines of ‘Taxi driving? Next
thing you know I will be flying toy planes’.
But the reference in question here is
during one of the levels, the lead character
(Marcus Reed) is sedated, put in a straight
jacket and locked in an insane asylum.
There is many other inmates that lurk
the asylum, some are also in straight
jackets. It all makes for striking similarity
to the Smiles and the Darkwood Penitentiary
featured in various scenes throughout
Manhunt, the asylum in True Crime: New
York City also features a lot of graffiti
on the wall, a lot of which looks to be
taken directly from Manhunt, with smilie
faces and random insults plastered all
over the place. |
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The
Warriors game is quite similar
to Manhunt in many ways,
the game makes use of shadows
as a way of hiding from
gang members in the game,
although the shadows work
for a moment or two they
don’t quite do the
job as you as you can be
seen by enemies in them.
In Manhunt shadows were
used exactly for this purpose
but the major difference
being they actually worked.
The character takes on a
similar pose as Cash does
in the shadows almost crouching
in them to try and stay
low, he takes smaller steps
and sneaks around also the
same as Cash did in Manhunt
as though to reduce noise.
You are also able to do
limited executions in The
Warriors. |
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Other
things taken from Manhunt
is the shouting and taunting
that can be heard throughout
the game by gang members
and other people as you
stop and hide. Being able
to kick over trash cans
and break bottles was also
first introduced in Manhunt.
The art direction looks
very similar to Manhunt,
it has a low down and dirty
feel to it. The musical
direction is also reminiscent
of Manhunt, however it primarily
follows the movie in this
department. |
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Another
similar influence is the cars,
in The Warriors quite a few of
them look like the broken down
Stallion we seen in the junkyard
of Manhunt, obviously taken from
GTA 3 and Vice City but none the
less the same car is used again
in this game.
Some
of the Hoods members wear jackets
that read ‘Furies’,
there is a gang by the name 'The
Baseball Furies' in The Warriors.
This is more in line with the
1979 film than the 2005 game release
by Rockstar Games, but we are
listing it all in the one category.
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Urban
Chaos: Riot Response |

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Urban
Chaos has three very strong
influences that are taken
from Manhunt, the first
of the two being the Hockey
masks from within the game,
very similar to the Manhunt
gang the Skinz, the Burners
in Urban Chaos wear the
hockey masks to scare off
anyone in their way. The
second influence is the
use of weapons suck as the
chainsaw by the gang it
is too much of a coincidence
that a gang similar to the
Skinz also has a chainsaw
for use even though the
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chainsaw
is similar to a circular saw it
is still easy to see the influence
came from Manhunt in the first place,
in Manhunt it is the final boss
Piggsy that has the chainsaw he
also wears a mask of a pig's face
also like Manhunt when you attack
a gang member with the chainsaw
blood splatters on the camera. Then
there is the meat cleaver in the
game, which is also found in Manhunt.
The third influence is the theme
of the game it also carries a similar
element to Manhunt basically the
aim of the gang the Burners is to
kill the lead character Nick Mason
and in Manhunt the aim of the Skinz
is to kill the lead character Cash. |
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A
few things look as though they were
possibly referenced from the X-Files
in Manhunt, such as the gritty look
that the long running series had
and the sense of mixing dark comedy
with broody scenery. In season 3,
episode 20 ‘Jose Chung's 'From
Outer Space‘, they mention
the former US president, James Earl
Carter Jr. In the exact same episode
there is another line of dialogue
used that is of interest: ‘Air
Force Man: Lieutenant Jack Schaffer
is also in your custody?’
The police chief of Carcer City
is named Gary Schaffer. Other episodes
(that information is currently not
available) make reference to a Carcer
City and make mention of a character
by the name of Ramirez. |
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Screenshot
taken from ‘Jose
Chung's 'From Outer Space‘. |
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