Wow, you guys really got your hate-on for Rockstar. I don't like Manhunt, I think the idea is stupid and the violence senseless, but Rockstar as a whole has created some pretty amazing games.
Adding sex/drugs/cursing to a game can just be a quick way of getting attention and appealing to teenagers, but at the same time it can be done in a way that adds realism. If you were actually in some sort of crime syndicate, or doing jobs for the mafia, and you got in a fight with someone, I don't think you'd be shouting words like "fiddlesticks" at them. I'm not saying that all games need this realism in them, in fact I didn't particularly enjoy San Andreas because it felt too realistic, but you can't make a semi-serious game about being a criminal and not have some elements of drugs/sex/bad words...
Nothing new, just give you the same old stuff you played a thousand times. To hell with using your own imagination and creating a little fun, let's make playing a videogame as completely passive as watching TV. No surprises, or engaging thought processes of any kind, just run down one narrow hallway to the next initiating cutscenes. :
I get pretty sick and tired of hearing people talk about how Rockstar never makes games with storylines. Looking at their landmark series, GTA, they've always had great storylines involving various gang alliances, betrayals, and in my opinion, always forced you to think on your feet. The GTA series has been one of few series that have consistently found a way to give you the information needed to do a mission in an entertaining way. Instead of pulling a Rainbow Six and just giving you a ton of text to read before each mission Rockstar always found ways to give you critical information that actually developed the characters and storyline at the same time. The great part about GTA is that even if you don't like the story and it doesn't hold your attention, it doesn't matter, you can have countless hours of fun in those games without even touching the story.
And if story and linearity really is your forte, then pick up Max Payne. Rockstar makes games like that too.
Actually, that's exactly how the game operates. You have to complete the story in one area before you move on to the next. I consider this a mistake, it just limits the amount of fun you can have right off the bat. However, the fact that you seem to be oblivious to this mechanic that does exist in every GTA game I've ever played, I sincerely question whether or not you have actually given any of the GTA games a chance, or if you're basing these opinions off of screenshots and hearsay.
Just Hispanics? The game also stereotypes Russian and Asian people too. It's not being racist, it's over the top characters coincides well with it's over the top action. It's just a setting, not a social commentary.
I don't know about you, but I sleep much better at night "killing" a nameless CPU walking down the street in a city that doesn't even exist (liberty city, say) than I would if I killed a Vietnamese peasant who was trying to protect his rice field from a foreign invading army. In both cases, what someone may "learn" from performing the action in the game is ultimately wrong (killing), but doing it in a Rockstar game is no worse (sometimes better) than doing it in games made by any number of companies. Even looking at Call of Duty 4, where a British and American (Western empirical) force invades and kills people from the Middle East and Russia. I don't know about you but when I think about the message that sends to people around the globe I think the damage is far greater than that of GTA.
I don't like Manhunt, as I said, I think it's a dumb game. But Rockstar as a company has produced several games that were well received by fans and critics alike. I don't think it's fair to generalise and pass judgement on them because of Manhunt, and I think that if you really take a look at the games Rockstar puts out in comparison to other games that are out there, Rockstar games look very solid and fun. I don't think they intentionally try to push boundaries with their GTA series, I think that just naturally came with trying to create a living, breathing, criminalised world that the main character was active in.
), and despite your personal assessment of me, I think my conduct on the forums speaks for itself. Perhaps, in this one particular thread, I have been somewhat passionate in my defence of Rockstar, as is my want to do from time to time, but I felt the severe allegations against Rockstar needed to be cleared up as quickly and pointedly as possible. If I have offended you personally, then I do apologize, but I still feel that your comments about Rockstar, at best, need revision. I'm not criticizing you, I'm criticizing your criticism of Rockstar. Or at least, that was my intention.