Rockstar North

According to ESRB, this game contains: Strong Language, Severe Violence, Blood and Gore

Game Description: Carl Johnson left the San Andreas neighborhood of Los Santos five years ago, when it was being ripped apart by drugs and gang violence. When he returns in the early 90s, his mother has been killed, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are criminals. When crooked cops frame him for murder, he decides to save himself and his family by taking over the streets. Side missions help develop skills that come into play later—from working out at the gym to gambling in a casino.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Nihilistic tone wasn't the only thing that really impressed me about Manhunt, though—there are about a bazillion technical elements that stand out as well. Everything from the art design, the casting of the inimitable Brian Cox as the voice of the game's antagonist, to the ingenious use of the USB headset to add to the immersiveness of the gameplay is top notch.

I have "fragged" millions, perhaps even billions of creatures, but never once did I ever suffocate anyone with a plastic bag. Not once did I castrate anyone with a sickle, or jab a glass shard multiple times into someone's face, or knock a man's head clean off with an aluminum baseball bat.

Gene is right—Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is all about Thanatos. It's all about death, and the destruction and violence that surround it. But this is nothing new to games, and this is nothing new for game reviewers. As Chi brought up in his Dynasty Warriors 3 review, at some point you have to stand back and ask yourself why you receive such enjoyment from this gruesome spectacle.

Vice City, the sequel to last years seminal Grand Theft Auto III (GTA3), gives players rational, legal means to act out their bloodlust. All that stuff about being your own character in these games is bull. The game is specifically designed to enact violence.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence

Game Description: It's the mid-1980s and Tommy Vercetti has just gotten out of jail. He's gone to Vice City for a new job but he's been set up. Now every player in the city wants a piece of him -- mobsters, bikers, crooked politicians, everyone. Tommy's only hope is to take them all out and run the city himself.