Now I know what you're thinking. Wow, this guy played 66.6 hours of this game (which is the devil's number if you believe in that). However, that helped me form a solid opinion here.
The reason I don't recommend this game (or anything like it, GTA V especially) is because this game could influence people to do this in real life. Don't get me wrong, I really like this game, and I think it is very well made, but I needs to be more regulated than it is now. This game has the right to exist, it just shouldn't be as public as it is. The same goes for Grand Theft Auto V. Also there are tons of people who play this that don't have mental health disorders that are able to compartmentalize what they do in this game and keep it extinct from reality. Which is very good. I just don't think children and mentally unstable people shouldn't get their hands on this game (which is why it's clearly rated Adults Only). It's not just the game's fault for being the way it is, but also parents who ether think it's ok for their kids to play this and/or not monitoring what their kids are doing enough. I don't completely blame their parents though. It's very hard raising a family these days, and the fact we put that all on the just the parents isn't fair. They need way more help than they're getting.
Anyways, is also isn't fair and hypocritical that this game, from what I've seen, gets more hate than GTA V and Postal (which lets you do the same thing). I think the main reason this game gets more controversy is because of all of the mass shootings we been having in this country as of now. As matter of fact, I think one happened not too long or before this game was announced. I think Postal came out at a time where the gun violence problem wasn't as big as it now. I mean, I'm pretty sure the first Postal came out two years before the Columbine tragedy.
For instance, GTA V lets you kill innocent people and then cops come after you (just like Hatred). You can even go into Director Mode and turn off the cops so you can kill innocent people without consequences which is basically rewarding horrible behavior. Given that the name has grand theft auto in it, I see why. That game is just as bad as Hatred, and the fact It gets to be on console and get away with the M rating is sickening. It's also messed up the game gets the popularity it has, which is probably the reason some people drive fast and recklessly with their loud and obnoxious vehicles. The game is all about being a horrible person and getting away with it. Sure, the game doesn't let you do every horrible crime you can think of, but the fact it let's you kill innocent people is no better. There are even a couple missions where you can play as Trevor and kill two racial groups all because they're part of a gang and messed with Trevor first (which is a lame sauce excuse to do that). Hatred never lets you do that, and I know since I played so many hours of this game. It doesn't let discriminately kill people based on race, but it lets you kill homeless people and hipsters just because they're that way (which is discrimination).
And no, this game is not inclusive. It doesn't let discriminately kill people because they're part of a certain group, whether it race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. I am not saying those things are right, they're clearly wrong. But you can't say it's inclusive ether.
Also I can't believe the Hatred 666 mod let's you stab women inappropriately, kill transgender people (which I hate because I am a part of that community so I am going to be emotionally biased), and even hurt children in a school. That what I've heard about it, and I believe it. The face it's get to be on the Steam Workshop is crazy. The thing the really bad about this game is not really the game itself, but rather it's dark fanbase.
I also don't like how the game didn't give the Hatred guy any kind of backstory. It just says he hates humanity just because he does, and he was like that his whole life. No explanation on trauma and mental illness? Not saying there's any excuse for what he did. The lack of a good story really makes this game senseless. Of course, I know why the developers did this; they wanted to give a middle finger to the other games that use a story to justify it's violence.
I'm really glad this game got to stay on Steam, and be put on GOG and the Zoom-Platform as well. I just wish people get a thorough mental background check and require a legal ID to get this game (along with GTA V and all the others). It's just needs to be much harder to get access to.
