Hatred Reviews
Correction: Due to an error, our score for this originally read "70." It has been updated.
A "suicide-by-cop simulator" of the same level as the abominable Ethnic Cleaning.
At its worst, it's the gaming equivalent of a drunkard shouting abuse from a park bench. At its best … well, the drunkard has leapt up and now he's wielding a plastic knife. Rage against political correctness if you like, but don't support this tired game as part of your ideology – there are so many better uses of your spare time.
I wanted this game to succeed. I really did.
Hatred is a subpar twin stick shooter whose only claim to fame is its Adults Only rating from the ESRB. The novelty of the rating and some good destruction tech does not make up for the coated-in-molasses control, idiotic AI, and feeling of unease the game puts forth. Worse yet, the game is boring, repetitive, and simply not fun. Save your money for something with more substance.
With boring gameplay and twitchy controls, an impressive art style and much-publicized controversy cannot hide the tedious shooter underneath 'Hatred's veneer.
Hatred is a game that basks in controversy for the sake of controversy, while doing nothing to keep the curious interested in seeing it through.
Hatred isn't fun, interesting, or titillating enough to command your time or attention.
Ultra violent and desperate to shock, but this is far too boring and repetitive a game to either love or hate.
Hatred delivers some fleeting sadistic satisfaction and a gorgeous art style, but quickly becomes a tedious chore. After all the controversy, it's disappointing that the finished product is mechanically flawed and otherwise completely forgettable.
Ultimately, I believe that the Hatred team simply tried to make something controversial in the hopes that nobody would notice how forgettable their title is.
Wallows in its violence rather than revelling in it
With an unimaginative outset, a try-too-hard look and controls that are almost unbearable, not even the most hardened tabloid newspaper should get offended by Hatred.
[U]nless you're a kid who thinks this sort of thing is edgy and cool – hey, we were all young and dumb once – your $22 is better spent elsewhere.
The most enjoyable part of Hatred is when the protagonist grunts "try harder" at his wailing victims, only because it allows me to grunt back, "You first."
It's just an average game, which I think is the last thing Hatred wanted to be.
With bad A.I., design issues, and repetitive combat, what there is to enjoy in Hatred quickly fades to black.
If you're looking for a certain thrill to accompany random acts of mass slaughter, you'll find it in plenty of other games on the market today. Controversy can only carry a game so far, before it trips itself up.
In theory Hatred could have been great but lacklustre development gets it thrown into a pit of mediocrity. It joins a stack of games I played once and never touched again, and that disappoints me on a personal level as I was hoping for so much more.
It's a pretty competent action game with really great visuals, but marred by quite a few flaws. If you don't like playing with keyboard and mouse, then steer clear, but if you don't mind putting your controller aside, and you enjoy the genre, it can be worth quite a few hours of your time. I didn't hate Hatred, but I didn't really love it either. Yet, it's a pretty promising debut for a new indie team.