Hobbies And Interests
Death Row
James Earl Cash is an inmate on death row. The game opens with a journalist's report of his execution by lethal injection, but the player sees Cash wake up and hears the voice of the character known as "The Director" (aka Lionel Starkweather) tell him he was only sedated. Cash is promised his freedom if he follows the Director's instructions. He is dropped in a rundown neighborhood and instructed to kill as many people as possible. Cash fights his way through a gang called "The Hoods." However, he is captured by another gang called The Cerberus. It is clear that Cash must continue killing to fulfil the Director's promise of freedom, and this is the main premise of the game. At this level the gamer has no idea how much will be enough.
Gangs
Following his capture by The Cerberus, Cash is hunted by gangs across the fictional Carcer City. The gangs are co-ordinated by Ramirez, a former war veteran, and Cash faces gangs representing different ideas, such as neo-Nazis, occultists and sociopaths. He discovers his entire family was killed in a shopping center, under the Director's orders. Cash now wants to hunt down and kill the Director. The Director's plan is to film Cash's death at the hands of the gangs, but Cash survives and kills Ramirez and his gang.
Hunted to Hunter (Spoiler)
Cash is approached by the journalist who reported his execution. She has evidence about the Director's organized killing at her apartment that she needs to retrieve. Cash takes her there. Meanwhile, the Director tells the Chief of Police to arrest Cash and the journalist. Cash evades a police S.W.A.T. team, but is recaptured by The Cerberus and taken to the Director's mansion. He battles with them, until Piggsy, a psychopath with a chain saw, who lives in the attic breaks free and kills the Cerberus. Cash kills both Piggsy and the Director to finish the game. The press and police arrive but Cash has disappeared, making way for a sequel.
Violence
One of the main criticisms of this game is the way in which the violence escalates as the gamer advances through the levels. Players are awarded points based on the method of killing they use, encouraging them to use more violence. At the core of the story is the theme of redemption: a bad man kills bad people for the good of the majority and so redeems himself. It is also about one man's ability to survive at any cost.