Maybe the reason people are put off by Hatred isnt out of some knee-jerk reaction to its celebratory portrayal of ultraviolence. Maybe the reason folks are put off by Hatred is because it dares to remove the veneer of a larger purpose to that violence. Instead of violence as an ancillary to some larger goal (save a hostage, be a crime lord, whatever) the violence itself is the only purpose.
Maybe people can't stand the sight of that violence without that veneer, without that wrapper of "storytelling" or "competition." Because without that stuff, there's nothing to distract you from the reality of using violence as cathartic relief. Whether that veneer is really strong enough to justify that violence otherwise is a question I think we've been asking ourselves for years. But it seems clear that without it, that violence becomes several orders of magnitude more difficult to stomach. It's putting something right in front of your face that I think a lot of people don't care to look at. It's removing any perceived context of nobility or heroism, and just distilling the violence down to its ugliest, most vengeful core.
I dont mean this to be preachy. Ive more than enjoyed my share of hyperviolent games over the years. But when I see people get mad that people are expressing displeasure with this game, and not, say, GTA or whatever, I think theres a reason. Theres definitely something darker, and more malevolent about what that game seems to be pushing. Anyway, those are the only thoughts I had about that game. And theyre probably the last Ill express. Because fuck that shit.