Cabela’s African Adventures (XB1) Review

I’m on the hunt…

The generation can truly begin; there is a Cabela game on these new consoles. Granted it is an old Cabela game, but now that I can finally hunt down packs of hyenas and large game such as elephants and rhinos, I can officially say that the next generation of gaming is here. OK, so I want to turn off the sarcasm filter for a moment. Cabela games are often scoffed at by purist gamers, but their purpose is much more important. These truly are the games that usher in new players. There is a reason they release so many of these titles, and now that they are finally coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which means the genre can finally move forward…or maybe not.

Cabela’s African Adventures felt familiar from the second I booted it up, and for good reason. This is the same game released for every platform under the sun back in 2013.

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MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: XB1, PS4, PC, 360, PS3, Wii
Price I’d Pay: $9.99

African Adventures spans several areas, each with several missions and a few hidden items. Once I completed all the hunts I was able to move onto the next area, with minimal story involved. There are characters to converse with, but the dialogue is painful. The gruff voice from the main character is laughable most of the time, but again story was never the focus here.

Hunting is the name of the game. African Adventures takes place from a third-person perspective. The oversized reticule screams budget title, and the shooting feels stiff most of the time. Pulling the left trigger locks onto enemies, and when several shots are hit in succession, time slows down showcasing the animal’s vitals. There is a dodge mechanic that looks and feels much like the shooting. The overall mechanics of the game are just low-budget, and let’s not talk about the driving. This is the worst vehicle in any game I have played in a long time.

There is an upgrade system that uses both passive and active skills. Most of them felt arbitrary since the shooting is overly simplified to begin with. I never felt like any of them were necessary for progression, which made me care little about which ones I unlocked and equipped.

Each mission also requires setting up a specific load out, as your character can only carry so much weight. Again I stuck with pretty much the same layout throughout the game, and had few problems progressing from area to area. Most of the additional components to the game just feel like they were added for the sake of having something to work towards.

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Collectibles unlock new weapons, but again the stock weapons were fine. I only found myself clearing entire sections to unlock Achievements, and I never felt compelled to complete areas for any sort of upgrades or progression.

Cabela’s African Adventures isn’t a broken game; it just feels quick and cheap. Considering it already existed outside of these new consoles, and the visual upgrades are hardly anything to write home about, it can be difficult to recommend this to fans of the series. I hope that the team takes their time and actually introduces new mechanics and such for the next outing. The series may not be the most exciting, but at least it has always offered up something different. I just wish this entry would have been more than a glorified port.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Shooting is serviceable
  • Easy Achievements
Bad
  • Progression feels pointless
  • Everything feels cheap
  • The driving is just plain bad
5
Mediocre
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.