Hunter The Reckoning

The time has come to say goodbye, to say goodbye to one of our favorite genres. The classic beat ’em up style that we grew up loving so dearly. It is time to move on with our lives, I know it may seem hard at first but you can always lean on my shoulders as I cry with you. Please do not let this be the end, I dunno if I can go on living!! That was so dramatic I almost believed it, am I saying that Hunter has killed our beloved genre? No, but it comes close to silencing it for a while! Read on!

Hunter borrows from just about every single game of it’s kind, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the problem is that it borrows the wrong things. Like insane difficulty, no chance for a single player experience, and some rotten weapon selection and ammo placement! What this game needed was unlimited ammo and an easier trip through for the soloists out there with no friends. Playing this game alone is like pulling teeth, just not a whole lot of fun and excitement unless you are a masochist then you need therapy or a kinky woman! All kidding aside this game is a blast with 3 or more players, but as a solo shot or even a two player experience this game really drags.

The one nice thing that Hunter does do is that it impresses visually. The lighting effects are incredible and the character models insanely detailed. The levels are enormous and can span city blocks of carnage, too bad you can’t take in the sites alone as this game will constantly kick your ass for not paying attention and that is a shame. The major gripe is that the camera can sometimes place itself in awkward positions and enemies just randomly appear from thin air. This causes many cheap deaths and untimely controller bashings.

The sound is sub par, enemies grunt and moan like the rest and not too much on the originality department. The voice acting makes Resident Evil look like an Oscar performance and the music…well it’s just kind of there. To be honest I forgot there as music until I saw an option to turn it down in the options menu LOL. You should be able to enjoy hearing the characters talk, they look like such bad asses and then when they speak they make themselves look like complete idiots, what an amazing concept!

As stated above Hunter is not for the lonely gamers, this requires at least 3 people, but is best experienced with 4. The single player game, although beatable, is about as much fun as eating broken glass….twice. You get no satisfaction from dying unfairly and almost every few minutes. The weapons, well let me rephrase that, the GOOD weapons are few and far between, when you find them you are hesitant to use them against mediocre foes as they need to be saved for the bosses blah! Another gripe is that in multi-player mode you all share the same continues so for instance if one of the players really sucks expect a short game for you and the other guys/gals.

What can I say to make you appreciate the 6.5 I gave this game? Well it is a solid beat ’em up with mad style and great control. A massively fun multi-player experience that is only drawn back by it’s heavy shortcomings. Should you purchase this game? I recommend it if you play many multi-player games and have enough friends to keep the game going. If you are a solo player then get something a little more up your alley. As for me I am off to completely delve once again into Morrowind, now that is a game for the solo gamers!

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.