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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Hunting Developer: Activision Publisher: Activision |
Anyone that is looking at “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010” to satisfy their virtual hunting desire should look elsewhere. This game
doesn’t have much to do with hunting, though that isn’t an attack against the product, it is a game play style choice but because the
game has “hunter” in the title, many players will get the wrong idea about the game.
The game is an arcade style shooting experience that takes players through twelve story missions and offers seven shooting gallery
challenges. A story is built into the game to tie everything together though none of it is very memorable. Players take on the role of Jack
Wilde who is in the process of being recruited by The Royal Ancient Order of Orion. They stay in contact with players through radio,
dropping players into new territories across the world like Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, Tanzania and more. Players are told to find
various animals and to kill them if they want to be accepted into the organization.
The process of tracking down a variety of wildlife is fairly straightforward. Players don’t have animal calls or too many other tools, other
than an impressive amount of weaponry, including a rifle with a scope, a .44 Magnum pistol with a scope, a larger rifle with a scope and
a shotgun without a scope. For those that think this is a little bit of overkill, it is. However, this game isn’t trying to be realistic.
Each mission helps players progress in a linear style. The maps are built with high rocks and invisible walls that work as corridors that
move players from one area to the next. Near the later stages things do open up a little bit, but players will never spend too much time
trying to locate an animal. The occasional animal track or fur lodged in a tree can be picked up, but in general, since the maps really
aren’t very large, walking or sprinting around until players see the spooked animal icon pop up.
Even though the enclosed spaces are small, players can track animals even easier. Wilde’s hunter sense can be tapped into at any
time without restriction, which highlights waypoints to the next animal on the list. They also highlight tracks and signs of animals,
branches that cause noise and show hiding spots where the animals are located. These types of things are important if players want
to get gold medals on each hunt, since the higher the players’ score the more points they receive which is added to an experience
meter to level them up. At high levels player are awarded more weapons including a crossbow and open up the next mission.
The game does try to mix things up a little bit by throwing in a few dangerous creatures such as bears and such. These things will
charge players and to defeat them players will need to strafe and unload until the creature hits the ground. Sometimes they will pounce
on top of players which is where players will have to tap a button repeatedly to get them off. If they catch players with enough swipes it is
even possible to get killed, though they will spawn just before the attack occurred. While it is slightly more exciting than the majority of
the game play, the excitement doesn’t last very long because there is very little to the game play and very little challenge. At times the
player’s character will also slip off of logs while covering ground requiring players mash buttons to get back to safety. It is surprising
and grabs the player’s attention, but players will soon realize it is just a minor attempt at making missions feel like they have more
variety in the game.
The best parts of the game are in the shooting galleries, which are basically a take on the classic games of “Duck Hunt” and “Oregon
Trail.” These can be activated at glowing circles in the main missions, but players are better of checking out the seven shooting
galleries accessibly from the main menu. As the action begins a timer counts down and waves of ducks and rabbits, whatever the
particular challenge calls for, will stream out from the sides of the screen. Players are given multipliers for kill chains and bagging two
animals per shot with the ultimate goal of getting a new high score. It is fun and it is an experience that fits perfectly with a gun
peripheral which on Xbox 360 isn’t possible at this time. This game could have also greatly benefitted from shooting gallery leader
boards, but since there aren’t any; players can only compete against themselves or whatever friends and family want to try it out.
In the attempt to create an arcade style hunting experience with “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010,” a lot was sacrificed that players are
left with only bits of game play that fail to satisfy any appetite for virtual hunting. Players are funneled through wide corridors of
wilderness and the player’s prey is basically handed to the players. All they need to do is make sure that they aren’t in a high
percentage cover spot and aim for the heart. The thin game play won’t interest someone looking for a virtual hunting experience with an
edge of realism, and isn’t enough to entertain anyone looking for an arcade style game. The shooting galleries are a lot of fun and the
game is cheaper than most retail games and features some decent visuals and sound. Sadly the rest of the game is forgettable.
doesn’t have much to do with hunting, though that isn’t an attack against the product, it is a game play style choice but because the
game has “hunter” in the title, many players will get the wrong idea about the game.
The game is an arcade style shooting experience that takes players through twelve story missions and offers seven shooting gallery
challenges. A story is built into the game to tie everything together though none of it is very memorable. Players take on the role of Jack
Wilde who is in the process of being recruited by The Royal Ancient Order of Orion. They stay in contact with players through radio,
dropping players into new territories across the world like Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, Tanzania and more. Players are told to find
various animals and to kill them if they want to be accepted into the organization.
The process of tracking down a variety of wildlife is fairly straightforward. Players don’t have animal calls or too many other tools, other
than an impressive amount of weaponry, including a rifle with a scope, a .44 Magnum pistol with a scope, a larger rifle with a scope and
a shotgun without a scope. For those that think this is a little bit of overkill, it is. However, this game isn’t trying to be realistic.
Each mission helps players progress in a linear style. The maps are built with high rocks and invisible walls that work as corridors that
move players from one area to the next. Near the later stages things do open up a little bit, but players will never spend too much time
trying to locate an animal. The occasional animal track or fur lodged in a tree can be picked up, but in general, since the maps really
aren’t very large, walking or sprinting around until players see the spooked animal icon pop up.
Even though the enclosed spaces are small, players can track animals even easier. Wilde’s hunter sense can be tapped into at any
time without restriction, which highlights waypoints to the next animal on the list. They also highlight tracks and signs of animals,
branches that cause noise and show hiding spots where the animals are located. These types of things are important if players want
to get gold medals on each hunt, since the higher the players’ score the more points they receive which is added to an experience
meter to level them up. At high levels player are awarded more weapons including a crossbow and open up the next mission.
The game does try to mix things up a little bit by throwing in a few dangerous creatures such as bears and such. These things will
charge players and to defeat them players will need to strafe and unload until the creature hits the ground. Sometimes they will pounce
on top of players which is where players will have to tap a button repeatedly to get them off. If they catch players with enough swipes it is
even possible to get killed, though they will spawn just before the attack occurred. While it is slightly more exciting than the majority of
the game play, the excitement doesn’t last very long because there is very little to the game play and very little challenge. At times the
player’s character will also slip off of logs while covering ground requiring players mash buttons to get back to safety. It is surprising
and grabs the player’s attention, but players will soon realize it is just a minor attempt at making missions feel like they have more
variety in the game.
The best parts of the game are in the shooting galleries, which are basically a take on the classic games of “Duck Hunt” and “Oregon
Trail.” These can be activated at glowing circles in the main missions, but players are better of checking out the seven shooting
galleries accessibly from the main menu. As the action begins a timer counts down and waves of ducks and rabbits, whatever the
particular challenge calls for, will stream out from the sides of the screen. Players are given multipliers for kill chains and bagging two
animals per shot with the ultimate goal of getting a new high score. It is fun and it is an experience that fits perfectly with a gun
peripheral which on Xbox 360 isn’t possible at this time. This game could have also greatly benefitted from shooting gallery leader
boards, but since there aren’t any; players can only compete against themselves or whatever friends and family want to try it out.
In the attempt to create an arcade style hunting experience with “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010,” a lot was sacrificed that players are
left with only bits of game play that fail to satisfy any appetite for virtual hunting. Players are funneled through wide corridors of
wilderness and the player’s prey is basically handed to the players. All they need to do is make sure that they aren’t in a high
percentage cover spot and aim for the heart. The thin game play won’t interest someone looking for a virtual hunting experience with an
edge of realism, and isn’t enough to entertain anyone looking for an arcade style game. The shooting galleries are a lot of fun and the
game is cheaper than most retail games and features some decent visuals and sound. Sadly the rest of the game is forgettable.
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