Hunter: The Reckoning

"This here is a decent game, I reckon!"

I was walking through Blockbuster and glanced at the Gamecube section to see what it had to offer. I had already tried out most of the games there, but then one showed up that I had never heard of before; Hunter: The Reckoning. My curiosity led me to renting it and I can honestly say that I don't regret it.

Story: 8
For those uninformed about this game, the story takes place at Ashcroft prison, where a prisoner is being prepared for execution by the electric chair. As the switch is thrown, a rift opens up and releases all the undead souls into the prison. Our four heroes are the only ones who can see the guards and prisoners for what they have become; horrifying zombies and other twisted creations of the damned. They manage to hold off the spirits and seal up the prison, hoping that that will keep them away. Unfortunately, the spirits were only lying dormant until one year later, when a rave was held at the prison grounds to celebrate the execution. The spirits awakened and unleashed their wrath upon the people at the rave, killing some, but turning most into mindless zombies. This draws back our four heroes to attempt to rid the town of evil once and for all.

The whole idea of opening up some kind of gate to the nether world has been done before, but its the little things about the story that make it worth an 8. I'd mention what they are, but I'd rather not give away the whole game.

Graphics: 7

There are enemies out the wazoo in this game. As such, the game may become a bit choppy at times. But, of course, that is only if you're bad enough to get in that kind of situation. The blood splatters as you'd expect it to and leaves large stains along ground, which is a nice effect. The water effects are pretty weak, though. A character could jump in it and run and there would be one splash as if someone had simply thrown a rock in it. All in all the graphics of the game are pretty average by today's standards.

Game Play: 9

This is where the game picks up. There are four different characters to choose; the Avenger, the Defender, the Judge, and the Martyr. And, as such, there is the possibility of four people playing at once. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses such as high speed or low strength. With the proper balance, though, a person can become quite an effective fighter. The pace of the game flows like the blood of the walking corpses you shoot; slowing at times and speeding up at others. As the game progresses the characters collect several weapons, including chainsaws and shotguns, and improve their skills, gaining new abilities to aid them on their journey. I did a horrible job explaining this but trust me when I say that it's quite fun when you give it a chance (and a few extra players).

Sound/Music: 6

The music, when it does play, is annoyingly repetitive. Thankfully, though, it doesn't play very often unless you charge head on into a screen-full of enemies (but you're smarter than that, right?). I did, however, enjoy some of the sound effects such as the machine gun and the swipes of the sword. And the hum of the chainsaw is always a pleasure to hear. One thing that surprised me, though, was some of the voice acting, which was above some of the other games' craptacular standards. Characters like Carpenter actually have some emotion in what they say, which makes the game more enjoyable not just to play, but to watch as well. The sound is what stopped me from giving this a lower rating.

Controls: 8

The controls are pretty easy to get used to; stick moves, A is the action button, R shoots, etc. The one thing a person could have trouble with, though, are such things as the weapon cycles and jumping. There were a few rare occasions early in the game when I'd try to shoot something only to realize that I confused the fire button with the reload or jump, button. By the second level, though, a person can settle into the controls quite nicely.

Replay Value: 8

If this game were only one player I'd rate the re-play value much lower, but the ability to have four people playing makes it much more fun to play through. It's easy enough to get into that you can simply take it to a friend's house, pop it in the Gamecube, and start playing.

Overall: 8

This game, in many ways, is like a modern version of Gauntlet, but unlike it a person has to follow a set path through the town instead of going back to the same level again because they forgot to pick up something along the way. The story takes a few twists along the way so as not to bore the gamer and overall is an enjoyable experience. Don't believe me? Try it yourself!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/02, Updated 11/30/02