henke on 5/10/2012 at 16:26
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I remember trying a hunting-sim on my cousin's PC way back in the mid-90's. We had uncles and relatives who hunted elk so it was a bit novel to be able to do the same thing but in a computer game. However the novelty soon wore off and for a couple of teenage boys the slow pace of simulated deer-hunting couldn't compare with the thrills of Doom and Duke3D, so our hunting session didn't last very long before we turned it off in favour of something else. Haven't really considered the genre at all since then, until recently when I found out about F2P hunting game The Hunter. Gave it a try a few nights ago and ended up sitting up quite late stalking mule deers through it's wonderfully rendered woods.
The Gameplay
More slow-paced than anything I've played in recent times. My stats tell me that so far I've played it for 2.7 hours, walked almost 10 kilometers, and fired 6 shots. Successfully hunting and killing a mule deer requires planning, stealth, cool nerves and a steady hand. But most of all: patience. I've scared off countless deers before I've even managed to spot them. I've been tracking hoof-prints and suddenly noticed that the deer has broken into a gallop at some point when it's no doubt heard or seen me following it. When that happens you can be sure the deer is on the other side of the island by now, and there's nothing to do but look for another trail to follow and be more careful this time. It's very challenging, but also very rewarding when you finally do get a deer in your sights and take it down as cleanly as possible.
The Landscape
The game uses Just Cause 2's Avalanche Engine, and it's never looked better. Not so much because of any graphical improvements, but mostly because you get a better impression of the realism and beauty on display when you're slowly walking through a forrest instead of soaring over it in a parachute focused on shooting down attackhelicopters. The beauty of the terrain is more than just a powerful engine though, it's clear that love and attention has been put into creating all the areas that cover the the ~10km long island you get to explore.
The free version may only give you the standard rifle and a license to hunt mule deer, but that's still a good chunk of solid gameplay. I'd gladly recommend this to anyone who enjoys exploration and challenging gameplay. It's just a shame there's no multiplayer mode or we could've organized a hunting trip. :)
PigLick on 6/10/2012 at 04:37
This sounds pretty cool
demagogue on 7/10/2012 at 06:43
I did this for a while. This is good when you really want to take your time wandering around. It's lowkey without being a cakewalk. You have to be paying attention to really do it right. One thing I did notice, it helps when you find the tracks to approach on the downwind side if you can since they can smell you.
I think this could be one of my "ritual" games where I do it for a while when I just want to chill... along with an IL2 map, an rFactor race, and Deathworm.
henke on 7/10/2012 at 07:02
You need to buy the Wind Indicator in the game's store though. I'd rather not spend any real money on this.
PigLick on 7/10/2012 at 08:40
Yeh I installed this and found it quite good, obviously you need to spend the dollars to really get into it, but I really love the gentle exploration side of this kind of game.
Bakerman on 7/10/2012 at 10:00
Is it feasible to play without the red glowing markers? If so I'd be really tempted to give this a go. It looks like ArmA but with less return fire.
june gloom on 7/10/2012 at 20:33
Very pretty stuff. I like the bird.
PigLick on 7/10/2012 at 23:59
I'd really love for this sort of gameplay in another context other than a simulator, say an archeological game where you explore a highly detailed island looking for artifacts and structures from a lost civilization.
