Gaming Target - Xbox: Hunter The Reckoning: Redeemer

Written by Nick Doukas on December 19, 2003

Full Review: Applesauce biatch!

The original Hunter: The Reckoning was released to a fairly warm reception from critics and gamers alike. Somewhat early in the Xbox's life, Hunter took White Wolf's pen and paper RPG World Of Darkness and translated it to the electronic medium. A group of 4 УHuntersФ took on evil denizens in the town of Ashcroft, a hot spot for otherworldly activity due to its violent and evil history. Redeemer takes Hunter's hack and slash formula and expands on the theme in a worthy and fun sequel Ц albeit one that ultimately works best as a party game played with friends.

Once you boot the game up, you'll be able to pick from several different heroes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some familiar characters from the first game make a return here, as well as some new blood. Redeemer drops you right into the heart of Ashcroft, and you'll quickly find yourself surrounded by hordes of enemies. You'll move your character with the left thumbstick, and aim your attacks with the right. You can walk backwards by pressing the left thumbstick in any direction, then pressing the right in the opposite direction. You'll strafe by pressing the right stick at a 90-degree angle to the left stick. Jump utilizes the left trigger, which will also have your character perform a roll during a strafing movement. Melee attacks are initiated by pressing the X button, then using the right stick to aim your assault. Ranged attacks require that you press the right trigger to fire.

The game also furnishes you with a wealth of combo attacks. These include a charge and sweep move, flurry, running combo, stick and slice -- as well as a host of others. In addition, Redeemer provides you with some very cool weapons. There are 3 types of weapons each Hunter can use in battle Ц basic weapons, edges (which are basically the games magic attacks), and special weapons. These consist of a double-barrel shotgun, riot shotgun, submachine gun, assault rifle, a chainsaw and a flamethrower. There are a few others as well. The special weapons are great fun to use and generally make short work of all but the toughest enemies.

There are also 5 types of УGlyphsФ in the game. They can be activated by standing on them, and will give a Hunter special attributes such as health regeneration, speed boosts, unlimited ammo and invulnerability. Of course, these only last for a short time, and once a Glyph is out of power it can no longer be used.

Graphically, Hunter The Reckoning: Redeemer looks good. The cut-scenes in particular have an excellent quality to them, though the overall in-game visuals don't fare as well. The environments look decent, and the character models of the Hunters all look very good. Unfortunately the enemies aren't as detailed. The game gives you a ╛ top-down view of the action, so it's usually pretty easy to see where the closest threats are coming from, though sometimes you'll have to endure a cheap hit from an enemy that's still off-screen.

The sound is well implemented, and features some very creepy aural effects that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The music is appropriate as well, ratcheting up the tension when enemies are near, and dropping off to an eerie background swell during times of exploration (not that there's a lot of that. This game is pure action for the most part). The story is well done, told through great looking cut-scenes, and features solid voice acting throughout.

The multiplayer is the real meat of the game though. While you can play through the story alone, the game transcends mediocrity when you plug in 3 friends to hack away at the undead with you. Though no online multiplayer is supported (downloadable content will be available through Live), it's still a blast to go at it with your pals in the comfort of your own living room.