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Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 Review for PC

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 Review for PC

A Danger To Itself And Others

It arrived on Wednesday, big box betraying the game that lay nestled within. I’d been told to expect it, after all, and so my surprise was muted. I opened it, despite the lack of power in the wake of Hurricane (Superstorm?) Sandy, if only to gaze upon the cover art, pore over the manufacturer’s information that so often comes included with a review copy of a game. My dad, deprived of his normal TV-watching and horse-racing activities by our soon-to-be-four-day outage, appeared beside me to join in appraising the box.

“That looks really neat,” he said. There was enthusiasm in his voice and, in that, I found my own bolstered. We never hunted, but we used to shoot BB and pellet guns when I was younger and, when I turned eighteen, he took me to my first shooting range to fire live ammunition. His comment brought back memories; it honestly seemed like a game we might both enjoy playing.

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 Screenshot

My anticipation only grew as we went longer without power, so starved was I for substantial entertainment. At one point, I even arranged to uproot my entire console setup and take it over to a friend’s house just so I could play the game; she fell asleep before I could head over, though.

Then, on the Saturday after Sandy, our power was restored. After basking in the wonders of a hot shower and a heated house, and making the Internet aware of my return, I began the task of getting in playtime with Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013. Unpacking it was easy enough and the instructions, though somewhat obtuse, were illustrated and clear enough that I was able to fit together the “Fearmaster” with limited difficulty.

The “Fearmaster” is part of the complete Dangerous Hunts 2013 pack, which also comes with a Wii-esque IR sensor bar that interacts with the “Fearmaster” so that you can ostensibly feel more like a real hunter. What the pack does not come with is the four AA batteries one needs to power both the wireless plastic gun and the wireless sensor bar. After obtaining those, as well as the Phillips head screwdriver I needed to open the battery slot on the sensor bar (make sure you have a screwdriver with a small head; this screw is petite), I set it up and, with minimal fuss, had it synced to my Xbox 360. Onward to the hunting grounds!

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 Screenshot

Unless you’re a lefty. I’m right-handed, but I shoot southpaw because I’m left-eye dominant. After years of doing this, I’m accustomed to the way a rifle feels in a left-handed grip. Add to this that the analog stick used for controlling movement is located on the stock of the peripheral and I’m completely incapable of holding the rifle right-handed and moving around. The left thumb controls strafing and forward and backward movement, in my mind.

Two of the gun’s four buttons, though, are on one side of the barrel, while the other two are immediately below the thumbstick on the stock. This layout makes them confusing in their own right (my brain registers A&B and X&Y, but not each button’s specific location; not with any real speed), but the real problem comes from the fact that those two on the barrel are less accessible from a left-handed grip. Meanwhile, the D-Pad is located on the top of the barrel, smack in the middle. This would be manageable if the control layout made any kind of sense.

Spoiler: It doesn’t. The buttons on the barrel are used for switching weapons and dodging. The buttons on the stock are used for either aiming down the sights of your gun (really only useful when using a rifle, at which point you’re generally making a very deliberate shot anyway and don’t need immediate access to the scope button) or turning to face threats that are off-screen. For routine actions like reloading and jumping, you have to press directions on the D-Pad. None of these controls can be remapped to accommodate a player with alternative limb preferences. Also, in an aesthetic gaffe, you can’t change which side of the screen the gun is on. Your character shoots right-handed no matter what.

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 Screenshot

The most defining element of the “Fearmaster,” though, is the pair of metal contact patches on its grip and barrel, right where a player naturally rests their hands. Through these, it purports to detect your heart rate. This comes into play when using the rifle’s scope, as you’re expected to engage in a deep breathing exercise to relax yourself and steady your aim, at which point the screen zooms in closer to your prey and a glowing outline of its vital organs appears. It can sometimes be difficult to get an adequate reading on one’s heart rate from the contacts, but the system by and large works well, and does add a certain rush to the hunting experience.

All of this controller stuff is moot, though, in the face of the greater question: Is the game one that you would want to play? Structured as a wildlife-themed first-person shooter, the story mode primarily consists of following a fairly linear path through nature-themed environs packed with dangerous creatures that will jump out at you and try to have you for supper. These run-and-gun sequences are broken up by occasional hunting segments, which may involve some light, guided tracking of an animal and, inevitably, an attempted one-shot takedown at range with the scoped rifle. There are also occasional boss battles that sort of mix the two.

The first thing you’ll notice, though, is that this game is ugly. Not just in that its textures are flat, models are blocky, and designs are uninspired, but it’s technically lackluster, too. Enemies disappear upon death and there’s very little in the way of visual feedback to indicate that one’s been shot. I don’t expect extreme gore, but a bit of blood would not be out of place in a Teen-rated game. Further, foes, as makes sense for the pack predators you’re usually pitted against, will rush you head-on after circling for a bit. They’ll often clip right through you, though, which makes it unclear where they are and is just woefully unappealing. This clipping also has gameplay ramifications.

Dangerous Hunts uses the A button for two things: If a foe is behind you and lunging, an indicator will appear onscreen. Press and hold the A button within the time limit and you’ll snap around to face the predator, its vital organs glowing orange. Land a shot on one of them and it will crumple to the ground. The other purpose is similar: if there is no foe onscreen, the viewpoint will snap around to the nearest one.

Note that this does not work if there is any foe onscreen, regardless of where onscreen the foe is. This means that a foe attacking from behind can clip through you and disable your ability to quickly turn to face them. It also means that a foe peeking into the corner of your view prevents you from quickly turning to face it or any of the predators behind you. Given how unwieldy turning around with the “Fearmaster” proves to be, this is a terrible design choice.

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 Screenshot

Is the game better when simply played with a controller? Sadly, yes. The controls for the “Fearmaster” aren’t where they need to be to make it a viable method of play. Without the novelty of the plastic gun, though, Dangerous Hunts 2013 is just a subpar, linear shooter with animals instead of human targets. It’s one-note and mind-numbing.

In an odd twist, though, the story is actually better than in most big-budget gaming productions. It has a measure of heart, decent voice acting, and a message that runs deeper than “killing things is the tops.” It’s unfortunate that the gameplay it’s paired with is so aggressively unsatisfying.

There’s also a “Maneater” mode. It supports split-screen co-op and is, in essence, Horde mode with predators. Oh, and there are shooting galleries, which are probably the game’s greatest appeal, if only because they take the onus of movement off of the player and are actually fun score challenges. Neither is enough, though, to overcome the bitter taste of the game’s painfully low production values, unsatisfying action, and outright confusing controls.

Note: The heart-rate sensing of the Top Shot “Fearmaster” is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.0 Graphics
Blocky, with muddy textures and awkward perspective, the game’s generic designs are neither artistically compelling nor technically proficient. 1.0 Control
Yes, they’re better with the standard controller, but that completely defeats the purpose of a game such as this. The “Fearmaster” is not functional for the type of game Dangerous Hunts 2013 tries to be. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Creatures sound like creatures and the voice acting is generally bearable. Guns are satisfying to fire. That said, nothing really stands out. 2.5 Play Value
The only reason this score isn’t lower is that the shooting galleries are inoffensive, rail-shooting score trials. They’re not half bad. The rest of the game, though, needs to stay far, far away. 1.8 Overall Rating – Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • New Maneater Co-op Mode: Two players can join together to take on wave after wave of increasingly deadly beasts in the all-new split screen Maneater mode.
  • Master Your Fear: Armed with the new Top Shot Fearmaster controller, control your heart rate to increase your accuracy, deal more damage, or slow down time to line up the perfect kill shot. Available for the X360 and PS3 systems.
  • Smarter and Deadlier Predators: The new Prowler animal A.I. engine simulates pack social hierarchies, coordinates complex group tactics, and takes advantage of the surroundings to set up deadly ambushes.

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