Being born and raised in New York City doesn’t exactly earn me the most authentic expertise or ingrained interest in big game hunting; with that being said I never gravitated toward many of the Cabela’s titles in the past like I have my many favorites such as Mass Effect or Call of Duty. When an opportunity came to me from the fine people over at Sandbox Strategies to demo the newest projects, Hunting Expeditions and Dangerous Hunts 2013 however, I couldn’t help but feel like it was time to delve into this unexplored world of gaming. Call it fate, call it a sixth sense, or maybe just chalk it up to my curiosity about putting metal slugs into the hearts of deer and lions; whatever it was that pulled me in I owe it big time for an exciting experience which has now ignited my itchy trigger finger.
I like to think that I’ve officially lost my Cabela’s V-card, but I am certainly no stranger to shooting games. Upon seeing Hunting Expeditions in action I was immediately reminded of the battle with The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. No there wasn’t a legendary ancient sniper trying to kill me at every turn of a tree and bush; but meticulously planning your long range execution of the wildlife populating a huge play environment may make you feel like quite the marksman. There are several ways of incorporating elements of strategy in your game when it comes to this attractive hunting simulator. First is the new strategic map view which gives you an overhead layout of the area chosen from the location menu. Aside from seeing your intended victims’ position on the map, optimal locations are also displayed for the best vantage points according to your prey’s current position. Seeing them on your map is one thing, but arriving there is quite another.
One of the most impressive features demonstrated in Expeditions is the smooth traversal system which would make you swear you were Nathan Drake just out hunting for a new trophy to play on his mantle. While the selectable locales are not necessarily “open world”, the borders are far enough from one another that you’d never really notice. Climbing up terrain and crossing narrow trails over streams to find the best way to find a vantage point is a huge part of the experience and there are multiple areas in which you can take advantage of opportunities for exploration. The realism of the leaves swaying in the wind or the abrupt crashing of waterfall to rock will gain your eye’s attention as you travel your path. There is much to be appreciated in the foreplay leading up to the big kill, and it all adds to the overall rush of taking down your target through the scope of a rifle.
To achieve the most success here also means that you must leave your Modern Warfare mentality at the door. We are after all killing for sport, and that means taking home the head of your downed quadruped as a nice big trophy, which of course would make the most awesome Christmas card cover ever. Going headshot crazy will be the least conducive tactic to inflate your integrity points meter. Of course no headshot means no easy one hit one kills, which is not to say it isn’t possible. Scoring a one bullet kill is more challenging but also more rewarding. Missing a shot intended for the heart or lungs of a large deer may cause it to scramble and run off in the name of survival. Simply put the quicker and more efficient your hunt goes, the higher your point count.
Moving on to Dangerous Hunts 2013, while not necessarily a 180 from the concept of Expeditions, this Cabela’s title takes hunting into the realm of survival thriller. Quietly and carefully lining up your shot in this game may mean the difference between pushing back a pride of lions and inviting the whole lot to tear you to pieces. Downing the alpha male in one shot will send the rest into disarray; this can be viewed as the “easy” way of passing an encounter. The option to test your mettle and survivability against the whole group is also there; just walk up and give a lioness a nice pat on the head…or you know, shoot her in it. Prey can quickly become predator and depending on how good of a shot you are with both long range and short range firearms it can be quite an exhilarating experience fending off your feral attackers.
This sensation is in no small part thanks to the new prowler A.I introduced into the game’s already tried and true engine. This essentially assures that no two encounters will ever be exactly the same; animals will attack in different formations each time you play through the game and replicate realistic tactics that are most likely to be used in real life. When surrounded by a pack of wolves, it isn’t uncommon for one to serve as a distraction by running passed you and activating your sense of self-preservation while its brethren come at you while your back is turned. Dangerous Hunts does whatever it can to induce panic, a sense which can be greatly enhanced by the game’s new fearmaster gun peripheral.
The fearmaster at first glimpse seems like any other gun sold for usage with any past Cabela’s game, but inside dwells a surprisingly effective biometric feature. Placing your fingers on the metal readers (don’t worry, they are in places you’d normally hold a gun anyway) will allow the technology within the controller to tell how calm or nervous you are, and how you view the game will be directly affected. Lining up a shot will take steady hands and a calm heart rate; failure to meet these criteria will result in blurry vision and significantly more swaying in your aim. Gimmicky as this may sound, especially in a generation with motion sensors in the primary controller for an entire home console (going out on a limb here and assuming I don’t have to explain which one I am speaking of). The truth is it is not only fairly responsive, but the effects of the tech adds a psychological aspect to the game. Seeing a consistently bad rating on your ideal physiological state can humble gamers who fancy themselves crack shots at any first person shooter. Lining up a tough shot isn’t the only contributor to how focused you are either. At any given time during your hunt for a particular target other wildlife can either ambush you or run into your path out of nowhere. Sometimes it may just be a few birds startled by your presence; it’s enough to break most people’s concentration though and force them to refocus.
As opposed to the strict hunting simulation style of Expeditions, Dangerous Hunts features a story mode as well as multiplayer. While admittedly not the primary focus of the game, the story mode adds a bit of narrative for those who enjoy mixing a sense of purpose in with their “devil may care” slaying. It’s an estimated 5 hour wilderness adventure featuring two brothers as main characters, but to make up for the brief completion time we can’t forget the prowler A.I which constantly changes things up. Taking things back to old-school split screen, the man-eater multiplayer lets you and a buddy team up to lay the smackdown on some ferocious furries. Before anyone begins to speculate, yes it is a horde mode. While this may seem like a done to death co-op playlist (and believe me, it is) I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the most interesting offerings. The pace of the gameplay is constantly frenetic. What eventually begins to happen after a few waves is rather than trying to off as many wild animals as possible, the objective seems to become safeguarding your partner’s life while trying to preserve your own. In essence this can be considered a survival mode as well. You won’t be playing maneater for its innovation anyhow; you’ll come and stay for the intensity and the inevitable screaming at your friend for not shooting that tiger in the head while it was tearing out your jugular. It’s fun stuff kiddos.
A welcoming trip away from my usual comfort zone this journey into the world of Cabela’s was indeed. Being a member of the vast Call of Duty and Gears of War communities for some time now it was nice to change the scenery and find new ways to feel like an accomplished marksman. There is a beautiful beast beneath the surface of hunting which Sandbox Strategies and Activision bring to life quite nicely; I for one cannot wait for October 23rd.
Post written by Senior Staff Writer Matt J. Randisi. Questions for the author? Send an email to Mjrandisi@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SaveUsMatt.