Hunter: The Reckoning (video game)

Hunter: The Reckoning

North American cover art for GameCube
Developer(s) High Voltage Software
Publisher(s) Interplay Entertainment
Platform(s) Xbox, GameCube
Release date(s)

Xbox

  • NA: May 21, 2002
  • PAL: July 5, 2002

GameCube

  • NA: November 18, 2002
  • PAL: July 11, 2003
Genre(s) Action, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer (cooperative)

Hunter: The Reckoning is a video game based on the role-playing game of the same name. Developed by High Voltage Software and published by Interplay Entertainment, The Reckoning was first released on May 21, 2002 in North America for the Xbox. Hunter: The Reckoning is an action game where the player fights hordes of enemies with melee weapons, ranged weapons, and magic. The Reckoning has spawned two sequels, Hunter: The Reckoning: Wayward and Hunter: The Reckoning: Redeemer.

Gameplay

The Reckoning is an action game, with elements of the hack and slash and the beat em up genre of fighting. The game lets the player choose between one of four characters, each of which has different weapons and abilities. The player acts as a human monster-hunter combining melee, ranged and spell-driven attacks called "edges." The Reckoning has single-player and multiplayer modes allowing up to four players.

Also dropped in random places during the game are special weapons such as shotguns or machine guns, which have a limited amount of ammo and are usable until their ammo runs out. Ammo for the player's standard weapon is infinite, but must be reloaded after a mag runs out. The game allows up to four players play simultaneously, fighting on one screen against multiple enemies.

Enemies in the game spawn at different points in the game, and attack in large groups. Bosses end a level, at which point the player progresses into the level until the end of the game.

Plot

One year before the events of the game, four people are present at the execution (by electric chair) of convicted serial killer Nathaniel Arkady at Ashcroft Penitentiary: Spencer "Deuce" Wyatt, Samantha Alexander, Kassandra Cheyung, and Father Esteban Cortez. As the switch is thrown, the souls of the dead who suffered at the hands of the prison's warden and his supernatural staff rose up in vengeful rage, driven by evil to exact their vengeance upon the residents of Ashcroft. The four people who were present at Arkady's execution witnessed the uprising of the supernatural evil, and all four received a message in their minds (from benign supernatural beings called "The Messengers") to act against the vast supernatural force that threatened the entire population of Ashcroft. Choosing to heed their "Calling", the four became Imbued, and destroyed the evil inside the prison. The four Imbued locked the prison, sealing what was left of the evil inside, and left Ashcroft.

Judge using a magic attack; Gamecube version

On the anniversary of the closing and abandonment of Ashcroft Penitentiary, several hundred local teenagers held a rave in the courtyard. The lively celebration awakened the dormant spirits, who sought to begin their onslaught once again. The awakened spirits brought the rave to an early end by slaughtering the vast majority of the teenagers, and the evil, now freed from its prison, raged out into the town and began to destroy the population. The four Imbued return to Ashcroft to confront the source of the evil that threatens the town and protect the remaining survivors.

A ghost appears to the Hunters, named Carpenter, and tells them that Warden Degenhardt is a vampire, and Dr. Hadrian has been performing sadistic flesh-warping experiments on the inmates of Ashcroft. Arkady, the Hunters find out, is a werewolf and still alive, and after they kill Degenhardt, Carpenter attacks them for denying him his revenge.

Unfortunately, Degenhardt was not truly dead, and is revealed to have deliberately reawakened the haunting as part of his plan to find his living family's ghosts and give them new bodies. Only by confronting him in the attic of his mansion, in his monstrous tenebrous form, can the Hunters release the tortured spirits, kill Degenhardt, and escape Ashcroft alive.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GCXbox
AllGameN/A[1]
EdgeN/A4/10[2]
EGM6.5/10[3]6.5/10[4]
EurogamerN/A8/10[5]
Game InformerN/A8/10[6]
GamePro[7][8]
GameSpot7.7/10[9]8/10[10]
GameSpy[11]85%[12]
GameZone8/10[13]8.4/10[14]
IGN6.8/10[15]8.7/10[16]
Nintendo Power3.4/5[17]N/A
OXM (US)N/A8.9/10[18]
Entertainment WeeklyN/AB+[19]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings71.57%[20]80.22%[21]
Metacritic70/100[22]79/100[23]

The game was met with positive to average reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 80% and 79 out of 100 for the Xbox version,[21][23] and 72% and 70 out of 100 for the GameCube version.[20][22]

References

  1. Marriott, Scott Alan. "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  2. Edge staff (August 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". Edge (113).
  3. EGM staff (February 2003). "Hunter: The Reckoning (GC)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (163): 144. Archived from the original on March 27, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  4. EGM staff (July 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (156): 122.
  5. Bramwell, Tom (July 21, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  6. Barber, Chet (July 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". Game Informer (111): 88. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  7. Star Dingo (December 23, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning Review for GameCube on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  8. Dan Elektro (June 3, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  9. Varanini, Giancarlo (November 19, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning Review (GC)". GameSpot. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  10. Varanini, Giancarlo (May 24, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. Gibson, Jon M. (February 15, 2003). "GameSpy: Hunter: The Reckoning (GCN)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 2, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  12. Meston, Zach (June 8, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  13. Surette, Tim (December 27, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  14. Lafferty, Michael (June 19, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  15. Mirabella III, Fran (November 25, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (GCN)". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  16. Goldstein, Hilary (May 17, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning Review (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  17. "Hunter: The Reckoning". Nintendo Power. 165: 157. February 2003.
  18. "Hunter: The Reckoning". Official Xbox Magazine: 73. July 2002.
  19. Ruby, Aaron (June 7, 2002). "Hunter: The Reckoning (Xbox)". Entertainment Weekly (657): 80. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Hunter: The Reckoning for GameCube". GameRankings. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Hunter: The Reckoning for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Hunter: The Reckoning for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Hunter: The Reckoning for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.