MODEL- 71605 VENDOR- VIVENDI FEATURES- Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward Evil exists everywhere but it is unseen by most. As a Hunter you have the special gift (or curse) to recognize and destroy the evil that has come back from the dead to dwell the earth. A cult has formed in Ashcroft and its up to the team of Hunters to destroy it. * Choose from five playable characters; each with unique weapons edges and supernatural abilities. * Storyline characters and environments based on White Wolfs gothic pen and paper role playing game. * Unleash an arsenal of melee and ranged weapons like Flame Throwers and Grenade Launchers. * Hunter Headquarters: Choose your path character and weapons between levels. * Go it alone or combine forces with two-player cooperative play. — SPECIFICATIONs ————–ESRB Rating : M for MatureGenre/Category : Action/AdventureSystem : Playstation 2Number of Players : 12Compatible Peripherals: MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 90 DAYS
- Choose from five playable characters: each with unique weapons, edges and supernatural powers.
- Introduces Hunter Headquarters, a unique game-flow system allowing players to select different characters, weapons and review objectives between levels.
- A little help from your friends: supports two-player cooperative games.
- 25 expensive, story-telling levels with numerous re-playable varations.
- Rip apart supernatural enemies piece-by-piece by dismembering heads, arms and legs in gory detail.
List Price: $ 49.99
Price: $ 11.99
From the table to a console near you…,
I’ve always been a fan of table top rpg’s, and I must say that this is one franchise that was able to make the transformation from the table to a console with ease. The game is fun, and beautiful to look at, with a variety of characters to play. Though somewhat repetitive, it has more action than you could ever get in any other zombie game (COUGHresidentevilCOUGH) and plays more like a movie than any game I have ever come across. The monsters seem to keep coming, and the levels don’t drag, nor are they too short. Wayward is a pseudo-sequel, but if you didn’t play the first one, you will still understand and enjoy this one.
Don’t get me wrong, the original game was great, but there are a few things I like better about this one, some of them seem to be disliked by others who have reviewed this game, and I will discuss those first:
1.)Limited ammo: No, there is no longer unlimited ammo for your default weapon, but you start with max at every level, and enemies drop lots of it, so stop crying.
2.)I love the fact that you have a home base in this one, where you go back to after every level, so instead of having random glyps of info in rediculous places, you have a computer that you can check for info about your enemies, or for clues on things you’ve picked up along the way. In your base, you have a map of the city where you pick the level you wanna do, an entertainment area where you can see easter eggs you’ve unlocked during levels (music and movie clips mainly), and a trophy room that allows you to enter codes after you beat the game depending on the trophies you’ve earned.
3.)The combos that your charater can pull off are more effective, smoother, and much longer than in the first game, making melee attacks better to use, and just plain cooler to look at (making up for the limited ammo no doubt).
4.)A lot of the objectives in the game are optional, and unlock different things like alternate costumes. Also, you can go back to the map and re-enter parts of the city (levels) you have already cleared, and each time it becomes more difficult, and secret objectives become available.
The petpieves that I have with this game (and they are very small) are with the people who make it. It annoys me that Wayward’s predecessor is on every other system except PS2. Other than that, Wayward is only 2 player. A 4 player squad of Hunters would be much more enjoyable than just 2 because it would allow you to see all the characters at once, just like you would in a movie, or in real life (towns are attacked by undead hordes all the time in real life… right?)
All-in-All, its a great game, and now that its only 20 bucks you can afford to give it a chance. So if you like good graphics, zombies, or even hot asian chicks with guns o’ plenty, kicking ass, while doing cart-wheels, go get it. If you don’t… then somethings wrong with you.
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|The Hunters Return. . .,
“Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward” is a full-on sequel to the Xbox hit “Hunter the Reckoning,” though you do not see a number 2 anywhere in the title. The storyline that developed on the Xbox game continues on this Playstation 2 follow-up, and probably won’t make much sense to the uninitiated. On the other hand, those who are familiar with its predecessor will almost certainly wish that “Wayward” had a few more new tricks up its sleeve. Even so, both of the aforementioned camps should find something to enjoy despite the game’s failings – particularly when it goes down in price.
“Wayward” reintroduces you to the original game’s cast of hunters (the tank-like Avenger, the spiritual Judge, the sleek Martyr, and the well-rounded Defender), who are contacted by a Wayward hunter who requires their assistance in the town of Ashcroft. It seems that Ashcroft has once again become a hotbed for undead and demonic activity, and it’s time for the hunters to finish what they started by cleansing the place once and for all. That means hacking, slashing, and shooting the living dead right out of every walking corpse and horrid specter in the vicinity. Half-way through the game, the Wayward becomes a fourth playable character, if you should opt to take on his mantle.
Though “Wayward” has its flaws, it is certainly a step forward in terms of design. The original game was difficult to the point of absurdity (it offered the player a limited number of continues in a very antiquated fashion), but while “Wayward” is certainly challenging, it is thankfully more merciful than its Xbox counterpart. If you are running low on continues, you can always revisit a previous location in the game and rescue more innocents (who respawn even if you’ve rescued them before). It’s helpful as well that you can revisit levels to boost your experience, or find weapons and items you might have missed before. In other words, ammunition and health packs will be considerably easier to come by! This newfound freedom is a major improvement to the series, and probably makes “Wayward” a better game than its forebear. It definitely makes it less frustrating to play.
Unfortunately, “Wayward” lacks the storytelling chops of the original game (which provided a convoluted if somewhat compelling backdrop to all the action), and no longer presents the cinematics with the in-game engine – an engine, I hasten to add, that is more than capable of rendering believable movie segments, even on the less graphically intensive PS2 console. It is annoying to me that all four hunters are depicted during the cut-scenes even if you’re only playing through the game with one of them. It is doubly annoying because you can’t even run through the game with three friends. Only 2 players are supported, which is a shame – although it’s better than nothing, since going solo is not half as much fun.
If you have never played a “Hunter” game before, you probably won’t be too disappointed by the levels themselves. On the other hand, if you’ve been through the original game, prepare to be disappointed. Many of the exact levels have been recycled in “Wayward,” albeit slightly altered (different enemies roam through them, maybe, or you move through the area in reverse fashion). You will also encounter many enemies that are all too familiar – though the bosses are brand new, at least. Other than that, there are perhaps three new beasties to destroy, and you will quickly grow tired of dispatching them over and over again during the later levels. Still, to be fair, this complaint is only valid if you’ve played the original, and that was made for another console.
The action has retained its strangely addictive quality, and is very much in the “Gauntlet” tradition (minus all those power-ups). If you’ve played any of the “Gauntlet” games you know that it can be mindlessly compelling for one player, but becomes far more engaging when you’re playing alongside a friend. Again, this is entirely true in “Wayward.” If you have friends who enjoy games like this, I recommend this game considerably more heartily than if you’re a solo player looking for a solo ride. Even so, I’m not saying there’s nothing to enjoy while going it alone in “Wayward,” but it loses some of its appeal.
I also regret the fact that “Wayward” forces you to repeat many of the same levels you’ve already played through. For instance, your objective in a level might be to rescue another hunter. When you have done that and completed the level, you may be required to return to that level and collect silver so that you can kill a werewolf. The level you are repeating offers up the same monsters and the same scenery, and a whole lot of repetition. Besides, “Wayward” sends you on one too many scavenger hunts. The search for missing data CDs in the Ashcroft cemetery is particularly grating. Fortunately, these kinds of missions are not as frequent as they could have been.
All in all, “Wayward” is a good game, but severely…
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