Hunter: The Reckoning (video game)

2002 hack and slash video game

Hunter: The Reckoning is a 2002 hack and slash third person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Interplay Entertainment for the Xbox and GameCube. It is based on the tabletop role playing game of the same name, and is part of the larger World of Darkness series. Two sequels, Wayward and Redeemer, were both released in 2003. Players take the roles of hunters who fight hordes of enemies with melee weapons, ranged weapons, and magic. The story revolves around Ashcroft Penitentiary, a prison which has been taken over by vampires as their feeding grounds; the inmates who die there rise again as vengeful and destructive wraiths. Interplay chose to adapt Hunter: The Reckoning into a video game as they thought it would translate well into an action game, a genre their division Digital Mayhem was focusing on. It was intended from the start to be a flagship title for them, and the first in a series, which led to the decision to develop it for the Xbox, as it was new at the time and had greater graphical capabilities than other consoles. The game was well received for its gameplay and visuals, although the GameCube version was criticized for its downgraded graphics and frame rate issues.

Hunter: The Reckoning is a hack and slash third person shooter game where players fight hordes of enemies in a single player or multiplayer mode for up to four players. designed by Dave Rodriguez, Production began around the beginning of 2001, and the game was announced in April of the same year. Hunter: The Reckoning differed from most of High Voltage Software's games based on licensed properties, in that it was based on a game system rather than on characters in a specific setting with an established look. In adapting the tabletop game into a video game format, the developers focused on elements that would fit well in an action video game. They considered making the game appeal to younger audiences, but decided against it to avoid straying too far from the nature of the tabletop game. Certain characters were taken from the tabletop game, while the main cast was based on pre made characters by High Voltage Software staff. The game's horror often relied on visuals and audio, with dark and dank environments; the developers also made use of the scare tactic of warping something that normally is seen as comforting into something scary, as seen in one part where a little girl's teddy bear transforms into a monster and kills her parents.

The game was released for the Xbox in North America on May 21, 2002, following a delay from March 15, and in Europe on July 5. A GameCube port followed on November 19 of the same year in North America, and on July 25, 2003, in Europe; this port was tweaked to have lower difficulty, based on feedback from the original release. The Xbox version was added to the Xbox 360 system's backward compatibility functionality in November 2007, and to the Xbox One system's in April 2018. In 2004, Uwe Boll acquired the movie rights for the game. The film was planned to be directed by Boll, produced by Shawn Williamson, and written by David Schneider and Drew Daywalt, with shooting planned to take place in British Columbia.

The original Xbox release of the game was well received by critics, GameZone listed it as one of the top Xbox games that "need" an HD remake. According to GameFan, the game performed moderately well commercially, which they in part attributed to the pre existing fan base of the Hunter: The Reckoning tabletop game it is based on. The gameplay and combat were mostly well received by critics, particularly its multiplayer mode. The single player mode was criticized by some reviewers as feeling lonely and repetitive; IGN considered only the multiplayer mode worth playing. AllGame did however find the combat sluggish and annoying, and thought the game seemed difficult in lieu of having intelligent enemy AI. The game's camera was frequently criticized, preventing players from seeing enemies in front of them, and making the multiplayer mode frustrating due to how it limits players' movement. The Xbox version's visuals were frequently praised, with its environments described as atmospheric and detailed. Likewise, reviewers enjoyed the look of the characters, their animations, and their designs. The GameCube version's visuals were however considered a major step down from the Xbox version, looking washed out and having frame rate problems in several areas, particularly in the multiplayer mode and when a lot of enemies are shown on screen at the same time. The sound effects were well received, but were also downgraded in the GameCube version. Reception of the voice acting was varied: it was called excellent by Entertainment Weekly, not very strong by AllGame, and "hideous" by GameSpy.