The Hunter: Call of the Wild (PS4)

I read a review of this and thought I'd give it a try and very happy I have been with it, it looks simple but plays very well and for me it is very enjoyable and will recommend to anyone to give it a try.

This might be an older game now but it's still a looker. It's not an easy game, especially at the start. But unlock some perks and give it time. And some patience and you'll soon be hunting like a pro. (Parental warning This game does have downloadable content that can be bought with real world money.) such as a hunting dog, new places to hunt and weapon packs . However, you do get a fair bit within the two places that are included and weapons of course. Oh and you also have a pretty decent photo mode it you want to hunt for photos of the animals too if you are not keen to hunt even computer generated animals .

I've been playing games for a long-ass time - I spent my early youth arguing over which was best: ZX Speccy, Amstrad CPC 464 or C64 with my stupid little buddies at school (for the record it was the speccy). Also I spent my time between 2003 and 2007 monkeying around as a games tester for Sony Europe at the old Psygnosis building in darkest Merseyside. Now I know none of this seems relevant but, trust me I'm getting there, this means that after playing the same genres over and over for (gulp!) 34 years I often ache for something different, a change of pace if you will. Games can often be noisy and uncouth little beasties, but they can also be beautiful, meditative, life-enhancing experiences. They can either let you kill your thoughts for a few hours while you mindlessly shoot your foes in the love-spuds, or they can give rise to newfound interests or even open up areas of culture and learning that you never really thunked about before! Which is what attracted me to The Hunter: Call of the Wild. Right, so let me begin this review-proper by saying that I have been reluctant to play hunting games, mainly because they represent a lifestyle and life choices that simply do not appeal to me, and, I won't lie, at times I find downright repulsive. However, I'm not here to push my views on you, you do you what you feel is right and I'll do my thing and let neither of us throw our clutter over each other's moral property line. So hunting, to many, may, or may not, conjure pictures of certain stereotypes that we shall not dig too deep into here, but does that mean that you have to fit any of the dimensions of said stereotype to enjoy a hunting game? Well, no, not at all - because for the mentally strapped-in and mostly grounded individual, games are merely a release that allows you to don the vague disguise of some protagonists for a bit before you have to definitely don yours again and go and wither in an office, or whatever you have to do to provide for you and yours. So now that I've justified that to myself for still feeling like I've overstepped one of my own boundaries by shooting polygonal wildlife, Here is my point by point, easy to digest, list of pros and cons.THE GOODNESS- This may seem a shallow choice to begin with but it's not without merit that I put it first: Graphics! Sweet, AAA-Level, RoboChrist! There are moments of this game that just bring your ocular-pips to bursting point, looking like a gloriously detailed landscape painting of mother nature in her Sunday best, it's as tight as a bat's nostril, on all fronts. The Apex open world engine is a force to be reckoned with, providing details and physics that will leave any aesthetically inclined gamer, or indeed nature enthusiast, a sweaty, overexcited, mess.- Details, details, details! This could have been tacked on to the end of the above point about graphics but some of these sparks of attention are definitely worthy of their own snippet. Branches bend and lash back as you pass by, grass stays flattened in your wake leaving a satisfying desire line behind you, pine needles shower down as you or an animal creep underneath an arching bough, the wind carries seeds, dead grass and leaves in it's flow (along with your scent) and insects of all types dart here and there as you disturb their creep biz. These are just a fraction of the wonders that are replicated from our luscious world and I'm still noticing glorious touches 20 hours in. I am constantly astounded.- Freedom is the name of this big ole bugger, and this is what separates it from the raft of other hunting games with their bullet-cam, body-shredding, glorification of death. The thing I have done least in this game is hunt, but that's not to say that if hunting is your bag that you can't spend the best part of your time doing just that. What I have done is, explored everything from dense woodland and open fields to stone circles and crumbling ruins in search of artefacts and snippets of lore. When I have hunted there is an underlying story arch, that isn't too complex or convoluted, and usually involves culling overpopulated numbers or animals that are ruining crops which gave me more of a reason for my actions than just Blam! there goes a wildcat/deer/boars facial features for cash (again, not judging, it's just not my bag).- By God, It's a whopper! The game provides kilometres upon kilometres of gloriously explorable, immaculately crafted…..stuff! Plus there's three bloody maps!! Good job the navigation system is up to scratch.- The sound design is aces and feels completely authentic, which is quite the boon considering that, wether you're spotting and photographing wildlife or you're hunting it for your XP and pennies, you'll need to pay close attention your ears. Animal calls are one of the best ways of finding your quarry and you will make plenty of sound which in turn scares the furry trousers off most beasties in a wide radius. Also if you've got a fat sound system hooked up you're going to go deep, my friend, deep down.- The wildlife is exceptionally well realised with each species carrying it's relevant weight accordingly. From spritely roe deer to huge lumbering bears they all move as they should over the plethora of terrains. Light reflects off their fur and they aren't just dumb fleshy targets, They will make you work for your rewards with their natural camouflage and behaviour patterns.- Ton's of gadgets and additional items abound! Want to hunt old skool? BAM bow and arrows! You want to play those sneaky critters at their own game? BOOSH! (okay i'm going to stop this now) antler rattlers and decoys are all up in this piece! Yes, sir, and there's so much more: tents, ATVs, various apparel - it's all there for the keen explorer/photographer/hunter that's got the skill to grab it. BASH! KABOOF! WAZZOCK! (sorry).- From the limited amount of weapons I have fired at PGL (bow and arrow) and at a shooting range…….at the fair…..the weapons could well be very accurate……..I don't really know, but they feel good and weighty and pack a bloody good punch, and don't feel crappy compared to other FPSs I've played like Sniper Elite etc. Perhaps I'm wrong and this is a bad point, but I love the game so Ima act like I know an Uzi from a Blunderbuss and go with "it's good. Damn good."THE BADNESS- It will definitely be too slow for some, as in real hunting you may not see anything all day and a chilled out stroll may not be a lot of people's idea of fun, but as I mentioned I like me a bit of variation and after God of War, Splatoon 2, Sonic Mania and Assassins Creed Origins I need to slow down a little, and if you're feeling a little ragged feel free to take a seat right next to me.There are very minor elements that broke my immersion, like grass not connecting with the ground on certain inclines and a handful of slightly muddy textures, and for a game that's built on details and the astonishment of discovering just how cohesive these details are, these can be a bit of a bummer even if they are only minor.THE END BITYou may be surprised to read, (especially if you just skipped to this to ignore all my semi-literate gibber-jabber - which is fair enough), that I wholly recommend this game to anyone with even a hint of tranquility and peace pumping through their heart-pipes. But why would an old softy like me play a hunting game to begin with, especially If I don't support the idea of killing for sport, why would I play something that simulates such acts? Well, it's this simple: A.) It's pretend and B.) This game is much much more than a hunting game - It shows a reverence for everything that it depicts and the biggest part of that is nature. So wether I like the way that some people may go about hunting, and why they hunt, I understand that a part of man's shadow over the landscape casts that of a hunter. So as well as being THE most realistic hunting game in the know universe, it is also a methodically populated environment rammed with exploration opportunities and wonderment that turns down the madness and cranks the chill way, way up. It is a nature simulator as much as it is a hunting simulator and for those of us surrounded by the urban sprawl 5 days a week it is a breath of fresh air. Gloriously simulated fresh air.

Unfortunately lve Hadto request a return +refund .as it keaps freezing and loosing my progress while playing in the middle of ahunt. making it unplayable

Fantastic game for adults by that i mean ya got to have patience (alot of it) to enjoy this...Its sooooo realistic!

It is fun but it requires a lot of patience

Brilliant game lots of fun came before delivery date and was well packaged would highly recommend this game and seller. Thank you very pleased

The open world is fantastic, you will spend hours hunting and exploring. The missions are sometimes very hard and near impossible. The only problem I have with the game is GHOST animals, one minute you see/track them then the next minute they just disappear.

ここ数年、某猟師の漫画を読んでからというもの、狩猟免許欲しいなぁ・・・狩猟したいなぁ・・・と考えていました。そんなある日、「何か面白そうなゲームないかなぁ？」と適当にPS4のゲームを探していたら、このゲームが目につきました。いても立ってもいられず、その日に思い切って注文しました。そんな経緯はさておき、届いてから早速プレイした感想です。が、たった２時間程度での感想になるのでご了承ください。海外のソフトですのでもちろんですが英語です。案の定ではありますが、何が書いてあるのか、何を言っているのかちんぷんかんぷん（笑）自分の英語に関する学力の無さのせいなので、そこは全く問題ありませんし、オプションを見てなんとなく操作する以外ありませんでした。それでもできなくはありません。日本の〇=決定、×＝キャンセルと逆になるのは想定内なので問題なし。肝心なハンティングですが、なかなか見つからない獲物にイライラしつつも、鹿と熊をハントすることに成功。大草原を走り、沼（池？）を越え、山を匍匐しながら創作するのが楽しいったらない！鳴き声が聞こえたときは心拍数測りたいくらいドキドキ。熊が目の前にいたときは思わず「うぉぁ！」って言ってしましました。いずれ慣れてしまうのかなぁ・・・と思うと残念ですが。仕留めたときの感動は一入！ゲームの出来事なのに、写メ撮って「獲ったどー！」と友だちに送りたくなりました。これから休日が楽しみでなりません。もしも狩猟に興味があって、英語でもいいやと思える方はチャレンジしてみては？と思います。それと、ちょっと英語もがんばろうかな？と思いました。2019.4.5　追記今になって買わなきゃよかったと思うようになりました。理由は、ずっとプレイし続けたいから。同じ場所で延々と待ち続け、同じ場所を延々とうろちょろして、完全な作業に近くなっていても、声がしたら「どこだ！？」、足音がしたら「そこか！」と、ボルテージは一気に跳ね上がります。不向きな人の方が多いかもしれませんが、自分には最高のゲーム（シミュレーター）です。これだけのためにネットを契約してしましました。2020.9.29 追記２年前に足跡をチェックしすぎるとマップを開いたらフリーズしてしまう現象を報告しましたが、バージョンアップで即解決しています。PS4版に関しては日本語対応は今後も無さそうなので、自分自身の英語力をバージョンアップする他ありません。

好き嫌い分かれると思います。自分はハマりました。マップは2種類あり、ヨーロッパとアメリカです。それぞれ、獲物も種類が異なります。フィールドのいたるところにアウトポスト（拠点）やランドマーク・インフォメーションなどが有りますが、まずはルックアウトポイント（展望台）にたどり着くことにより、正確な位置がマップに表示されるようになります。所持品は銃器はもちろん双眼鏡、距離計、獲物を呼ぶための笛やスプレー、テントやブラインドタープまであります。なんとATV（バギー）までも。まるで、その場にいるかのような自然豊かで広大なフィールドを歩き回り、音を聞き、獲物を探して追いかけるも良し・待つのも良しで狩猟のしかたはプレイヤー次第です。そして、獲物を発見してもバカスカ撃ちまくりゃ良いわけではなく、慎重さと正確さが求められるゲームです。使用する銃器も金が有ればなんでも買えるわけでもなく、ライフル・ショットガン・ハンドガン・クロスボウとそれぞれに必要な武器スコアが有りますし、弾薬についても買わなければ撃つことすら出来ないという内容（笑）スコープも買わなければ、最初はなにも付いていないデフォルトの243ライフル一丁とスマホ（マップ）と双眼鏡しか有りません。かなり凝ってます。そして準備を済ませ猟に出発、やっと見つけた獲物を前にして、ただ撃つだけでは1発で仕留めることは難しいでしょう。おまけに弾道もリアルで山なりを描く為に50m〜100mなどの距離だと少し上に着弾しますので、キツネなど小さい獲物は外しがちです。逆に200m〜は落下気味になるうえに風による影響も少なからず出てきます。まぁゲーム内でゼロインは可能ですし、ヨーロッパマップには射撃場があるので練習も可能です。付近の動物は皆一目散に逃げますがwさらに内臓など、生きるために必要な部位をイメージして狙いを定めワンショット・ワンキルをすれば、より高いスコアを稼ぐことができます。半矢は恥です。獲物を仕留め回収すると、レントゲン写真みたいのがリザルト画面に表示されてスコアと報酬金、獲物の種類や使用した銃器・弾丸の種類や着弾の進入角などの情報が見れます。これにより、腕前の確認ができてやりごたえが有りますね。最後に、このゲームはリアルさゆえにサクサク進むものではないうえにゲームクリアという概念がないので、ゆっくりのんびり時間をかけてプレイする感じです。最後まで読んでいただきありがとうございました。

日本語字幕、翻訳なしなのでそこは不便だが、他者レビュー通り高評価で良いと思います、低評価にしたのは配送状態がパッケージは波打つように変形、圧迫（重量物）された為にディスクを留めている内部のあの部分がくっきりパッケージに浮きだし、開封してみるとディスクは外れてディスク面に大きい傷が複数有り、返品しようと思ったが何故か全額返ってくる訳ではなく手間も掛かる為起動を確認しそのまま使用することにした、北米アカウント使用法が面倒な為、ディスク版輸入品を購入したが、いくら値段が国内ゲーに比べて安価と言ってもやはり残念、今回他のタイトルも一緒に北米版を購入したがそちらは全く問題なかった、過去にも自分は国内版でも盤面に傷で返品をした事が有るのですが、全額返還されないのはおかしいと思う、アマゾンの対応に星１です

動物ハンティングゲームということでマニアックな部類のゲームなので一部の人間にしかうけないだろう。しかし、クオリティは高いです。広大なフィールドにきれいなグラフィック、リアルな動物達。昼と夜で雰囲気がガラッと変わるし、フィールドにいるだけでも癒されます。ハンティングについては、最初は難しく動物自体を発見するのも時間がかかることが多いと思います。しかし焦らず広大なフィールドを散策し、動物達のいる場所や時間帯が分かってくると遭遇率もグンと上がるし、ヘッドショットだけでなく、急所を狙わないと当てても逃げてしまい追跡が困難な場合もあったり、狙撃の仕方により貰えるテクニカルポイントも変わってきます。風向きなんかも動物を追跡するのにかなり重要。使用する弾丸でもダメージ具合が変化します。あとバギーもあります。テントもあり、夜なんかはテントで夜を明かしたりアジトにしたりかなり楽しいです。武器もライフル他、浪漫武器や弓があるので増えてくるとハマります。一人でまったりもいいし海外アカウントを作成してマルチプレイ〜8人でも遊べます。動物ネタに弱い人はつぼると思うしVCでほのぼのよいかと。戦争系FPSも良いですが、この渋いマタギ系FPSもまた違った競技性の刺激を味わえると思います。一緒にハンティングしましょう。日本のps4 で普通にできます。ただし全て英語で日本語は対応していませんが、なんとなくで出来ちゃうと思います。ちなみに自分はヘッドホンからゲーム音と別のオーディオの音を出力して自分好みのBGMを軽く流しながら適当に散策して発見したら狩る的な感じで楽しんでます。

DLCのMedved-Taigaマップを北米PSNで買ったのですが、ダウンロードが待機中のまま完了せず、結局新しいマップは遊べませんでした。ゲーム自体は、抜き足・差し足・忍び足・目配り・気配り・心配り でこれらが退屈でなければ、面白いです。