Hunting online

If you’re a hunter who likes to get a little off-season action playing hunting video games—or if you’re just a fan of hunting video games—you may be interested in checking out the new free online game “The Hunter.” Launched earlier this year, “The Hunter” promises realistic hunting action for small and big game, as well as a social-networking function that allows you to meet other gamers to compare virtual and real trophies. While I haven’t had a chance to play the game—it’s only available for PCs, and I work and play on a Mac—by and large, the reviews from respected gaming media are very positive, particularly in terms of the game’s stunningly beautiful graphics and its promise of “realistic hunting action.” Writes Will Herring for GamePro:

“You begin your adventure by selecting your weapons, ammunition, lures — even canned smoke so you can tell which way the wind’s blowing. After selecting a drop-point, the game is pretty much your oyster. Flexible to all styles of hunting, you can spend hours tracking animal droppings and noises, or lay low and try to lure animals to your location — it’s all up to you. The feeling of successfully tracking my first deer, even if it was about 3 AM in the morning, was fantastic; hours of watching for buck tracks, using my HuntersMate GPS system to analyze and locate the creature’s last known location… when I finally came eye to eye with the beast, it was simply fantastic, and a genuine experience that I haven’t felt in a game of any genre for quite some time.”

And says Michael Grimm for GamesRadar:

“The Hunter aims for realism, and any trigger happy twitch FPSer that plans on racking up monster kills with a rocket launcher is going to go home empty handed. The bulk of the game is spent running around the reserve on your own, looking for clues as the player slowly narrows down the search radius. Given how elusive the animals are in the game, it’s a pretty big deal once you actually spot one, and the level of tension once it’s in the sights is huge. Knowing that an hour of tracking and creeping around through the bush all rests on one shot is incredibly nerve wracking but rewarding.”

Sounds like “The Hunter” is indeed fairly realistic. And it just might tide you over until you can hit the field for real.