Hack, slash and bash, 4-player action has just been taken to the next level. The full scoop on Interplay's latest hit.

Playing Hunter the Reckoning is like watching one of those great mid 70s and 80s horror flicks on Saturday night. The plot is irrelevant, all that matters is that you have a whole bunch of bad monsters and goblins to shoot or slash your way through before the ending credits. Interplay is known for their unusual characters when it comes to video games. Old school players may remember Loaded for the original Playstation which featured game play much like Hunter. If you are a fan of the old school arcade hits like Smash TV and Gauntlet then you will feel right at home with Hunter The Reckoning.

The graphics as you can see from the screenshots are excellent and give the Xbox a good work out with all of the onscreen characters as well as the lighting and fog effects present. The game does a great job of capturing the feel of a horror flick thanks to the unrelenting onslaught of zombie after zombie as they pop up to get a late night snack.(namely you). One of the most impressive aspects of this game is that even with a large amount of on-screen characters the game doesn't slow down one iota. The details of the 4 main playable characters are also done very well featuring many intricacies and details that other systems would be hard pressed to achieve. The backgrounds are dark but you still can see the amount of detail that we have come to know and expect from a Xbox game.

Sound plays a huge factor in the enjoyment of this game, with a nice sound system it will drag you into the experience as you hear the sounds of the enemies completely surrounding you as you hack and slash off an arm one of the zombies. The music and voice acting isn't trite or overdone which considering the style of the game is trying to capture would be very easy to do. Another cool aspect that is worth mentioning is that the music changes based on what is happening on the screen which again adds to the over all mood of the game.

Players can choose between four characters. The Avenger who looks like he could be a stand in for a Prison TV show. The Defender is a hot babe who can rejuvenate and has a long katana ready to slice open some zombie innards. The Martyr is an Asian chick with twin pistols who can walk circles around the undead. And finally you have the Judge who is a cross bow wielding priest.

The controls feature a high level of intuitiveness and perform very nicely especially when the action gets more and more heated. You move the character with the left control stick and aim with the right thumb stick. To walk backwards you press the left thumb stick in any direction while pressing the right thumb stick in the opposite direction. To strafe you press the left thumb stick in any direction while pressing the right thumb stick at a 90-degree angle from the left thumb stick. To jump you press the left trigger and to roll you press the left trigger while strafing. The X button cycles through the basic weapons and B cycles through the special weapons. Y scrolls through each warrior's special magic power called an edge and to activate that power or switch weapons you can press the A button or the right trigger. To attack you press the right trigger. The A button also is used as the action button and to reload the current weapon you are using. These are just the basics, but with the different amount of combos that each of the 4 characters possess will keep players busy as they try to complete the games.

The four characters you can choose from each have their own unique abilities and skills, which you can use to play through the game. The game feels entirely different when you have other players playing along with you. This game is one of the best multiplayer games released this year for the Xbox. The single player mode on the other hand does leave something to be desired . When you're by yourself the game is somewhat boring as you kill zombie after zombie.

Mike Regan
Often is mistaken for a stand in on a prison TV show.

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