Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt lets you shoot animals

5:00 AM on 02.28.2010   |   Ben Perlee

49 comments

Hey guys, is this a preview for Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt? Yep, it's a preview for Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt, and I'll be real with you: I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be previewing Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt.

But you know what? Here I am previewing Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt. And where are you? That's right, reading my preview of Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt.

PLEASE READ MY PREVIEW OF BASS PRO SHOPS: THE HUNT.

Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt (Xbox 360, Wii, PC)
Developer: Piranha Games
Publisher: Griffin International/XS Games
To be released: June 2010

K, thanks for going after the jump. Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt is not a fishing game. NooooOOOOoooo. I thought it would be a fishing game, considering it is called BASS PRO SHOPS: THE HUNT. I thought it would be a hunting game for...trout....at a fish store. Or whatever. Instead it's a hunting game on the Wii, PC and Xbox 360 where you shoot deer, bears and pigs. Who is this game made for? I'll be mean and say white trash who do their Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart in June, which is perfect because that's when Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt comes out. WOOOOOOOOO.

So hunting. Yeah. You know, people don't really know this, considering I'm known for an affection for chickens and pretentious music, but I'm actually from a family of hunters. My dad has a ton of guns, and I've been  up in the hills of Northern California a couple of times, so I'm obviously an expert on these games. I'VE SHOT TARGETS, YOU KNOW. The Wii version looks to be a flagship version of Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt. Why would the Wii version be the flagship version of Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt? Because the Wii version has GUNS. Or at least a plastic rifle shell for a Wiimote to rival the Wii Zapper for inane “wait-that's-a-gun?” plastic design.

As far as plastic gun shells go, it honestly looks like something Nintendo would design, so it's really not bad. White and plasticy and shiny and all that jazz. The 360 doesn't get a gun because Microsoft actually doesn't allow there to be plastic guns on the 360...at all. So instead we get better graphics and analog controls. Oh, and DLC and leaderboards. Uh, kewl.

So gameplay. Yeah. You are a hunter in a wilderness of ten pretty large hunting grounds, and you have tags and stuff. You get to shoot certain types of animals, such as bucks, bears, bunnies, and all that. If you shoot a pregnant doe, you get in trouble. If you shoot mama bear, you get in trouble. If you kill the King of Bucks, you get patted on the back. You have to do QTE to use the doe call for bucks, and you have to use anti-stink to make the animals not smell you. Then, just like in real life, you wander greyish yellow hills in pursuit of these animals. WHEN YOU SHOOT THEM IN THE HEART, YOU GET A SPECIAL CAM SHOWING THE CARNAGE. EVEN THE MAMAS.

That's mainly the career mode. It's all in FPS mode, and it looks fine for people accustomed to buying budget hunting titles. The sounds are probably the nicest thing about this game, with clucking birdies and stuff, for even on the 360, the textures were bland and boring. Meh.

Oh, not to forget, there are some multiplayer arcade modes. One was where you get to use a shotgun and shoot ducks flying overhead. Damn ducks. You can also shoot targets, have ATV races, something called Forest Frenzy and  Blind Fire. The most interesting mode was a hoard mode where rabbits and deer would go bouncing by, and you would have to shoot them, otherwise the blind you were in would get damaged. JK! They would just get shot. It's the bears and the pigs that come running straight at you that would destroy the blind, then they try to kill you. BASS PROS SHOPS: THE HUNT CAN KILL YOU.

Anyway, that's my hands-on with Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt. It's a hunting game. You shoot animals. If you like that, you would probably like this. Prices are budget ($49.99 for Wii, $39.99 for 360), and I would recommend the Wii version, because you get a “gun” and “guns” are awesome.