Jason and I were talking the other night about various console games, and we decided suddenly to buy a Gamecube. And six games. I haven't made my way through them yet. I've only tried a little of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, but I spent a lot of time on Hunter: the Reckoning, one of the two games for which I wanted an Xbox (the other being, of course, Buffy).

"Hunter" is based on the White Wolf pen-and-paper role playing game of the same name. I enjoy a good hack'n'slash video game, and Hunter certainly doesn't fail there. Hordes of zombies, gargoyles, and other unidentifiable undead come relentlessly. It's grand fun for up to four players.
It's a bit different from the normal hack'n'slash in that you can choose one of four "Creeds" (no, not that one), or character archetypes, that has a distinct role, with appropriate "Edges" ('supernatural' abilities, though if you're familar with the RPG you'll now why "supernatural" isn't right) to fulfill that role. Edges aren't your only weapon/defense though. Each character starts with a melee weapon (sword, axe, knives) and a ranged weapon (mostly firearms, but one has a crossbow), and there's also a variety of weapons you can pick up along the way, from shotguns to chainsaws.

The first night we played, we were up well past sunrise. It's a kick ass game, everything I'd hoped it'd be, and well worth the cash if you like that sort of game. It stays mostly true to the game on which it's based, and has a decent storyline to follow. It can be tough too. Jason and I together only made it through a few chapters (the toughest part we played so far was the part where you have to keep the little girl alive as you escort her through the cemetary to a church where her parents wait. The girl is stupid and slow. She runs for the nearest player instead of the one safest, that is, the one who's not actively engaged in serious smackdown with some walking dead. I wanted to let her die, but you can't continue without protecting her, and since I was playing the Creed: Defender, it was kind of my job to hold her hand throughout). If we restart, without the learning curve, we'd do much better and get to see much more of it. If we could get a couple of other people to play with us to fill out the party, I've no doubt that we'd own those zombie hordes.


Now that Hunter is out of the way, I wanted to add that Jason (who works evenings) has me doing the same thing for him. I'm turning on the stupid lighthouse at 6pm.