Before getting into the thick of Wii Big Game Hunter, it is important to point out one thing: Realism did not carry over from Wii Cabelas North American Adventures. The rest of the fans of the series who do not mind will still get a fully featured game in Big Game Hunter 2012 with Top Shot Elite. You take on the role of John Sharp, a man who is very well known for his experience in the world of hunting, and the in-game group, the Order of the Onion, wants him to join their ranks for a few simple objectives.
The story requires Sharp to travel around the world to five different places, primarily occurring within the United States: Alaska, Texas, Mexico, Montana and finally Namibia. Though this game is not based in realism, the rendition of the graphics are surprisingly resplendent, appropriately representing the different locations of the world. In each location, you must hunt three different types of game, and you can earn medals for your accomplishments, with the top medal being the gold medal.
The gameplay itself is actually different than the other standard fare of hunting games, which in itself is not a great thing. However, there are some variations that make everything okay again, including the Top Shot Elite add-on, adding back some of the realism. For example, hunting some of your game will actually require you to be stealthy, sneaking up on the animal you intend to take down. Additionally, in between the hunting areas, you can find birds and smaller game to hunt, adding more points to assist you in your quest to achieve the top gold medal.
Overall, even though it seems that Cabela’s Big Game Hunter was not completely what the fans may have expected, but personally, I do not think that makes this a necessarily bad game. After all, the arcade feel that Cabela offers in this game is generally good fun, especially for those Sharp Shooters out there! Despite being light in terms of realistic gameplay, it is still pretty heavy on the fun. If you are a real-life hunter, you may not necessarily enjoy the game, but if you enjoy on-rails shooters like Umbrella Chronicles — also on the Wii — you will enjoy the style here. This game did well to serve my hunting needs this year, but I will be looking forward to a much more realistic approach next season.