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This was released back in 2001 as an XBox exclusive but has now been converted to PC and comes with "Steam achievements", giving additional rewards for players who enjoy tests of skill and endurance. For example, players who catch all the bounties "alive" will receive an achievement award for doing so. This is an FPS/TPS shooter where you take on the role of 'The Stranger', a tough-as-nails bounty hunter who is part animal, part Clint Eastwood, who must somehow scrape together 20,000 'moolah' for a mysterious operation. The player has the option of switching from classic FPS action to a 3rd person mode that allows the player to run at high speeds and navigate more classic platform-inspired environments. The Stranger's weapon is a double-barrel crossbow, upon which the player can load up to 81 combinations of 'live ammo'. Literally, the ammo is alive, from the wise-cracking 'ChipPunk', to the explosive 'BoomBat'. These critters live in the wild, and can either be bought in bulk at centrally located stores run by the chicken-like 'Clakkerz' in town, or can be hunted in the wilds. Missions are selected by the player when they accept bounties at the 'Bounty Store'. To help steer them in the right direction, the Clakkerz that are walking around town will offer bits of sometimes helpful, but always sarcastic conversation when the player 'gamespeak's them. The goal of the game, for the most part, is to bag the bad guys and bring them in, collecting 'moolah' in the process. Along the way, the player will encounter a new race of desperate, dying, amphibious creatures known as 'Grubbs', who will reveal much about who Stranger really is and where his destiny must, inevitably, take him. This all comes after a rather substantial twist is revealed to the player, altering both the plot and play approach.
In Sep/2012 an HD version was released on Steam and buyers of the first version could download the update for free. In addition to the obvious boon of higher-resolution textures and character models built from more polygons, the HD release also includes 12 new Steamworks achievements that weren't in the original port, as well as new unlockable concept art and movie extras, additional difficulty levels, more Easter eggs and improved PC controls. |
