Very disappointed in this game...
I bought this game after I played Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 on Xbox 360. I absolutely loved the game, and everything about it. Now, here I purchased this game that I had never played nor looked up the reviews on. Big mistake. I thought that if I loved BGH 2010, that any game in the Cabela's series would be great. Wrong. BGH 2010 is completely different than MDH 2009.
At first glance when I popped the disc into my drive, everything seemed fine. The menus were decent. Graphics were also decent. The upgrading system was a little clunky, and had me guessing when I started. But this is just the (stale) bread to this monstrosity of a (rotten) sandwich. When the game actually started, I didn't even notice when it switched from cutscene to the actual gameplay. Granted I was a little uneasy about the start-up, but no real biggie. It was much different than I had thought it would be. The game starts up having to shoot an animal to prevent it from killing you (or your buddy, can't remember which). When your first level of gameplay starts, you may be a little confused. I am used to COD controls, in which CBGH 2009 has not adapted to the "widely known" controller set-up. So I had a little trouble adapting. Still no real biggie.
Cabela's BGH 2009 uses a unique "sense" system, which allows you to see trails left behind by the animal that you're hunting. Only problem with this system is that you basically have to look straight down at the ground while in motion, which prevents you from seeing anything ahead of you at all. Basically blindsiding you and leaving you vulnerable to any oncoming attacks. Now if you have NEVER hunted in real-life, and you don't know names of animals or what they look like, then you will be extremely confused. The game starts off and tells you what you are hunting, but it doesn't show a a picture of what it is you're actually hunting. What I would have liked is to have all that information when you pull up the menu. But it didn't have it. I have never hunted in my life, nor do I plan to. So this really agitated me.
The first level I played was fun, for what it was worth, clunky controls aside once I got the hang of it. It wasn't until I got to the next level that I was really irked. You start off in a mountainous region and from time to time, you will be attacked from virtually every angle by wolves, with NO WAY to protect yourself. Literally. Instructions on this level are extremely bland, and will probably give up after searching the entire map and never being able to progress. I literally played this level for about an hour and a half with no progression. The map is horrible, and there are really no "checkpoints" nor are there any real goals to achieve here. Wander aimlessly toward the marker on the map, and when you get there, nothing happens. I gave up after playing this level, and never bothered to pick it up again.
Clunky controls, bad maps/markers, and awkward "sense" system. Gameplay is fun aside from the tracking bit. I would not recommend this game to anyone unless they enjoy being frustrated and have the money to buy a new TV after you throw your controller at it from not being able to progress.