Billed as the most realistic hunting game online, the Hunter is now open to all, and free-to-play.  Developed by award winning Avalanche Studios (of Just Cause fame), the free-to-play title features a stunning world fit for a hunting paradise.  The gamescape is fully stocked with highly realistic small game and birds right on through to championship winning bear, deer, and elk.

So fill your flask and get prepped and ready for the hunt, as the Evergreen Hunting Reserve is now open to all.  Players start out with a rifle, some appropriate (read green) clothing, and unlimited ammo.  Upon entering the reserve you’re licensed to hunt down Mule deer right off the bat.  Players may want to explore Whitehart Island for a bit to get a hang of the game tracking system. i.e. learn the forest trails and some of the best places to hunt.

The Hunter is free-to-play, but offers a membership upgrade.  Upgraded members have access to three firearms, unlimited ammo for those weapons, and three animal hunting licenses.  But I’ve already got a gun and unlimited ammo, what do I need a membership for?  To get right to the point: the game is actually that good.  Trying to hunt turkey without a shotgun is like trying to spear fish with a fork.  It can be done, but with great difficulty.  The Hunter is so well programmed that gun selection really does matter.  In addition, membership has it’s privileges; members have access to unique animal specialists that can give you some hunting tips and pointers as well as set up personalized challenges for you.

But The Hunter isn’t just all about the hunt; there’s a ton of social networking features already built in that will allow you to share your experiences.

Hunters may interact via the web interface with thousands of other Hunters out on the prowl.  Hunters may form groups, create rivalries, make new friends, and take part in competitions and tournaments again others, or work together to complete truly difficult challenges.  Each player has their own unique nickname, which corresponds to their personalized homepage where they can post journal (blog) entries, photos, and videos of their latest trophies, as well as comment on others’.  Through meeting other in-game hunters, players can converse, pick up hunting tips, learn about hidden stores where they can acquire new hunting kits, and perhaps most importantly, find out who they need to befriend in order to unlock new missions and items.  Naturally, The Hunter portal offers a local, national, and global leader board where players can see if their skills are up to par.

The Hunter also goes beyond it’s own front door, and offers links to Facebook and other social networks as well as RSS feeds and mobile messaging to keep players up to date on hunting news and friends’ progress.

Publishers Emote Games Ltd. do note that they are currently experiencing a landslide of activity out on the Reserve, and have already reached server capacity on multiple occasions.  They know….and they’re working on it.  Please be patient.  On a personal note, I’ve yet to experience any lag or refusal of connection, so perhaps it’s already sorted?

Perhaps one of the most unique free-to-plays I’ve yet to experience, give The Hunter a try for yourself at thehunter.com.