Call of the Wild
As games go, Hakuna Matata, also known as Afrika in Japan, is a curious beast that's hard to classify. Yes, it's the same title as that song in the Disney animated classic: The Lion King. Flashback: Pumbaa, the warthog sings Hakuna Matata, which means "no worries" in Swahili. Think of it as the safari version of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) - replace the guns and criminals of GTA with digital SLR cameras and animals that you're not far off the map. Hakuna Matata allows you to enjoy almost-photorealistic wildlife images just for the pleasure of it. Basically, you're a photojournalist - a National Geographic contributor of sorts - tasked to shoot pictures of the animals, from elephants to lions, roaming the African-landscape. This Japanese-language game is no walk in the park, though. You need Metal Gear Solid-styled sneak skills to hunt down the creatures and line them up within sight - without alerting them. Get spotted by your prey and you'll be trampled on within a few heartbeats if you don't hoof off in time. However, worry not. This is a kid-friendly game and nobody dies. That animal attack, though, might just wipe out all the shots you've spent an hour getting, driving you up the wall. The first few hours of the game feels like a guided safari tour. However, you will get the keys to the jeep eventually, so you can drive around the African grasslands and explore where the local party animals hang out. Oh, watch out for the Zebra crossings. The challenge level can be tough for non-photographers. Imperfections mean you cannot move on. Not only do you have to track and get close to shoot the specific shots that your "employers" demand (like a mugshot of a giraffe or a herd of elephants crossing a river), the shots have to be technically sound - in other words, in focus, well composed and correctly exposed. After all, your shots might make the cover of the National Geographic magazine. While the graphics, music and sound effects are pretty much par for the course for a PS3 game, the presentation is somewhat of a throwback to the PS2. No human voices create a strange aural vacuum, especially since voice acting is so common in games now. Also, there's too much waiting in between most menu changes. These bugbears are enough to take you out of Africa, so to speak. Overall, if you love wildlife photography, realistically portrayed animals and cannot afford a real safari tour but would like to experience one, you'll go wild over this game.
