Deer Hunter Tournament Preview

PAX 2008 Preview

Deer Hunter: Tournament is the latest offering from the developers behind the Deer Hunter series. Offering players a chance to hunt several different species of animals throughout a huge world, Deer Hunter: Tournament is a game set to emulate the hunting experience as best as possible. Tournament also ups the ante for the franchise by allowing gamers to play in online tournaments, which is a nice touch.

The game will feature 1,000 acres of map to traverse, which is a lot of walking. Fortunately, you’ll have some means get around more than just your feet, as you’ll be able to travel either on horseback or an ATV as well. Each of these handled fairly well, and allowed you to get across the map quickly enough. They each had their own advantages, since the ATV is a bit faster than the horse, but will potentially scare away animals if you draw too closely.

As well as your two ways to travel, the game will give you plenty of ways to shoot your prey. You’ll have plenty of weapons from three main types (bow, rifle, and shotgun), which feature newer weaponry as well as older ones. You’ll also have a good amount of real world items to choose from, including a variety of baits, calls, and thermal goggles to help you attract and find animals to shoot.

Taking down animals also requires you to follow real-world laws. You are not allowed to shoot an animal in the water, nor can you kill anything that you don’t have a ticket for. Taking down your prey with a kill shot will result in a bullet-time event where the shot will hit your prey in slow motion, which is a nice touch.

The biggest new feature in Deer Hunter: Tournament is its namesake, the Tournament. The game will feature online tournaments with persistent rankings, allowing for several different hunters on the same stretch of land. While some tournaments will be held by the devs themselves, players can also create their own. Unfortunately, the online modes weren’t playable at this year’s PAX, but the concept certainly holds promise.

While Deer Hunter: Tournament certainly needs some work on its graphical engine, which at this point doesn’t seem very up to snuff, the online features should make this one worth a look for hunting fans. Look for it this October.

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