Cendant Software and Simon and Schuster Interactive presents Deer Avenger, a hilarious new twist in a popular hunting game series where the hunter becomes the hunted. We are a little behind the curve in reviewing this one, but who knew this twist on hunting simulations would become so popular? According to Simon & Schuster Interactive, Deer Hunter 2 is in the works.
Bambo the deer has had enough of being harassed by his oppressors and decides to take matters into his own hands. Armed with an M-16 rifle, bazooka, and a nifty slingshot, Bambo sets out on his vengeful hunting spree, keeping only one objective in mind: The utter annihilation of any big belly, trash-talkin, beer guzzlin, venison eating hunter who’s unfortunate enough to venture into the firing range. As my friend Bambo would say, "Ittt’s Showtime."
There’s no doubt in my mind that any follower of the "Deer Hunter" series will get a kick out of this recent installment. The change of roles adds a whole new flavor to the game. Even if you’re not a big fan, this game will have you laughing your white tail off the entire time.
The graphics are pretty decent, leaving hardly any room for complaining. You’ll hunt in three virtual environments, from the trailer parks of West Virginia to the winter wonderlands of Minnesota. While all three areas seem to have the same background formats, each distinguishes itself from the others by the time of year, the type of tree growth in that area, and distant landscape features like mountains or treetops that reach the horizon. The detailing of the areas isn’t too much nor too little, which helps to keep nature the way it was intended to be.
Talk about sound and sound effects though, this game is loaded with them. There’s never a dull moment in the presence of Bambo. This deer has over a dozen original hunter calls that’ll have you laughing so hard, it’ll take your breath away. Some of his hilarious calls include, "Here, drunkee, drunkee, drunkee," or "Help, I’m naked and I have a pizza," which he imitates in a supermodel’s voice. And my personal favorite, "Viagra! Get your Viagra here!" cracks my sides every time. And of course, when wacky deer calls don’t seem to lure hunters out of hiding, you can get up wind and smoke ’em out with a nasty, rankin’ fart weapon. No nose is safe when Bambo lets one rip!
To make things even cooler, Deer Avenger is completely user friendly. The controls are quite simple and easy to pick up. With the click or roll of a mouse you can easily access options or rotate your line of sight. Perhaps the hardest thing to do is lock onto evading hunters and let them have it. But hey, with an unlimited supply of ammo, even the least skillful of shooters is bound to make one kill.
My only complaint with Deer Hunter is I wish there were more areas to hunt in and more weapons to choose from. Overall though, you have to give credit to Avenger for originality and a non-stop fun factor. This game will appeal to gamers of all ages and interests. If you’re looking for a good way to vent some frustration, and at the same time have a barrel of laughs, check this one out. It’s a real winner. I give this game 4 out of 5 possible GiN gems.