deer-hunter-tournament posts

Fall has arrived but don't let the leaves turning, the economy busting and the candidates feuding get you down. Big Download has been working hard to give its readers the best in PC game related news, features and downloads. Let's look at the highlights for the first week of autumn 2008.

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: We give our verdict for the recent release of Introversion Software's multiplayer strategy game Multiwinia
• Previews: We go hands-on with Atari's upcoming revival, Deer Hunter Tournament.
• Black Ops PC Games: What major PC games are being developed that you might not know anything about? This feature article has the word on the super-secret games under development.
• Resurgence of Yesteryear: Classic PC games can be revived but which ones should get new versions using their original graphics and technology? We pick 10 PC games that we want to see come back in their original form.
• Big Iron: Our regular PC hardware column comes back with a look at how a recent message board discussion over FIFA 09 generated a look at console vs PC hardware.
• Boot Disk: Our new column on retro PC gaming takes a look at the classic adventure title Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father
• Mac Monday: Our look at the world of Macintosh gaming continues with examining the unusual action game Miriel the Magical Merchant.
• MODmonday: Our weekly mod feature continues to look at Max Payne mods; this time its a Max Payne 2 total conversion called Sketchbook Sam that turns the game into a 2D stick figure.
• Indie Showcase: Our weekly look at indie games continues with a look at titles from the recent Bootleg Demakes competition.
• Big Ideas: Our weekly look at the "big" game themes goes over a recent Gamasutra article about game journalism
• Alt-Tab: Our weekly op-ed talks about how "casual" gaming doesn't have to mean "simple"
• Freeware Friday: It's our weekly look at free games; this time around its for the action-adventure Eternal Daughter
• BigCast: Our weekly podcast is a special one as we chat with members of Mythic Entertainment to find out what's happening with Warhammer Online after its launch last week.

Karelia, Finland's dawn air was crisp, and its icy mists were tinged with just a hint of gold from the sun peaking over the horizon. The earth was blanketed in freshly fallen snow, and a slight breeze caused the pine trees bordering a frozen stream to shiver, their rustling branches sending white crystals plopping to the ground. It was the perfect morning to live in peaceful co-existence with all other creatures upon the earth, to curl up near a fire burning in the hearth of the cabin near the lake and read a book.

But this is Deer Hunter Tournament, and in that context, either of those activities would have proven quite boring. For those to answer the call of the wild with a hail of lead, it was the perfect day for a hunt.

Donnie Clay crawled as quietly as possible through thick lines of vegetation. He paused as his head broke free of the brush. In front of him was a jumble of hoof tracks that criss-crossed in every direction. Smiling, Donnie pressed a button on his Xbox 360 controller. "There's a tracking system in Deer Hunter Tournament," he said. "If you find deer tracks and aren't quite sure what they are, you can press a button which will orient you to the track."

Now set on the proper course, the producer of publisher Atari's Deer Hunter Tournament rose to his feet and continued to creep quietly forward. His high-caliber rifle, gripped in gloved fists, was equipped with a thermal scope.

A tracking system, and a scope capable of reading heat temperatures? Yes, Bambi appeared to be doomed -- so long as Donnie was able to claim him faster than legions of other eager hunters.

In 1997, value-priced game publisher WizardWorks (a division of Infogrames) decided to launch Deer Hunter for the PC. Developed by Sunstorm Interactive, the game was relatively simple; you shot deer while staying hidden and that was basically it. Despite poor reviews Deer Hunter became a surprise sales hit (especially at Wal-Mart stores) and spawned several expansion packs and sequels along with a ton of imitators from rival publishers.

It's been a few years since the last Deer Hunter game; Infogrames shut down WizardWorks and Sunstorm itself closed shop in 2003. Now Infogrames' Atari division has announced plans to revive the franchise in a new title called Deer Hunter Tournament. Like previous entries this will once again be a value-priced title at $19.95 but promises to be far more complex than earlier games in the series. The press release promises online tournaments with other gamers and more weapons and items at the hunter's disposal. There's also outside threats to the hunters as well; they will have to be careful to avoid animals like bears and mountain lions who might attack them. Look for Stephen Colbert to go all Jack Thompson on Deer Hunter Tournament when he finds out about it.