Good Deer Hunting simulation
This game is primarily a deer hunting simulation. The graphics are very good and it offers both first person and third person views. There are some vehicles which can be driven including a truck, ATV, two boats, and a snowmobile. There are some opportunities to hunt small game animals, big game animals, and fish. Every once in a while an animal will get "stuck" on a bush for instance, but this rarely happens. The game would be better if it would allow you to hunt the other animals in a similar fashion as you hunt deer. The sound effects are nicely done with different sounds for different surfaces that are walked upon. There are bridges, rivers, and lakes in the game.
The game is fairly easy to control. You can reload a weapon and use medical kits to heal yourself. It is a bit difficult starting out because your statistics aren't too high and your weapons aren't too good yet. More items become available to buy at the store as the game progresses. Time passes pretty slowly compared to many of the other games in Cabela's series. There seems to be no darkness in this game and it rarely rains and thunders. There is an option to turn on/off for autoclaiming trophies so you don't have to walk over to the animal. A trophy building is available and gets filled as you progress through the game. X-ray vision becomes available eventually. There are some things which are optional during hunts such as searching for a downed plane or searching for poachers. The statistics in the game are accuracy, strength, stealth, resilience, tracking and reputation points. There are three difficulty levels. There are three types of things that you can do, namely Hunts, Missions, and Contests. In addition there is a Target Range. Saving the game is possible. There are several scopes available for rifles and handguns. A Mini Map is visible on the screen which has different colored dots for the different animals in the area. Stands are available to buy and some already exist that you find and can use. In addition there is a map, deer locator, GPS, snowshoes, binoculars, spotting scope, laser rangefinder, blinds, scent cover, lures, feeders, mineral lick, rattling antlers, grunt call, bleat call, rubber grunt call, deer decoys, tents, dehydrated food packs, hydration bladders, and many coats some of which are camoflage and others which are orange. There are 12 areas in the game each of which have two seasons. A typical goal in one area/season is to shoot one buck and one doe of a particular deer species. Not all areas are accessible in the beginning. Most are locked and only become available when you "clear" areas by hunting deer. The areas are Pennsylavania, Utah, Washington State, Michigan, Alaska, Nevada, Maryland, Texas, Saskatchewan, Mexico, and New Zealand.
The deer in the game are White-Tailed Deer, Desert Mule-Deer, Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Red Deer, Sika Deer, Fallow Deer, Axis Deer, Sitka Black-Tailed Deer, and Coues Deer. The other animals you will see, but have limited opportunities to hunt. The Big Game include Rocky Mountain Elk, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Eastern Timber Wolf, Brown Bear, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Javelina, Northwestern Moose, Pronghorn Antelope, and Roosevelt Elk. The Small Game are fox, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, lynx, grey squirrel, jackrabbit, beaver, cottontail rabbit, weasel, and coyote. The Fish are walleye, rainbow trout, silver salmon, muskie, arctic grayling, crappie, striped bass, northern pike, largemouth bass, and brown trout. The weapons include .357 Magnum Double Action Revolver, .500 Magnum Pistol, Recurve Bow, Compound Bow, TC Omega Muzzleloader, 12-Gauge Autoloader Shotgun, 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun, 12-Gauge Over and Under Shotgun, .22 LR Semi-Automatic Rifle, .22-250 Bolt-Action Rifle, .243 Sem-Automatic Rifle, .270 Bolt-Action Rifle, .280 Pump-Action Rifle, .30-30 Lever Action Rifle, .30-06 Bolt-Action Rifle, .308 Bolt-Action Rifle, .308 Semi-Automatic Rifle, 7mm Magnum Semi-Automatic Rifle, and .338 Magnum Rifle.
The game offers the user the ability to reconfigure the controls, sound, and video. Resolutions for very high to low are available and it makes use of a 3D video card. You have an unlimited supply of ammunition, but must reload.
Things that would enhance this series include different animals around the world, different areas around the world, and hunting birds. The scenery is probably the best thing about this game.
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