Atari was showing off a handful of games at E3 this year, one of which is a virtual outdoorsman’s (is that an oxymoron?) dream. Deer Hunter Tournament is the next in a long line of sport hunting titles, due to arrive on the Xbox 360 from SouthLogic Studios in the fall of 2008.
The biggest addition this time around is what gives the game its name — tournament servers. The developers have responded to past Deer Hunter message boards, on which players have been known to routinely set up competitions to bag the best of a certain animal in a specific area of the game. In Deer Hunter Tournament, this will be incorporated directly into the game.
Sponsored tournament servers are expected to be set up regularly throughout the game’s lifespan, each with specific goals and even real-life prizes like gift certificates and outdoorsy products for the winners. The Atari representative demonstrating the game said that there will be in-game ads attached to the tournament servers, as well.
Each time a player goes out for a hunt, the environment will be instanced. Nobody’s interested in hundreds of other people running around their hunting site while they’re trying to be sneaky with the wildlife, so that’s a definite plus for anyone who plans to participate.
When it comes to actual gameplay, players will have access to a handful of vehicles to get them closer to the animals and will be able to use different hunting strategies and pieces of equipment to improve their chances for success. Elk, moose, red stag, mule, deer, cape buffalo, caribou, cougar, wild boar, kudu, and grizzly bear will inevitably fall… in a bullet-time killshot cinematic.
Deer Hunter Tournament for the Xbox 360 will ship this fall for the reduced price of $39.99.
