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BIRD HUNTER: UPLAND EDITION
Manufacturer: Sunstorm/GT Interactive (1999)
Genre: Upland game bird hunting simulation
System Requirements: Win95/98, Pentium 166 or
faster, 16 MB RAM, Mouse, CD-ROM, Sound Card, Direct X, 40 MB HDD space, 3D accelerator
card.
Bird Hunter: Upland Edition is Sunstorm's latest hunting sim to hit the market. Unlike their last two hits: Deer Hunter II and Grand Slam Turkey Hunt, Upland uses a completely new 3D engine (yes, no Deer Hunter II graphics engine here). Gone are the days of dropping framerates and annoying pauses as the game swaps files al la Deer Hunter II/Grand Slam Turkey. Upland offers eye-popping 3D graphics with excellent framerate (I only hope that the Deer Hunter II Expansion takes advantage of this new technology). That alone would make this game a winner. But of course Sunstorm didn't stop there and ended up developing the ULTIMATE game bird hunting sim ever!
Upland offers the standard variety of hunting grounds and game birds: woodcock, pheasant, grouse, bobwhite. The 12 hunting grounds represent different seasons in four separate locations across the U.S. (Texas, North Dakota, Minnesota and Maine) complete with weather effects- similar to what Sunstorm did for Deer Hunter II and Grand Slam Turkey. Sunstorm holds to it's successful formula of making available just about every hunting tool one would ever need (or think of): shotgun chokes, variety of ammo, GPS and firearms. This time Sunstorm teamed up with Federal (the ammunition manufacturer) in order to give players brand name ammo to play with in the game- not to mention accurate ballistics (via Federal). Yep, the same Federal ammo one uses in the field can be found in the game with variety. So far it's everything the cyber-hunter has become accustom to with a Sunstorm hunting sim.
Now the fun stuff! Along with the abundance of weapons, gear, hunting grounds and variety of game bird- there is now cyber-hunting dog! Yes, an actual 3D representation of your favorite bird dog (German Shorthaired Pointer, Lab or Vizsla) to be your faithful (and effective) hunting companion. The dog actually follows the hunter's in-game commands, romping about the hunting ground until it points/flushes birds. The dog will even retrieve downed birds and bring 'em to the happy hunter! What more could you ask for in a trusty canine? Again, the 3D animation and graphics are excellent!
Graphically, Upland is a winner. I found very little to frown at graphically- everything looks crisp and I NEVER experienced a drop in framerate or game speed at the highest settings. The terrain is easily the best renderings I've seen! Gameplay is pretty much what one would expect with a Sunstorm hunting product- great! The hunting screen is set up similar to Deer Hunter II/Grand Slam Turkey with everything a mouse click away. Unless you own a copy of Wizard Works Sporting Clays, I recommend spending some time at the target range. It does take a little practice to effectively lead a target so the trap shooting aspects of the range will help one learn that trick.
Sunstorm has done it again! Look no further
than Bird Hunter: Upland Edition for the ultimate in bird hunting on the PC. I can't wait
to see what else these guys have in store for everyone in 1999.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
THE PROS:
First true 3D upland game bird hunting sim-
and a winner right off!
Unbelievable graphics and gameplay.
Bird AI is very good- tendencies differ depending on what time of the season.
Awesome selection of weapons and hunting gear.
Cyber-hunting dog is excellent.
THE CONS:
Nada, nothing, zilch! Enjoy this gem.
Reviewed by Steven Ellis