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GRAND SLAM TURKEY HUNT
Manufacturer: Sunstorm/GT Interactive (1999)
Genre: Wild turkey hunting simulation
System Requirements: Win95/98, Pentium 133 (P200+
recommended), 16 MB RAM, 40 MB HD space, PCI video, Direct X compatible 3D accelerator
card (recommended, but not required).
Grand Slam Turkey Hunt is the latest hunting sim from the "hunting sim factory" at Sunstorm (the folks who have brought us Deer Hunter, Rocky Mt. Trophy Hunter and Upland Game Bird). While some may consider this to be "Wild Turkey Hunt 2" (a turkey hunting sim released by ValuSoft about the same time as the original Deer Hunter), Grand Slam Turkey Hunt is anything but a sequel. This is the turkey hunting sim we have been waiting for!
Grand Slam uses the improved Deer Hunter 2 engine- meaning many of the hiccups found in the original (i.e. pre-patched) version of Deer Hunter 2 are pretty well cleaned up. If you have Deer Hunter 2 you'll find the layout for Grand Slam Turkey to be almost identical when it comes to menus, interfaces and feel of hunting. This is both good and bad, much like it's predecessor Deer Hunter 2.
This turkey hunting sim offers more hunting opportunity per megabyte of hard drive space than any other bird hunting sim. You have 12 regional hunting areas (from wintry Idaho, to Texas, Florida and Indiana) where one can track down Eastern, Merriam's, Rio Grande and Osceola species of Wild Turkey. The terrain and weather effects look identical to what you'll find in Deer Hunter 2. Not only will you find toms but hens as well- all following very realistic seasonal patterns and habits. Oh yeah, these birds are just as spooky as in real life. With excellent hearing and eyesight one has to be very patient and very careful to lure a tom into range. Turkey can also be tracked in the fully 3D environment by following tracks, scratches and droppings.
The equipment found in the game is comprehensive: everything from owl calls, slate calls, diaphram call to blinds and a selection of shotgun chokes. A nice feature is the rangefinder binoculars which not only magnify but also display range to a specific object. Weapons include various shotguns, compound bow and crossbow. You really have everything to enjoy a successful hunt- if the turkey comply!
The overall graphical effect is straight from Deer Hunter 2, so if you've seen that- you've seen Grand Slam Turkey! However, the actual turkey tom/hen graphics and animation are great! Grand Slam is a good looking game to say the least.
The only real drawback is the one found in Deer Hunter 2: realism. Without a doubt this is very realistic- maybe too realistic. Like Deer Hunter 2, Grand Slam Turkey borders on frustration at times. It drives me crazy to hike all over the map, locate signs and call only to have the birds hang just outside of shotgun range (then bolt when I attempt to creep close enough for a shot)! But that's hunting! Maybe a arcade setting (or even a difficulty level feature) would be an idea for future releases.
Grand Slam Turkey Hunt is an excellent product- and one of the toughest hunts you'll find! I highly recommend it. Once again, another winner by Sunstorm!
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
THE PROS:
Excellent graphics! Uses the
Deer Hunter 2 engine- and it works.
Excellent selection of gear and weapons.
About as realistic a turkey hunting experience ever for the PC.
Good selection of hunting grounds.
THE CONS:
Some hesitation during
gameplay- just like Deer Hunter 2.
Just as frustrating as Deer Hunter 2. Maybe too realistic?
Review by Steven Ellis