The locations did not really change much about how the game is played. The locations change things around a little bit, from the arrangement of the terrain to the type of deer that the player hunts (I didn't even know they really had deer in Australia). The player also has to choose from a modest number of scenic global hunting locations, anywhere from Oregon to Australia. It makes sense because using an infrared scope while luring the deer with hormone spray is much easier than trying to track one through the woods and shoot it with a bow and arrow. These choices will influence your score as the game reduces points awarded on kills where the hunter uses 'exotic' tools. Honestly, there are more choices than I had imagined would be incorporated into a game, and the list goes on. The player also has a few other options in terms of hunting stands, deer calls, and transportation. What is impressive is the ability to create your own weapons by adding skins and adjusting the weapon stats (accuracy, rate of fire, range etc.). The guns range from single shot muzzle loading rifles to bolt action rifles with special optic sights. Offering the hunter a choice of weapons is nothing new, and most of the weapons you will see here are standard. Deer Hunter 2005 stands out from the crowd, as it does everything a hunting fan could ask for from a game, and more.

That is to say that for a hunting game to really deliver, it only needs to supply the player with a simulation of hunting, and there is neither the need for complicated stories or unbelievable character designs, nor does it call for bosses or much of anything outside of woodlands and a few animals. Hunting games are in general pretty straightforward, and all they have to do is live up to their titles (it is really not hard to do).

Yet here I am in my virtual stand with my virtual rifle, killing virtual Bambi and completely enjoying it. To be perfectly honest, I probably would have never laid my fingers on this title if not for my current occupation because I never had the desire to hunt animals on my computer. A lot of people think of hunting as an exercise for those of the 'redneck' persuasion, and stay away from a game like Deer Hunter 2005 for that reason alone. Having been raised in the city and surrounded by computers and video games, I am a rare breed and have, in fact, gone hunting.

Hunting is a pastime for some, a hobby for others, and completely repulsive to even more.

Deer hunter 2005 full game