Deer Avenger Explained

Deer Avenger
Developer:Hypnotix
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Interactive
Series:Deer Avenger
Released:1998[1]
Platforms:Windows
Macintosh

Deer Avenger is a 1998 video game from Simon & Schuster Interactive. The game is a parody of the game Deer Hunter.[2]

Development

The game was announced in October 1998.[3] Deer Avenger was written by Brian McCann, staff writer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien a late-night talk show that airs on NBC.[2] [4]

Reception

Inside Mac Games gave the game a score of 4 out of 5, stating: "As with most games, if you dig hard enough there are cheats available on the web. I have not tried them yet but I am sure some of them will work on the Mac. Deer Avenger is not an essential buy, but one that if you know what to expect delivers what it promises.".

The game was the top-selling software title at Walmart.[5] as well as made the Top 10 game charts in the United States in late 1998.[6] It appeared at number 10 of PC Datas best-seller list for all of 1999 selling 343,756 units.[7]

Following the release of Deer Avenger in 1998, Simon & Schuster received email complaints from hunters. Walter Walker, a vice president for the company, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying "our first notion was to make these guys a gift of a dictionary, because not many of them can write."[8]

Sequels

The game received several sequels; , Deer Avenger 3D and Deer Avenger 4: The Rednecks Strike Back.

Deer Avenger 3D was released in 2000 for PC. A unreleased port of the game for the Sega Dreamcast was developed by Westlake Interactive in 2000, but went undiscovered until 2017 when a pre-production GD-ROM was found at the garage sale of a women's club in New Jersey.[9] Starting with Deer Avenger 3D, polygon characters are used.

In the fourth edition of the game, as Bubba, now an angel, floats to Heaven, he states will be back in Deer Avenger 5. However, a fifth game has yet to be made.

Deer Avenger: Stag Party is a box set containing the first two games in the series. Deer Avenger: Open Season is a compilation of the first three games in the series.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joel. Hulsey. Deer Avenger Arrives in November Combo. https://web.archive.org/web/20021201034358/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/023/deer.html. Computer Games Magazine. December 1, 2002. October 22, 1998. June 13, 2023.
  2. Web site: James. Fudge. Deer Avenger Available Nationwide. https://web.archive.org/web/20021201033756/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/035/deer_avenger.html. Computer Games Magazine. December 1, 2002. December 14, 1998. June 13, 2023.
  3. Web site: Hunters Beware!. https://web.archive.org/web/20231124105723/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/23/hunters-beware-2. IGN. November 24, 2023. October 23, 1998. June 13, 2023.
  4. Web site: Joseph. Gelmis. Coming Attractions. https://web.archive.org/web/20231124110343/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition/135680370/. Newsday. 131. November 24, 2023. November 11, 1998. November 24, 2023. Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Deer Avenger Scores Top Billing. https://web.archive.org/web/20001002042747/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_12/14_pc_deer/index.html. GameSpot. October 2, 2000. December 14, 1998. June 13, 2023.
  6. Web site: Jim. McClean. Getting hunters up and arms. https://web.archive.org/web/20231124111052/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer/135680453/. The Observer. 169. November 24, 2023. March 14, 1999. November 24, 2023. Newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: James. Fudge. PC Data Top Selling PC Games of 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/20021218111740/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/147/pc_data_1999.html. Computer Games Magazine. December 18, 2002. January 19, 2000. June 13, 2023.
  8. News: May 1999 . Upfront: Words Heard . Field & Stream . 18 . en.
  9. News: Charnock . Tom . May 14, 2017 . Unreleased Dreamcast Game Deer Avenger 3 Discovered . The Dreamcast Graveyard.