Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Arcade-like hunting game is best played with a friend.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
Loosely based on the arcade hunting game, Big Buck Hunter, Mastiff's DEER DRIVE for the Wii is a fast-paced, pick-up-and-play hunting experience that challenges players to bag deer, grizzly bear, moose, rabbits, and other creatures in the wild. Be sure to avoid shooting the doe (female deer) or else you'll be penalized with a score drop.
If desired, you can hunt prey by yourself and attempt to rack up as many kills as possible within a certain time limit (with varying weather and terrain as you progress through stages), but Deer Drive supports up to four gamers in a number of multiplayer modes such as Versus (where two players compete simultaneously; the player with the best score after three rounds wins) or Hunting Party (where 2 to 4 players compete by taking turns with the controls).
Is It Any Good?
While the game lacks the excitement of a slower-paced authentic hunting simulation, it's a decent multiplayer game for casual players looking for a quick hunting fix. Deer Drive is by no means a groundbreaking title but serves its purpose of an easy-to-pick up, fast-paced hunting game to test your hand-eye coordination in the wild, with a friend. The Wii's motion-sensing and wireless controls work well to aim, fire, and reload, plus gamers can use the optional $25 Wii Zapper accessory to hold the Wii Remote more like a hunting rifle.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Deer Drive should be an authentic simulation like the once-popular Cabela hunting titles or does this work as a more fast-paced arcade game? Does it do anything to honor the real pastime of hunting or is this a shameless shoot-em-up with animals?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo Wii
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Mastiff
- Release date : December 24, 2008
- Genre : Arcade
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 25, 2016
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