Outlaws + A Handful of Missions (Classic, 1997)

One of the finest westerns around, that holds up to the test of time while catering to those who want a run and gun or a more careful playstyle. + “Where are you Marshal?” You’ll hear it and a lot of the other taunts plenty of times, but the delivery is tops, voice work is excellent and the music? It’s Ennio Morricone good. Gunfire sounds great too, excellent all around. + Looks really nice for its time. Stylized and smooth, things rotate to your perspective so you’re always facing them which feels good. Cut scenes, those are a treat. Reloading is also nice to look at, and just fanning the hammer has a satisfying look to it. + The gameplay, rock solid. The mainstay revolver feels good, rifle has a height drop off without the scope which lends to some interesting sniping and shotguns feel meaty. Another nice thing is the variety in weapons; multiple shotguns, good number of guns and other weaponry. + Story is simple; revenge. Well told, nice progression. + It’s got legs. DLC adds some stand-alone and bounties and while not story-heavy, it’s still pretty fun and in general more challenging than the main game. +/- The difficulty is… interesting. Good (Easy) is like Doom, running around and gunning everything down as an immortal. Bad (Normal), turns it into a tactical shooter, where a shotgun around a corner you can’t see can be a game over and being out in the open is a death sentence. The enemies are hitscan so it can seem a bit unfair at times. +/- Level designs range from good to bad. The Sawmill is hell itself while you get other maps like the Train that while cramped, are incredibly fun. And more wide-spaced ones, there’s something for everybody. Some of the DLC ones don’t always work but still nice overall. It’s not perfect but it’s still one amazing game, even if it’s your first time going through it. You can play it like Doom or a tactical shooter, some hidden rooms and easter eggs are around and enough action for a John Wayne movie.

From top to bottom : an excellent FPS. That's really about it : a combination of story telling and graphics by Lucas arts combined with the mechanics of the 90' FPS's. Regarding that, although the story is pretty simple and full of clichè, it's a perfect fit for the western setting of the game and the beautiful cutscene are stunning and filled with the loved Lucas style, while its gameplay is full of quality level design ( maybe a little convoluted, like the sawmill and the map8) and few but fun enemies and weapons to discover ( maybe a little bit full of shotguns variety). Plus, I particularly appreciated the reload system, quite special in comparison to its contemporary. Basically, to cut it short : a timeless masterpiece that, thanks to its evergreen gameplay and beautiful design, manages to still curve a little niche of fan base, still active today, and to be a refreshing experience to be played every once in a while and that still stands up today. So, Don't be stupid, Marshall!... are you going to really pass it one up?

Having this masterpiece available to the modern systems is truly a blessing, as a brazilian the only thing I can complain about is the missing epic brazilian portuguese audio that has accompanied all my childhood, that would make my experience truly complete.

Hello, Thanks, game is playing well on my 8.1 computer, although some dynamite is missing from some scenes. I can also save it in critical situations. Hanker' on!

Oh, man, do I love this game. Liked it as a kid, revered it more and more as the time passed. So what’s it all about? The authors took the concept “Every bullet counts” quite literally, so you may kill anyone in one or two shots. The problem and the main attraction is that they may kill you just like that too. You say you die too often playing on bad (i.e. normal)?! It better SHALL because it was designed to be that way. And what about weapons? It’s golden classic: knifes, revolver, rifle, single/double-barrel and sawed—off shotguns, dynamite and GATLING GUN. Though you wouldn’t use the last much cause it’s bolted to the floor and fixed cowboy is a dead cowboy. The music? It’s just godly, it’s this Sergio Leone style and you pass windy streets feeling like Clint Eastwood, enter saloons, banks and undertaker offices guns blazing like Clint Eastwood, stay in a passenger car with bullets flying all over the place and feel… Well, you got it, didn’t ya? The purpose of the game is simple: find three keys and kill Big Boss though usually you just kill everyone in the whole level as well. Just in case, ya know? Sometimes you have to jump or solve some puzzles, but it’s definitely not Tummy Rider or Freddy Forkass if I name these games correctly. Last thing to mention is this: mesmerizing cutscenes that justify third walkthrough of the game for me. Lucas Arts Magic, stylish, beautifully drawn, and intelligent… Man, do I love this game.