Outlaws

"Not bad for an old-fashioned first-person shooter..."

So your a cowboy whose child has been kidnapped...what do you do? Complain to the local sheriff? No, too straight-forward. Stage a hunger strike? No, too passive. I know! Go on a murderous rampage in order to get your kid back!

Following in the plot heavy tradition of DOOM and QUAKE, OUTLAWS is a good excuse to get a collection of weapons together in order to have some unnecessary, yet wholly enjoyable, violence. OUTLAWS is basically just another clone of the first-person shooters which preceded it. The only twist to it is that instead of being a marine going up against a seemingly endless horde of demons, you're a cowboy going up against a seemingly endless horde of outlaws. As first-person shooters tend, OUTLAWS does tend to get repetitive after the first few levels, but as far as first-person shooters go, it's fun while it lasts. Mind you, it's no Half-life, but you have to give this game the benefit of the doubt. I mean it came out in 1997, a LONG time ago to say the least.

So, for a game for a genre, namely FPS, that usually relies heavily on graphics, OUTLAWS is actually a rather enjoyable game. The main storyline, as mentioned in the first paragraph, is that of a cowboy who goes out to get his kidnapped daughter back from a gang of OUTLAWS. Mind you, plot is not what moves this game; however, compared with most first-person shooters, this game is The Great Gatsby plot-wise.

Sounds? You ask about sounds? The sounds in OUTLAWS are all fitting and atmosphere forming. The click of the bullet being placed into the chamber. The blast of a shotgun going off. The taunts of a cowboy, calling out to you to show yourself. All of the sounds are very nice, especially considering the games age. As for the music: it's probably the high point of the game. The music isn't the kind you'd listen to in your car (probably) but it is the exact kind of music you'd hear in a spaghetti Western.

And that is exactly what this is. Just like The Outlaw Josie Wales, just like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, this game is not about emotional depth or engaging storyline, this game is about the good cowboy (the one without the moustache) triumphing over the bad cowboy (the one with facial hair) and a bunch of good gun battles in-between. I like this game. I don't love it, but I do like it. Sergio Leone would be proud.

In conclusion:

Graphics: 5/10
The graphics aren't good. But hey, I'm spoiled. I've played Max Payne and Nocturne.

Sounds: 10/10
All the sounds add to the atmosphere. They don't distract you, and that's exactly how it should be.

Music: 10/10
Great spaghetti western music.

Storyline: 5/10
Nothing earth-shattering, but better than most FPS. Basically, ''There are zombies in the military base! What should we do? Hey, I've got a pump-action shotgun'' vs. ''You've got my daughter and you're gonna pay!''

Controls: 9/10
Nothing really bothers me about the controls using a keyboard and mouse. So, I guess they must be pretty good.

Replayability: 4/10
One ending, one game path. But it is fun to go back and shoot cowboys every now and then.

Gameplay: 8/10
It's not Half-life, but it's still a fun, attention diverting game.

Overall: 8/10
A good game to grab if you can find it. Plus, due to it's age, it'll probably only set you back ten or fifteen bucks. Not bad overall.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/02, Updated 08/19/02