Yee-haw!
The Old West is a game which hasn't been used by games developers all that often, with titles such as Gun Fight, Mad Dog McCree and Outlaws springing most obviously to mind. This game is most similar to this latter title but unfortunately offers little in the way of interest beyond its underused theme. Western Outlaw is basically a first person shooter, similar to Doom or Wolfenstein 3D and finds the player in the role of a classic stranger-style outlaw, who finds himself caught up in a gunslinging adventure that requires the rescuing of a damsel in distress from a mustache-twirling villain. What follows is a very linear shooter which involves exploring lots of Western-themed environments while blasting down bad guys. The game starts out with a classic train robbery to set the theme but tails off a little, being a fairly pedestrian plod through all the usual genre cliches. There's a fair range of weapons on offer here, starting out with your basic revolver, and moving on to include sniper rifles and shotguns, with one point if interest being the different modes for the revolver and which will probably be the most used gun. The level design on display here isn't particularly inspired, making much of the action feel a little bit of a slog and lacking in the necessary excitement. The visuals are okay for the period but have dated less than gracefully and reveal the game's low budget origins, as does the below par audio. If you are desperate for a cowboy shooter, this is worth a look, but otherwise, steer clear.
