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Don't get the various titles confused...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: September 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Reading the various 5-star reviews for "Western Outlaw", I had to say 'huh?' I may be wrong, and maybe they did like this game that much, but I'm wondering if there isn't some confusion here. This game has a copyright date of 2002 on my box. There was another western FPS game released in 2004 called "Dead Man's Hand" for the PC that is far superior both in graphics and gameplay. And neither of those games is to be confused with the original LucasArts games released in 1997 called "Outlaws". That game still rules this genre as far as I'm concerned, though you'll need an Win 95/98 machine to run it (and a VooDoo card to run it accelerated, though that's not really necessary).

This here game, "Western Outlaw", is not really a 'bad' game, but it can't hold a candle to the other two. I finished both of those each twice, while I'm still struggling to get through this one due to its very bland graphics and uninspired level design. The weapons are good, and I like the outdoor environments somewhat, but I'm about halfway through at this point, and instead of continuing, all I really wanted to do was start my other PC and play "Outlaws" by LucasArts again. If you can find that one, preferrably with the "Handful of Missions" add-on included (most of the re-releases contained that automatically, and it doubles the single player content over the original release), it's a much better game with excellent level design and a musical score you'll seriously be playing in your car CD player.

But if, like me, you simply have to have every western-themed first-person shooter ever made, "Western Outlaw" isn't a waste of money. Just don't expect a whole lot, and you'll be okay with it.

Got ye a hankerin' fer th' Ol' West?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: February 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First, let's set th' record straight, here. This here's valueware. It ain't no $50 game. If'n yer not gonna be happy without state-of-the-art graphics and 50 levels, yer not gonna be happy.

But if yer hankerin' fer about th' first Western in software since Outlaws, I'd check it out. I'm playin' Outlaws now, again, and love it. But I gotta say, 2D graphics gets old after awhile. This here game's in 3D, and two things stand out. First is the weapons rendering. The programmers had a real appreciation for the old guns. They were modelled with care. And the reloading sequences are nice, if maybe a little fast (but they're purely slower than pressing 'r' and thinkin' yer ready for that next hombre). I like how the Remington revolver has a fanfire option, and you can get twin Colts (that's Colt revolvers for you nature lovers that think it's young horses...)! I think the game is worth the value price for the guns alone (and we're talkin' Western guns, pard, not the super-duper goo blasters of some games. 6 shots from a revolver and you're done till you reload). Second is the leaning function. You can crouch by a corner, then lean out and shoot them varmints from a bit of cover.

The 'feel' of moving around in the game as you move is a little less 'sure' of what I'm used to in a game, but it's really more immersive than most games. I WILL say that climbing a ladder is more intuitive than I've seen yet. But that leaning function is priceless. I find myself losing myself in the game.

So, if'n ya don't mind valueware, and enjoy westerns and western guns, I'd pick it up. I did, and I'm glad I did. It'll shore tide me over until one o' them $50 games comes along. And if Groove games releases a level editor for it, or a pack of new missions, I won't waste time throwin' my lasso around it! I wanted MORE, and that tells me the game-play's pretty good.

Whoa! TEX. Don't aim that dern thing at me!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: February 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I gotta say. I was more than pleasantly surprised. Like many, when i pay less than 20 bucks for a shooter, i expect total mediocrity. Well, at first, this game seems that way. Your basic walk across a train and shoot the guys with the scarves kind of game. But, once you get out of that level and start seeing more of the plotline and cut-scene goodness, you begin to realize there's more than meets the eye, or wallet, here. The simple details are what's important here. The game focuses very little on unnecessary background stuff. It's mostly focused on items and objects that are needed to play the game. Example : In a bar-fight, you won't see a 'Madam' standing at the top of the stairs crying over the death of her best customer. You'll see tables, a hard-wood floor, a bar with a bartender, a chandelier, etc. The outside elements are well crafted as well. The skies, the dust floating up from behind horse-drawn buggies/carriages. The reload time on your weapons is a little long. But, that adds to the shoot and hide mentality of the game. Head shots are an immediate takedown. No more pummeling seven rounds into their eye without them even so much as flinching. The body animations are a little stiff. It almost seems like they designed those first and let them be until the whole game was finished without really changing them. But, that's a small gripe. This game is a barrel of fun. A GUN barrel.....get it...well, read it again. It's also a smidge short. With only ten overall levels, don't expect to play this more than 4-8 hours overall. But, it's worth playing again, and the price is definitely right.

Too bad was expecting more

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was anticipating a better game. Lucas Arts Outlaws was much better. Western Outlaw has a below average sound track and graphics. Of course first person western shooters are far and few between. I did like the weapons. Seemed like the levels were similar in plot to Lucas Art's Outlaws. $20.00 is overpriced for this game.

Just forget it!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: December 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Bad graphics,boring story and really hard to move around.
Cheaply done.
Waste of $10 CAN

DO NOT waste your money!!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Shame on Groove Games for releasing a game of such poor quality. They spent more money developing the packaging on this thing then they did on the actual game itself.

- The graphics are extremely low resolution and chunky
- The sound is terrible
- The gameplay is elementary at best
- The textures are extremely poor and are badly stretched over the models

How any self-respecting game developer could put their name on something like this is beyond me. I have seen better efforts from Middle-Schoolers creating a Counter-Strike mod.

Granted, this is supposed to be a "value-priced" title. But I felt ripped off even spending ten dollars. This thing should be a free download.

As for the other reviewers who gushed over it, I can only guess that they are either shills for Groove Games or are brand new to gaming and are still overwhelmed by the novelty of little people moving around on their computer screen.

This game might have been hailed as groundbreaking in 1992, but is nothing short of pathetic for any company claiming to be professional game developers today. If you really feel you need to waste $10, convert it to $1 bills and go stuff them in a stripper's g-string. You won't fell any less ripped off, but at least you'll be a little more entertained.

Still the best Old West Shooter

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Although this game is getting a little long in the tooth, I still believe it's the best of the genre. LucasArt's "Outlaws!" is the only Old West FPS that comes close in terms of a quality storyline, moving music soundtrack, and addictive gameplay. But "Outlaws!" graphics are sorely out of date, even with the latest 3D mods. Atari's "Dead Man's Hand", while a good game, plays like a kid's shooting gallery with those annoying points-bubbles that pop up whenever you shoot something. And Xbox's "Red Dead Revolver" is just plain irritating for those accustomed to using a mouse and keyboard.

This is one of Jarhead Games' earliest creations, and in my opinion, their best. The graphics are not as bad as some might like you to think, and "Western Outlaw" has the best terrain modelling of any Old West FPS despite its age. The music soundtrack is really very good, and is reactive to your actions, similar to the modern US Marine Corps FPS, "First To Fight". Another big plus of this game is the weapons modelling which is dead-on. Need to reload? Then there is a realistic delay while your character loads each bullet into the chamber of your revolver. AI enemies deal with the same intricacies of period weapons, and a prudent player will save his ammo and wait until an enemy is vulnerable while reloading their weapon.

Pros: Terrain Modelling, Realistic Period Weapons, Music Soundtrack, Overall Realistic Gameplay.

Cons: Some dialogue is repetitious and somewhat corny. Some folks don't like the graphics.

Conclusion: Still the best Old West First Person Shooter out there. Hopefully Jarhead Games will develop a sequel someday.

Wait for Dead Man's Hand

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: October 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

We haven't seen a real first person Western shooter since LucasArts released Outlaws back in '97. This game isn't going to be nearly as good as Dead Man's Hand. I've seen a few reviews already and Dead Man's Hand looks like it really rocks. It's an Xbox game but you can bet they'll probably put it out for PC as well.

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