Outlaws (1997)

In 1997, the slope of the graphic adventures was beginning being a fact and his principal exponent, Lucas Arts, was increasing his interest in another type of genres that were allowing him to support his leadership position. This way, we would meet a big effort in the development of the licenses of Star Wars. Following this development policy, in 1995 Star Wars would throw herself: Dark Forces, a FPS that was presenting a novel graphic engine known as Jedi Game Engine. Making use of this technological jump, there would develop a video game which setting was diametrically different: Outlaws, a FPS that uses the same graphic engine but with western esthetics. The title would leave of exclusive form for PC and his development would be directed by Daron Stinnett, Stephen R. Shaw yAdam Schnitzer.

The protagonist of the history is James Anderson, a member withdrawn from the Deputies' Body of the United States (the acquaintances US Marshall) who, on having returned to his house of a trip, is that his wife Anna has been murdered and his daughter Sarah has been kidnapped by two outlaws (Matt "Dr. Death" Jackson and "Slim" Sam Fulton), who work for Bob Graham, who tries to convince with violence all the citizens so that they sell to them his cheap grounds. After the burial of his wife, James Anderson will set out to find his daughter.

Since we have commented, Outlaws is a FPS containing the principal characteristics of the genre but ambientado in the West (something that not habitual at all in the genre in that epoch, although later more similar qualifications would appear). Inside the campaign, he was emphasizing the way of major difficulty, which was limiting the life of the protagonist to one or two bullet impacts, what was providing him with a major realism and was modifying the strategy of game that one usually applies to the FPS. Apart from the principal campaign, Outlaws is provided with "historical missions" that they report as James Anderson goes so far as to turn in an US Marshall. Also, in 1998, an expansion would be thrown with new missions not connected straight to the principal plot.

At graphic level he emphasizes a styles miscellany, you miss at first sight, but that ends with a very curious result. The personages have a style design cómic calmed down enough for what it usually see in video games of the epoch. On the other hand, the stages are formed by extensive three-dimensional areas with a big setting, resembling the mythical movies of the west. The sound-track would be composed by Clint Bajakian, with the use of a real band (slightly slightly habitual in the video games of the epoch) and that can be reproduced introducing the CD of the game in a traditional CD breeding animal.

Outlaws would take a good reception as the criticism and a few discreet but sufficient sales so that it was not entering the negligence and was ending up by turning into a cult title. The system multiplayer turned out to be very interesting, but it would not end up triumphing for the participants' absence and, especially, for the compatibility difficulties with the different versions of Windows that were appearing after the throwing of the game.

In this video you can see as it is the game: