Fast Draw Showdown

Last updated
Fast Draw Showdown
Fast Draw Showdown Poster.png
Arcade flyer
Developer(s) American Laser Games
Digital Leisure (Wii & PS3)
Publisher(s) American Laser Games
Digital Leisure (Wii & PS3)
Platform(s) Arcade, Wii (WiiWare), PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)
ReleaseArcade
  • WW: 1994
PC
Wii
  • WW: January 4, 2010
PS3
  • WW: July 19, 2011
Genre(s) Shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Fast Draw Showdown is a live-action laserdisc video game, released by American Laser Games in 1994 (see 1994 in video gaming) for a limited number of platforms. As one of the last live-action rail shooters released by the company, which began the series with Mad Dog McCree , it is also arguably the shortest. The game was filmed entirely in at the Old Tucson Studios near Tucson, Arizona, with sets used for several notable films belonging to the Western genre.

Contents

Global VR re-released the arcade game in 2002. It was also re-released for PC only by Digital Leisure in 2004 (see 2004 in video gaming), with mouse and light gun support. This game was also re-released for WiiWare in North America on January 4, 2010 and in the PAL region on January 22, 2010. A HD port of this game was released for the PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3 on July 19, 2011 and supported the PlayStation Move controller. [1] A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was announced but never released. [2] [3]

Plot

The player, as is the standard in American Laser Games releases, assumes the role of an anonymous individual who takes part in a series of showdowns with several different gunfighters. It is suggested that the protagonist is a lawman. This is confirmed by the three available difficulty levels: deputy, sheriff and marshal. The Old West setting is the scene of up to five showdowns, during which the player must draw his revolver as quickly as possible and shoot the enemies before they manage to shoot the player.

The aim of the game is to defeat all the foes the player is up against; if this is achieved flawlessly, the lawman takes part in a final showdown in which he faces Wes Flowers, "one of the world's fastest quick-drawers", who is not a fictional character, but a real-life Fast Draw champion. If Flowers is also defeated, the player receives the title of Best Deputy, Super Sheriff or Master Marshal, depending on the difficulty level.

Gameplay

In each of the gunfights, the player must attempt to out-draw the villains, first by holstering the available light gun and proceeding to wait until a signal is given that lets him know he must draw, aim and fire at the enemy or enemies, as quickly as possible. A foul occurs if one draws the gun too soon, with a maximum of three allowed, and a chance to face Wes Flowers is only given if all four of the previous gunfights are victorious for the player.

At times, the player faces two opponents instead of one, but, invariably, only one will draw his or her gun and thus pose a threat. The game ends successfully when the player has defeated all of the villains, including Wes Flowers.

Reception

Play Meter listed the title to be the twenty-sixth most-popular arcade game at the time. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunfighter</span> Gun wielders in the American Old West

Gunfighters, also called gunslingers or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslinger" is more or less used to denote someone who is quick on the draw with a handgun, but this can also refer to those armed with rifles and shotguns. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, television shows, video games, and literature.

<i>Gyruss</i> 1983 video game

Gyruss is shoot 'em up arcade video game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1983. Gyruss was initially licensed to Centuri in the United States for dedicated machines, before Konami released their own self-distributed conversion kits for the game. Parker Brothers released contemporary ports for home systems. An enhanced version for the Family Computer Disk System was released in 1988, which was released to the North American Nintendo Entertainment System in early 1989.

<i>Wild Gunman</i> 1974 video game

Wild Gunman is a light gun shooter game developed and published by Nintendo. Originally created as an electro-mechanical arcade game in 1974 by Gunpei Yokoi, it was adapted to a video game format for the Famicom console in 1984. It was released in 1985 as a launch game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) with the Zapper light gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Laser Games</span> American videogame company

American Laser Games was a company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that created numerous light gun laserdisc video games featuring live action full motion video. The company was founded in the late 1980s by Robert Grebe, who had originally created a system to train police officers under the company name ICAT and later adapted the technology for arcade games. Its first hit game was Mad Dog McCree, a light gun shooter set in the American Old West. By mid-1995 they were recognized as the leading company in the medium of laserdisc-based arcade games. Almost all arcade games released by the company were light gun shooters and a number of them also had an Old West theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast draw</span> Ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it at a target

Fast draw, also known as quick draw, is the ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it upon a target in the process. This skill was made popular by romanticized depictions of gunslingers in the Western genre, which in turn were inspired by famous historical gunfights in the American Old West.

The Gamegun is the only light gun released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer video game console. It was released in 1994 by American Laser Games, developers of full motion video-based shooter games. The Gamegun is styled exactly like the Peacekeeper Revolver, except with a notable color difference. The peripheral came in two versions: one player and two-player. The only difference between the two is that the two-player version, which was released in 1995, came with an attached y-connector end, allowing two players to plug in two light guns to play simultaneously. With the one player version, the gun could be daisy chained with a regular 3DO controller, allowing another player to use the gamepad at the same time.

<i>Mad Dog McCree</i> 1990 Western-themed arcade video game

Mad Dog McCree is the first live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games. It originally appeared as an arcade game in 1990.

<i>Crime Patrol</i> (video game) 1993 live-action video game

Crime Patrol is a live-action LaserDisc video game released by American Laser Games in 1993. American Laser Games released a sequel, Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars later that year.

<i>The Last Bounty Hunter</i> 1994 video game

The Last Bounty Hunter is a live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games in 1994. Like almost all of the games produced by the now-defunct company, it is a rail shooter and, like the two installments in the Mad Dog McCree series before it, is set in the Old West. However, it takes a more comedic approach than the Mad Dog McCree games in both its story sequences and the characters' comically exaggerated reactions to being shot. Filmed at Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, Arizona, it was one of the company's last releases before it was forced to close down. It was re-released by Digital Leisure in 2002 and was eventually packaged with Fast Draw Showdown by Global VR as an arcade cabinet under the name Six Gun Select.

<i>Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold</i> 1992 video game

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold is a live-action laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO, CD-i and DOS, the first release being in 1992; the quality of the video is the lowest on Sega CD. A sequel to the moderately popular Mad Dog McCree, the game abandoned the rather simple style of the original, introducing elements that can be considered "Hollywood", including dynamic shootout scenes and in-game music, as opposed to the original's almost complete lack thereof. Like the first game, the player follows the storyline and is required to quickly shoot certain enemies to proceed on the quest. The game was re-released by Digital Leisure in 2003 on DVD-Video and again in 2009 on the Wii as part of the Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack, a compilation that also includes the first Mad Dog game as well as The Last Bounty Hunter.

<i>Who Shot Johnny Rock?</i> 1991 video game

Who Shot Johnny Rock? is a live-action full-motion video laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games and released for the arcades in 1991, and then for the DOS, Sega CD, 3DO and CD-i platforms around 1994. As part of a series of similar-styled games released by the company, Who Shot Johnny Rock? introduces a different setting than most of the others, while maintaining almost identical gameplay. The game was re-released by Digital Leisure around 2003 with updated video and sound, in addition to several bonus options.

<i>Space Pirates</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Space Pirates is a live-action LaserDisc video game, released by American Laser Games for the arcade in 1992 and ported to MS-DOS computers in 1994 and the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1995. The game was re-released for several platforms by Digital Leisure around 2003, with updated sound and video, among other American Laser Games titles.

<i>Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters</i> 1994 video game

Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters, known in Japan as Lethal Enforcers 2: The Western, is a 1994 light gun shooter arcade game and a prequel to the original Lethal Enforcers. In contrast with the first game's modern law enforcement theme, Lethal Enforcers II takes place in the American Old West.

<i>Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars</i> 1993 video game

Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars is a live-action laserdisc video game, released by American Laser Games in 1993. It was ported to the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and CD-i. It is the sequel to the arcade game Crime Patrol, with very similar gameplay, objectives and scenery. The game was re-released by Digital Leisure in 2002.

<i>Off-World Interceptor</i> 1994 video game

Off-World Interceptor is a 1994 third-person vehicular combat video game, developed and published by Crystal Dynamics and originally released on 3DO. An alternate version of the game was later released for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation consoles, named Off-World Interceptor Extreme. The two versions of the game have identical core gameplay elements, though the Extreme version is tweaked to feel more like the arcade mode in the original Off-World Interceptor.

<i>Laser Ghost</i> 1990 video game

Laser Ghost (レーザーゴースト) is a horror-themed light gun shooter arcade video game released by Sega in 1990. The game is patterned after the films Ghostbusters and Poltergeist III, casting the player as a ghost hunter. There are three mounted guns set up on the cabinet, representing the three members of a ghost hunting team. The game puts the players in the role of Bill, Max and Carol, who must rescue a little girl kidnapped by a blue gargoyle, as well as protect the city from the ghost menace. A Master System game with the same title was released in 1991 exclusively for Europe, but was not based on the arcade original.

<i>Rolling Thunder</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Rolling Thunder is a run and gun video game developed by Namco in Japan and Europe and released in 1986 as a coin-operated arcade video game using the Namco System 86 hardware. It was distributed in North America by Atari Games. The player takes control of a secret agent who must rescue his female partner from a terrorist organization. Rolling Thunder was a commercial success in arcades, and it was released for various home computer platforms in 1987 and the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The original arcade game has been included in various classic game compilations as well. It influenced later arcade action franchises such as Shinobi and Time Crisis, which borrowed mechanics such as taking cover behind crates. On March 17, 2022, the arcade version of the game got ported as part of the Arcade Archives series.

<i>VR Stalker</i> 1994 video game

VR Stalker is a combat flight simulator video game developed by Morpheus Interactive and originally published by American Laser Games for the 3DO.

<i>Orbatak</i> 1994 video game

Orbatak is a video game developed and published by American Laser Games for the arcade. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was announced but never released.

References

  1. ↑ Gold, Paul (July 15, 2011). "Unholster Your Iron! Fast Draw Showdown Launches July 19th". PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Preview – Coming Soon". 3DO Magazine . No. 10. Paragon Publishing. May 1996. pp. 33–34.
  3. ↑ "Preview – Coming Soon". 3DO Magazine . No. 12. Paragon Publishing. July 1996. pp. 33–34.
  4. ↑ "Equipment Poll - Video & Pinball Combined". Play Meter . Vol. 20, no. 11. Skybird Publishing. October 1994. p. 11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.