Gunfighter: The Legend of Jesse James - PlayStation

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Gunfighter: The Legend of Jesse James (PlayStation)
Viewed: First-person Genre:
Shoot 'Em Up
Arcade origin:No
Publishers: Ubisoft (GB/GB)
Released: 7 Dec 2001 (GB)
Ratings: 11+
Features: Vibration Compatible
Accessories: Light gun (GunCon), Memory Card

Summary

Although PlayStation is now in its seventh year, there haven’t really been that many lightgun-capable games created for the platform. Even the few that do exist have mostly been created by arcade guru Namco. Finally adding to the relatively small collection of gun-based shoot-em-ups is Ubi Soft’s Gunfighter: The Legend of Jesse James, developed by Rebellion.

In this Wild West-themed game, you assume the role of the legendary Jesse James, as you fight for peace in your hometown. Unfortunately, you have quite a reputation with the local mob and are loathed by many. This leads to the kidnapping of Jesse James’ latest girl, whom you must rescue from imminent death. But only after you begin your quest will you realise the scale of the task involved and the consequences your friends and family will face.

But as involving as Gunfighter’s story is, it’s still a hardcore shoot-em-up at the end of the day, and that’s what fans of this genre are looking for.

The graphics are relatively simple, but this soon becomes irrelevant when you discover an extremely playable and addictive game. Within the main game, players must adopt a 'shoot and duck' approach similar to Time Crisis to progress through five different Wild West scenarios. Defeat the lawless ex-sheriff, and you’ve got your girl back.

But there is also a great series of challenging mini games, whereby players must learn how to master both rapid shooting and precision shooting. This mode is very similar to Namco’s Point Blank and adds considerable longevity and replay value to Gunfighter.

So there you have it. Gunfighter takes all the best bits from some classic arcade shoot-em-up ups and bundles it into a great Wild West video game for PlayStation.