Gather A Posse For A Fistful Of Gun
What do William H. Bonny and Craig T. Pearson have in common? Well, there are many things. Emilio Estevez has played us both in movies, we're both wanted by 18th century law, Martin Sheen is our dad, and we were both killed by Pat Garret. But I have Billy The Kid beat, because I appear to have been mysteriously resurrected in the body of a pacifist games journalist, and can carry on the carnage in freebie multiplayer offline shooter Fistful Of Gun, while he is doomed to forever be remembered for starring in a terrible film about Dracula. Check mate, Kiddo.
The varmint responsible for Fistful Of Gun is Under The Ocean's Paul Greasley. It's a top-down shooter for up to three players on one PC. What's fun is the way the controls have been moulded to fit the game: you'll play with either the keyboard to control the heavy shooter: he can only move in eight directions, but has a scattergun to compensate. Or there's the rifleman: he has 360 degree control with the mouse, but can only fire one shot at a time. In between the two is a pistoleer controlled with a joypad, which is restrictive but allows you to spam bullets. The levels are diverse and randomised, and the weapons all feel like something cowboys would give women's names and overly polish. There's a lovely sense of chaos when the bullets start to fly and the world turns on you. While the AI doesn't have a lot of brain power, any bullet you take will kill you. You'll die lots and lots.
If co-op at your PC is a faff, it's just about playable as a single-player game. Or you can sign up to his newsletter and receive the updated version with online shootin' when it's released. That newsletter will be the only way to get it.