Fast Draw Showdown

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.

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 and supported the PlayStation Move controller.

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.

Characters

Several unique characters appear within the game:

Sellin' Samuel - The first showdown of the game. He offers you life insurance right before (ironically) drawing a pistol.

Double Shot Duke - A character who, as his name suggests, fires a second shot after originally being hit.

Good and Bad - A speedy duo who taunt the player by calling them ugly (an obvious reference to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).

Angry Antonio - Before firing he points to his gun and utters the famous line "Say hello to my little friend" from the movie Scarface.

Dancing Dom - He does a small dance before quickly firing at the player. This character is considered one of the most difficult to beat in the game.

Slurrin' Steve - A drunken man who claims to have just shot his lawyer. He then challenges the player and misses badly with his first shot.

Thelma and Louise - Named after the movie characters of the same name, they are characters that can shoot first randomly (Thelma can shoot first, then the player must shoot Louise in a second face-off and vice versa).

References