However, this wasn’t the case with Sunset Riders, and the SEGA Genesis and Nintendo versions became instant classics in their own rights.
It’s often the case that when hugely popular arcade games are ported to consoles, the results are disappointing (did somebody say Out Run?). What set this game apart was the 2-player or 4-player option. Here, you could cooperate with your friends in the characters of Billy, Bob, Steve, and Cormano, four bounty hunters combing the wild west and tracking down its most dangerous outlaws. Here’s a Konami coin-op classic that those of us of a certain age will remember playing in the arcades back in the early 1990s. There are numerous nice touches, not least the “game within a game” where you can play poker in the saloon and win the dollars you need to stock up with supplies for the journey ahead. The Wild Bunch was originally created for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum, but you don’t need a vintage kit to play it today, as there are several versions available to play online.
But the main action takes place in the towns themselves, where you must track down members of the dreaded Wild Bunch, to capture a murderer and prove your innocence. The first involves making the dangerous journey from town to town and using your wits and strength to overcome adversaries. The game is predominantly text-based and contains two distinct elements. It holds up incredibly well, and will even keep 2020’s gamer’s entertained. A Ford Model T is fascinating from a historical perspective, but you wouldn’t drive one today, and the same applies to play the likes of Chuckie Egg or Pole Position. However, Firebird’s Wild West-themed game from 1984 is the exception to the rule. Let’s be honest, the games we played in the 1980s are a little like the cars from the 1920s. Here are five absolute classics from across the years that are as relevant today as the day they were released. While Western movies dwindled in popularity after the 1970s, the world of gaming eagerly picked up the baton.
We have been fascinated with the Wild West since the movies and TV shows that dominated our screens back in the 1950s and 60s. It also demonstrated that Western is a genre that never goes out of fashion. It was one of the biggest gaming hits of 2018 and cemented Rockstar’s place at the top of the tree among the most influential developers of our age. Believe it or not, it’s been two years since Red Dead Redemption 2 hit the shelves, to almighty fanfare and following months of hype.