Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack on Wii Review

Allow me to admit right up front that when it comes to this game, I’m completely biased. I simply love full-motion video based games, and Mad Dog McCree was one of the more enjoyable examples of this oft-forgotten form back in the early nineties. It’s more or less a lightgun shooter, but instead of pixels or polygons, all of the graphics were provided by video running off of a laserdisc player. This new game for the Wii collects classic American Laser Games arcade titles Mad Dog McCree, Mad Dog II The Lost Gold, and The Last Bounty Hunter into one package. While all of these games appeared on countless platforms during the CD gaming era, as well as in modern CD-ROM and DVD versions from developer Digital Leisure, this Wii port is quite simply the best home version of these games ever released.

All three titles in this collection follow a similar premise. You are a nameless wanderer who must save the territory from various outlaws. The bulk of the gameplay is standard arcade lightgun action, where bad guys pop up and you have to shoot them. In spite of the limitations of laserdisc technology, several scenes in the games are randomized, allowing for replay value. There are also multiple paths through each game. Mad Dog II requires players to complete the entire game without continuing in order to get the best ending. Also worth noting here is that the high score system from the arcade games is fully functional in the Wii version. While there’s no kind of online leaderboards, which would have been great, the high score tables give a good reason to play the game. I was also giddy to see this feature working, as many previous home versions have lacked high score functionality. If you’re really geeky about these games, Digital Leisure even got the high score table overlay to work in the opening of the Last Bounty Hunter, something which I haven’t seen since the original arcade version.

The video transfer from the original laserdisc is clear and sharp, whether you’re playing on an SD or an HD screen, and all of the scenes from the original games are included. The gun cursor is responsive and the graphical overlays for bullet and score display look much nicer than the original arcade versions. A simple menu opens the game and allows you to select which title you’d like to play, and it works pretty well. Also of note, all three difficulty levels are included for each game. The acting has never been amazing in these titles, but for arcade lightgun games, the performances are fun and engaging. The characters are over the top and memorable, just as they were almost 20 years ago.

The showdown sequences here might prove frustrating for some, but they work just like they did in the original arcade machines, which is fantastic. Periodically in each game, you’ll be challenged to a quick draw, and these segments are the hardest to complete as they aren’t traditional light gun shooting. My advice is to reload quickly and then only take one shot, and hope your aim is true. A multiplayer mode is also included here, which allows players to either co-operate and take down the bad guys, or compete for accuracy and score.

Fellow author Jeremy Coatney and I had a blast spending a whole day playing through this collection. It’s budget-priced, and it contains three of the best FMV arcade games ever made. It’s probably the best lightgun shooter on the Wii, especially if you remember the old arcade titles. If you’ve never checked out a classic FMV game, and you’d like a Wii lightgun shooter that isn’t about zombies, then you need to pick this up. A must-play for arcade fans, and anyone looking for a fun lightgun shooter! This game is rated T by the ESRB, and is currently my favorite title on the Wii. For more information, check out www.digitalleisure.com. I hope that Digital Leisure has the chance to bring more American Laser Games Titles to the Wii. If they’re as good as this conversion, I’ll be there on day one!


	Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack for the Wii…5 out of 5 By Alex Rowe Allow me to admit right up front that when it comes to this game, I’m completely biased. I simply love full-motion video based games, and Mad Dog McCree was one of the more enjoyable examples of this oft-forgotten form back in the early nineties. It’s more or less a lightgun shooter, but instead of pixels or polygons, all of the graphics were provided by video running off of a laserdisc player. This new game for the Wii collects classic American Laser Games arcade titles Mad Dog McCree, Mad Dog II The Lost Gold, and The Last Bounty Hunter into one package. While all of these games appeared on countless platforms during the CD gaming era, as well as in modern CD-ROM and DVD versions from developer Digital Leisure, this Wii port is quite simply the best home version of these games ever released. All three titles in this collection follow a similar premise. You are a nameless wanderer who must save the territory from various outlaws. The bulk of the gameplay is standard arcade lightgun action, where bad guys pop up and you have to shoot them. In spite of the limitations of laserdisc technology, several scenes in the games are randomized, allowing for replay value. There are also multiple paths through each game. Mad Dog II requires players to complete the entire game without continuing in order to get the best ending. Also worth noting here is that the high score system from the arcade games is fully functional in the Wii version. While there’s no kind of online leaderboards, which would have been great, the high score tables give a good reason to play the game. I was also giddy to see this feature working, as many previous home versions have lacked high score functionality. If you’re really geeky about these games, Digital Leisure even got the high score table overlay to work in the opening of the Last Bounty Hunter, something which I haven’t seen since the original arcade version. The video transfer from the original laserdisc is clear and sharp, whether you’re playing on an SD or an HD screen, and all of the scenes from the original games are included. The gun cursor is responsive and the graphical overlays for bullet and score display look much nicer than the original arcade versions. A simple menu opens the game and allows you to select which title you’d like to play, and it works pretty well. Also of note, all three difficulty levels are included for each game. The acting has never been amazing in these titles, but for arcade lightgun games, the performances are fun and engaging. The characters are over the top and memorable, just as they were almost 20 years ago. The showdown sequences here might prove frustrating for some, but they work just like they did in the original arcade machines, which is fantastic. Periodically in each game, you’ll be challenged to a quick draw, and these segments are the hardest to complete as they aren’t traditional light gun shooting. My advice is to reload quickly and then only take one shot, and hope your aim is true. A multiplayer mode is also included here, which allows players to either co-operate and take down the bad guys, or compete for accuracy and score. Fellow author Jeremy Coatney and I had a blast spending a whole day playing through this collection. It’s budget-priced, and it contains three of the best FMV arcade games ever made. It’s probably the best lightgun shooter on the Wii, especially if you remember the old arcade titles. If you’ve never checked out a classic FMV game, and you’d like a Wii lightgun shooter that isn’t about zombies, then you need to pick this up. A must-play for arcade fans, and anyone looking for a fun lightgun shooter! This game is rated T by the ESRB, and is currently my favorite title on the Wii. For more information, check out www.digitalleisure.com. I hope that Digital Leisure has the chance to bring more American Laser Games Titles to the Wii. If they’re as good as this conversion, I’ll be there on day one!