Westerns (the movies) used to be the big thing back in the day, and now they''re still around, but much more rare. But why haven''t there been any recent games that take place in the Old West? It seems like the setting would give plenty of opportunities for good gameplay. Gunfights, horses, stagecoaches, wide open spaces. Seems like the perfect setting to me. Why no games?

You want the Wild Arms series for PS1 and PS2. Guns and deserts and bleu jeans and rpg combat. Yummy.

Actually, the Wild Arms series seems to be more of a Trigun meets Final Fantasy thing. For instance, the third incarnation is set on a desert planet. There are trains crisscrossing the world, and there are boats that can cross the sand oceans. But at the same time, theres a magic and monster-summoning related story. Seems like a weird combination and they manage to pull it off for the most point, just the game might leave you a little disappointed.

I was personally more fond of the second game. Its not as western as the third, but it has a certain charm about it.

right now for your question to be some what answered is that i am currently have been working on a western, romance,shoot outs and the norm. but for pc goes check out LUCASARTS.COM then go to the PC ICON click on classics for pc software. then download a 1 level demo called OUTLAWS that is one heck of a great game. But in the full version you get a whole lot more for 9 bucks.check itout and its a very addictive game.if you want some more information about writing video games, board games , trading card games let me know i will help out all i can. and plus i am looking for some help in my new business.

BullDogRacing76

I think I saw somewhere that the pen and paper RPG Deadlands (humerous dark fantasy western) is being transformed into a MMORPG. Dunno how they''re doing though.

There was a Western themed level in TimeSplitters 2 that was really good, it had tonnes of atmosphere. The Western does lend itself really well to games, but there are surprisingly few games that use it though.

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Original post by BradDaBug
Westerns (the movies) used to be the big thing back in the day, and now they''re still around, but much more rare. But why haven''t there been any recent games that take place in the Old West? It seems like the setting would give plenty of opportunities for good gameplay. Gunfights, horses, stagecoaches, wide open spaces. Seems like the perfect setting to me. Why no games?

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I think it has to do with some number of factors. Most people I know who watch western films are generally over the age of 35, which is out of the target demographics for most games. But with more and more people using computers/game consoles over the age of 35, this might open a whole new market of games to a very large demographic.

Most of today''s big studio games are a copy cat of another game. Many game studios are afraid of producing something diffrent because it might not sell. They stick to patterns. They watch other media to see how that concept is doing. If Hollywood isn''t producing Westerns, the game companies won''t produce them either.

One final factor may be today''s politically correct society. People often associate Westerns(incorrectly) to be negative due to some of the stereotypes of the genre: Bank robberies, gun fights, political corruption, outlaws, the "white man" taking the land from the indians, the "savage indians" cleansing the land of the "white man", etc. Very touchy subject.

Desipe these factors, I do think creating a Western game, especially an RPG or RTS, could be a great success. It might be the new "Gold Rush" of the game industry, if done properly.

Bob

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Original post by BradDaBug

Desipe these factors, I do think creating a Western game, especially an RPG or RTS, could be a great success. It might be the new "Gold Rush" of the game industry, if done properly.

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Wow... That just gave me an idea... A western RTS. If that could be done correctly, then it would be awesome. I''m not entirely sure how it would work though. The only factions I could think of would be Union Soldiers, Confederate Soldiers, Outlaws, and Indians. I''m gonna work on that one...


Uberness...

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Original post by Inmate2993
You want the Wild Arms series for PS1 and PS2. Guns and deserts and bleu jeans and rpg combat. Yummy.

Actually, the Wild Arms series seems to be more of a Trigun meets Final Fantasy thing. For instance, the third incarnation is set on a desert planet. There are trains crisscrossing the world, and there are boats that can cross the sand oceans. But at the same time, theres a magic and monster-summoning related story. Seems like a weird combination and they manage to pull it off for the most point, just the game might leave you a little disappointed.

I was personally more fond of the second game. Its not as western as the third, but it has a certain charm about it.

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Hmmm, I''ve only ever played the first Wild Arms. I didn''t really notice the western theming in there when I played it, but now that you mention it, there were definitely some strong hints of it.

One thing that did jump out at me is the opening music; it sounds incredibly like one of Ennio Morricone''s spaghetti western themes! I love that tune, and the animation that goes with it.

Voice Of Tango,
Yeah, in Wild Arms 2, the western themes get stronger. For instance, in the first prolouge scenario, the main character Ashley Winchester is a member of a small military force (that owns two alcohol-combustion trucks) and he carries a big Bayonet Rifle. In the other prolouge scenario, Brad Evans is an outlaw being tracked down by "The Posse". Everyone wears bleu jeans and leather jackets and stuff. Actually, Ashley looks more like a boyscout. Its definately a better game, though the game still retains some pretty strong RPG traditional things going, like the 14 year old magician girl Lilka.

becuase western people who like bluegrass, etc. dont play games.