Remember back when Laserdisc games were king and everyone loved them and we were all playing them at home? No? Well, that’s probably because it was never the case, and the really great news is that Laserdisc games quickly came and went before they could do any real lasting damage to the future of gaming. With that in mind, Digital Leisure has decided that it’s time to bring the old “classics” back with Mad Dog McCree on the 3DS eShop.
The story permeating this game is that a villainous rough-rider named Mad Dog McCree has rolled into some anonymous Western American town and has taken the mayor and his daughter hostage. Being a stranger to the town, it makes perfect sense that you would be recruited to save the kidnapped mayor and daughter and free the town from Mad Dog’s clutches. Armed with just your revolver, it’s your job to visit various stock locations from the Old West, such as a saloon and a bank, and murder any evil-doers who stand in your way.
Originally presented as a light-gun style arcade game, Mad Dog McCree’s gameplay fits quite well on the 3DS. Using the touch screen to aim, a cursor appears on the top screen in a corresponding position. Pressing either the L or R buttons fires a round while you aim with the stylus, and pressing either of these buttons without the stylus on screen allows you to reload. The controls are surprisingly tight, but this is about all the game has going for it.
When it comes to presentation, both the visuals and the audio are a disappointment. Like many old Laserdisc games, Mad Dog McCree is more of an interactive movie than anything else. There are no digitally rendered characters or environments, but instead the entire game is made up of footage of actual actors on set. While this may have worked in its original format, it’s often difficult to make out what’s happening on the scaled down 3DS screen. The videos appear grainy, and it can be difficult to differentiate between enemies in the distance and innocent bystanders. It should also be noted that despite this being on the 3DS eShop, there are no 3D visuals at all, and we presume it's only file size limitations that prevented its appearance on DSiWare.
Working along side the poor visuals, the audio levels seems to be set incredibly low. Even with the 3DS’s sound turned all the way up, it’s still difficult to make out what some of the characters are saying if there’s any other noise in the room that you’re playing in. As you might imagine, not being able to see or hear exactly what's going on can be a huge hindrance on the gameplay.
There are three difficulty settings to choose from, but none of them really make the experience drastically different or worth playing through again. With a short campaign that can be finished in no more than 15 minutes, a little more variety in gameplay would have possibly made this game salvageable, but that’s asking for a bit too much. Unless you’re obsessed with getting the highest possible score, Mad Dog McCree won’t last you long.
Conclusion
In all fairness, Mad Dog McCree controls just as well as any light-gun game should work on the 3DS. Beyond that, this title has little to offer in the ways of fun or value. Being able to complete the entire story in under 15 minutes, the price tag tacked onto this one is incredibly steep, and the game definitely isn’t worth its own weight in gold. Unless you’ve played it before and can’t resist the pull of nostalgia, this is one old Dog that isn’t worth the adoption.
Comments 35
I've played the original arcade game, and frankly the AV back then was horrible too. I think it was shot in VHS, and try making out what they're saying in a noisy arcade. A "2" almost seems too kind all these years later.
Very much expected. It's just too bad this stuff manages to get on the eShop - and for $8.00? Dear God..
Ouch. No Europe, please.
This game has randomly locked up on me on at least three occasions. Each time it happens a warning message pops up saying my 3DS will have to Restart. I hit A for OK and then it turns off and back on again. Knux experienced the same thing several times as well. I wish Nintendo would update or patch it.
Oh 2 out of 10? C'mon if you gave it 4, I may have been able to justify a purchase. Oh well.
"the game definitely isn’t worth its own weight in gold"
How much do digital games weigh, exactly?
And the game with the best acting goes too.
Mad Dog McCree,if a game deserved an Oscar for it's acting this does.
The only reasons to buy this game are nostalgia and pure unbridled insanity.
More like Mad Dog McCrap, amirite!?
A bad game then is still a bad game now. Lets take urban champion for example.
We had the CD rom version for PC and in our naivety we thought it was awesome but played the Wii version for a bit of nostalgia years later and wow, what was wrong with 10 year old me??
The WiiWare game of this series is not bad. The retail game is horrifyingly poor. The 3DSware version seems poor as well. Pass.
Well... what did we expect?
I passed on this game the first day it came out on the eshop and why did they put it as 8.00 when there is absolutely no 3d visuals?
Haha i expected that score XD
I feel sorry for anyone that bought this.
@yobokkie me too! I loved the PC version!
I also played this game for weeks now, and I still love it.... I would rate it 7 at least! sure, it's old fashion and there's not so much to it gameplay-wise.
but cowboys falling of roofs never gets old!
@luminalace - Why would you base your purchase of a game on one mans opinion? None the less, you not getting this game can only be a plus.
@Chicken_Brutus That hurts more than the score itself!
I enjoy this game, but the random locking up BS that Zerk mentioned has happened to me a few times as well. Nintendo really should patch this up, because having a buggy port like this on the eShop is inexcusable.
This is one of those games that I love because of how terrible it is. Still not worth 8 smackers.
Ouch!
I'd pick up the Gunslinger Pack on Wii instead of this one. Mad Dog McCree as well as it's two sequels, and spot-on reproduction of light-gun gameplay. Say what you will about Laserdisc/Interactive Movies, but they have a very special role in the development of gaming as we know it today.
I knew it since the day it was announced for release, but some people are gullible enough to give S#!t like this a go... I feel sad for everyone that paid for this pathetic excuse for a game.
there go all you guyz who defended Urban Champion. Theres siding with the underdog and then theres siding with a pile of the dogs steaming sh.... it's different. there's no high horse to ride on here.
Hey, Chicken, how did you miss reviewing this one?
Asking 8 bucks for this is absolute insanity. The only thing crazier would be to pay 8 bucks for this.
Damn it! I couldn't resist the pull of nostalgia!
LOL
Looks like @Chicken_Brutus dodged a bullet when they chose who should review this one
Sweet, FMV FTW. Hope it comes to Europe (and hopefully a bit cheaper).
FMV games were pretty cool at some point but gamers moved on to other genres and quite frankly, it was for the better. I passed on this game in the 90's and would have thought of trying it out for the 3DS. But for $8 bucks?? Hell no lol
At least it isn't as bad as NIGHT TRAP. God I want to destroy every copy of that game.
I will buy if it goes on sale to $5, though, for a game like this that would be a WAY better price.
@TheDreamingHawk Or $2?
@R-L-A-George Maybe $0.50?
Great review. Thanks!
Well, at least it got a price cut.
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