Topic: One Year Later: Wild West Guns

Well, I'm letting this out now rather than last week, erf. I'll get to a better regiment soon enough, I swear! That and I'm a bit stressed about something going on healthwise, so that's my current excuse.

One Year Later 013: (08/04/08) Wild West Guns

022) Wild West Guns (Gameloft, 1000 pts)
The Wii is known to create brand new franchises and genres with the usage of motion control and the pointer combination. However, it is also known to have brought back a near-dead genre: the light-gun shooter. Gameloft, the developer of a number of WiiWare games already by August 2008, would become the publisher of the first WiiWare light-gun shooter: Wild West Guns. WWG is a light-gun shooter that takes place in the Wild West, in case the title did not inform anyone from the get go. Players assume a generic gunslinger (or duo of generic gunslingers, for those playing cooperatively or counter-operatively) who goes about completing a number of missions, ranging from surviving a shootout in the local saloon to chasing down a train whilst shooting down criminal types to keeping a few tin cans in the air for as long as possible. The game consists of six “levels,” each with a number of challenges, some repeating from the beginning of the game. The game is short-lived, but it has achievements for continued play (and heck, it’s a light-gun shooter, for crying out loud. It has to have a lot of replay value to it).

Reception: The game was a godsend after the terrible releases hit week after week in July, but sites would not hold back on their complaints where available. IGN saw that the game was fun, but it only offered so much for a ten dollar game (6.8). NintendoLife agreed wholeheartedly to IGN’s review, noting the game’s potential was visible but muddled a bit thanks to the lack of length (7). Sales-wise, the game was on the Top 20 for quite a long while. In fact, it even outlasted the next WiiWare release on the Top 20, one that was seen as a much more hyped release! The game most assuredly lasted thanks to the more casual experience and Gameloft’s high track record in regards to “everyone” games. Overall, the game was well-received by both accounts.

Outlook: No Wild West Guns 2 has been announced, but a Wild West Guns game was made for IPhone on February 2009. Gameloft remained very close to WiiWare until 2009 began, when IPhone and DSi titles seemed to take precedent. And, funnily enough, one WHOLE YEAR later from this week, Gameloft’s re-debut WiiWare title would be Sexy Poker. What has the DSi done to you, Gameloft? I knew those handheld kids would be a bad influence! [shakes fist]

Comparing to WiiWare Year 2: A challenge, to say the least. We got Japanese-produced Overturn and the aforementioned Sexy Poker from Gameloft. It really depends on which you prefer: Overturn with a stain beside it or Wild West Guns by itself. IGN would say that this easily goes to last year, as both new titles are rated lower. Then again, NintendoLife's review of OverTurn is greater than WWG. I can't say, myself, but the sheer existence of Sexy Poker makes me say last year was better. Any takers?

And that's this week (or rather, last week) for OYL. Next time is a biggun of a title, so watch out!

I enjoyed this game; still haven't achieved medals in all the highest difficulty -- they get pretty damn difficult!

It was briefly enjoyable but then instantly forgettable.

One good and one gut-wrenching bad title or one okay title?

I thought it was okay; it was the only lightgun game on the Wii at the time outside of Wii Play (at least I'm pretty sure it pre-dated Ghost Squad). Given other choices it gets a lot less play from me now, but it covers the old west genre well.

Exactly. It was too short and too repetitive. It felt incomplete, like a demo. I completed all levels in about 2 hours; even the hardest. Replay value is also short. It isn't worth ten bucks. It should be $5-$7 max.

I really enjoyed this game. ... good old-fashioned light-gun shooting with a fun theme. Short, yes, but to me, it was well worth the $10, even if I never try to re-conquer it.

This year's releases were better, IMO. And I'm excluding Sexy Poker entirely.

I was pretty impressed with the cell-shading and amount of variation given the size limitation. This could easily have been a shallower, throwaway title.

My sister (non-gamer) loved it.

Its a fun game, what more do people want from it?

Great themes, good humour, control is fine, its just an arcade shooter. I do not regret buying it, and if you have someone over here is a game they can understand and enjoy just like that.