RED DEAD REVOLVER,
Rockstar Games
The developers of the controversial Grand Theft Auto: Vice City trade in submachine guns for six-shooters in Red Dead Revolver. This slick spaghetti Western of a game, played from a third-person perspective, assigns you the role of Red, a bounty hunter looking for revenge against a motley crew of outlaws. It includes all the usual elements of Western flicks, such as quick-draw showdowns at high noon and attempts to board running trains from your trusty horse, in a set of equally straightforward missions.
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Red Dead Revolver's main departure from conventional shooters is its targeting system. As in other games, you simply maneuver the target reticule over the enemy and press fire to let loose with your pistol, shotgun or other weapon -- but here, you can target particular body parts, with specific results. If you hit an outlaw in the leg, he'll fall forward; shoot him in the shoulder and he winces backward.
Revolver's graphics aren't up to PS2 quality -- its characters look quite blocky and lack the detail we've come to expect from new games -- but Rockstar's creative use of such visual tricks as changing lighting and slow-motion draw scenes make up for those technical shortfalls. They don't, however, make up for the fact that you can polish off this game in less than 10 hours; $50 is a steep price for such a short trip out West. -- Tom Ham
PlayStation 2, Xbox, $50
BEYOND THE LAW:
THE THIRD WAVE,
Magnum Games/MTG
Modern Games, Bad Robot
