''Fast Draw Showdown'' is a

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

laserdisc video game An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, ...

, released by

American Laser Games American Laser Games was a company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that created numerous light gun laserdisc video games featuring live action full motion video. The company was founded in the late 1980s by Robert Grebe, who had originally created ...

in 1994 (see

1994 in video gaming 1994 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as ''Super Metroid'', ''Donkey Kong Country'', ''Final Fantasy VI'', ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', '' Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' and ''Virtua Fighter 2'' and ''Doom II'', along with new tit ...

) for a limited number of platforms. As one of the last live-action

rail shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...

s released by the company, which began the series with ''

Mad Dog McCree ''Mad Dog McCree'' is the first live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games. It originally appeared as an arcade game in 1990. The game gained considerable attention for its live-action video style, bearing similarities to ...

'', it is also arguably the shortest. The game was filmed entirely in at the

Old Tucson Studios Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie ''Arizona'' ...

near

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, with sets used for several notable films belonging to the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

genre.

Global VR Global VR is company based in San Jose, California, that makes arcade games. The company once manufactured virtual reality stands as well. It has also developed electronic kiosks and offers development services for mobile platforms. History ...

re-released the arcade game in 2002. It was also re-released for PC only by Digital Leisure in 2004 (see

2004 in video gaming 2004 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as ''Doom 3'', ''Dragon Quest VIII'', ''Gran Turismo 4'', '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', ''Half-Life 2'', ''Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater,'' ''Ninja Gaiden'', '' Pokémon Fir ...

), with

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

and

light gun A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games, typically shaped to resemble a pistol. Early history The first light guns were produced in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensing ...

support. This game was also re-released for

WiiWare WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii S ...

in North America on January 4, 2010 and in the PAL region on January 22, 2010. A HD port of this game was released for the

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

on the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

on July 19, 2011 and supported the

PlayStation Move is a motion game controller developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Initially released in 2010 for use with the PlayStation 3 home video game console, its compatibility was later expanded to its successor, the PlayStation 4 in 2013, its Pla ...

controller. A

3DO Interactive Multiplayer The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, also referred to as simply 3DO, is a home video game console developed by The 3DO Company. Conceived by entrepreneur and Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the 3DO was not a console manufactured by the company ...

version was announced but never released.

Plot

The player, as is the standard in American Laser Games releases, assumes the role of an anonymous individual who takes part in a series of

showdown A showdown is a duel. The term may also refer to: Places * Showdown Ski Area, in Montana, United States Books * ''Showdown'' (Amado novel), a 1984 novel by Jorge Amado * ''Showdown'' (Dekker novel), a 2006 novel by Ted Dekker * ''Showdown'' (F ...

s with several different

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...

s. It is suggested that the protagonist is a lawman. This is confirmed by the three available

difficulty level Game balance is a branch of game design that is described as a mathematical-algorithmic model of a game’s numbers, game mechanics, and relations between the two. Game balance consists of adjusting values to create a certain user experience. Play ...

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

and

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

. The

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

setting is the scene of up to five showdowns, during which the player must draw his

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

as quickly as possible and shoot the enemies before they manage to shoot the player. The aim of the game is to defeat all the foes the player is up against; if this is achieved flawlessly, the lawman takes part in a final showdown in which he faces Wes Flowers, "one of the world's fastest quick-drawers", who is not a fictional character, but a real-life Fast Draw champion. If Flowers is also defeated, the player receives the title of Best Deputy, Super Sheriff or Master Marshal, depending on the difficulty level.

Gameplay

In each of the gunfights, the player must attempt to out-draw the villains, first by holstering the available light gun and proceeding to wait until a signal is given that lets him know he must draw, aim and fire at the enemy or enemies, as quickly as possible. A foul occurs if one draws the gun too soon, with a maximum of three allowed, and a chance to face Wes Flowers is only given if all four of the previous gunfights are victorious for the player. At times, the player faces two opponents instead of one, but, invariably, only one will draw his or her gun and thus pose a threat. The game ends successfully when the player has defeated all of the villains, including Wes Flowers.

Reception

Play Meter ''Play Meter'' (initially ''Coin Industry Play Meter'') was an American trade magazine focusing on the coin-op amusement arcade industry, including jukebox and arcade game machines. It was founded in December 1974 by publisher and editor Ralph C. ...

'' listed the title to be the twenty-sixth most-popular arcade game at the time.

References

{{American Laser Games 1994 video games Arcade video games Cancelled 3DO Interactive Multiplayer games Light gun games LaserDisc video games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Move-compatible games Video games about police officers Video games developed in the United States Western (genre) video games WiiWare games Wii games Full motion video based games American Laser Games games Single-player video games Digital Leisure games Global VR games