7.2 /10 1 Votes
4.3/5 Release date(s) 2001 Initial release date 18 April 2001 Genre Real-time tactics Designer Armin Gessert | 6/10 Steam Publisher(s) Infogrames Mode(s) Single player Series Desperados Developer Spellbound Entertainment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems Similar Spellbound Entertainment games, Real-time tactics games, Other games |
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a stealth-based real-time tactics computer game, developed by Spellbound Entertainment and released in 2001. In the game, the player controls up to six characters in a wild west setting. The protagonist is a worldly knife fighter and gunslinger, John Cooper. He takes on a bounty to capture a notorious train robber named "El Diablo". As Cooper sets off on his quest, he is aided by five other friends and they work together in a real-time, stealth based structure very similar to that introduced in Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, although an all-out gunfight is still highly possible in the game. A sequel called Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge was released in late March 2006. A second sequel, Helldorado, (announced as expansion pack Desperados 2: Conspiracy but made into a full game) was released in mid-2007 in Germany. The English version was released in some regions in November 2007.
Contents
Story
The game takes place in New Mexico, 1881. Many trains have been robbed the last few months by a mysterious and vicious bandit named El Diablo. The railroad company Twinnings & Co has offered $15,000 to the one who can stop El Diablo. Bounty hunter John Cooper accepts the task, despite the objections of bad-tempered and contemptuous US Marshal Jackson, but soon learns the mission is not as simple as he first assumed. John intends to create a team of his old partners to aid him on his hunt for the train robbers, consisting of Sam, Doc and Kate. When he discovers that Sánchez is not in fact the leader of the raids, he releases him and enlists his help too. The team of 5 end up increasing by one more when Mia's father is killed at his outpost, and she vows to avenge his death.
In a surprising twist, El Diablo is revealed to be Marshal Jackson himself, who captures the characters and jails them in his secret cave headquarters. With the help of Mia, they successfully escape out of their cell. Cooper then chases El Diablo up to his office and kills him in the ensuing gunfight.
Demo Version
The demo of the game features instead a bounty hunt of Dillon, a criminal, with Cooper, Kate and Doc as playable characters. The plot makes mockery of the classics western duels when another bounty hunter, facing Dillon, get shot in the back, making clear to the player that this game requires a stealthier approach.
However this level was recreated as the tutorial of the sequel.
Characters
A bounty hunter of English ancestry and leader of the gang; the player begins the game with this character. His tutorial is the first level, taking place in Opelousas, LA. He is the most important character in the gang, and is playable in every mission except in the tutorials for the other characters. Cooper carries a Remington Army 1875 revolver, and can shoot three men within a second. He also carries a throwing knife which he can use as a weapon and cutting tool. Cooper is one of two characters who can carry unconscious or dead bodies, but he is the only character who can climb walls and mountains and saddle horses. The pocket watch which he acquires in his tutorial plays a tune after a preset time, which proves very useful for luring enemy guards into striking range. Voiced by John Chancer.
Gameplay
The game is well known for having a very advanced AI. The player can use flashlights on NPCs to see their fields of vision. Depending on the color of the cone, the player can see the mental state of the NPC. If the cone is green, it means the person is calm. Similarly, a yellow cone signifies suspicion, and a red means the NPC has spotted one of the characters. Some colors signify special status such as a pink cone, meaning the NPC has become attracted to Kate, or a black cone, meaning they have been hit by Mia's blowpipe.
Another special feature is the Quick Action, in which certain actions - from running to a certain place up to using a weapon against a pre-targeted enemy - can be 'pre-programmed' and called upon immediately when needed. For instance, by programming his revolver with Quick Action, Cooper can either concentrate all three shots he can fire on a single opponent or divide them between up to three targets without having to move the mouse icon around.
An easter egg is to be found in the tutorial level for Doc McCoy: When he builds his scarecrow on the pier, a sequence occurs which references a scene from The Empire Strikes Back.
Critical reception
The game received generally favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator GameRankings, 80% of critics gave the game positive reviews, based on 28 reviews. On Metacritic, the game had an average score of 78 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.