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Dead Man's Hand
Although there’s
been plenty of high-noon gun-slinging gaming around since the dawn of
video games, it’s been less prevalent over the past few years. That’s
going to change soon, as Atari will be giving gamers the chance to get
back in the Wild West saddle again with Dead Man’s Hand, an
Xbox-exclusive first-person shooter.
If Tom Clancy’s writings are the inspiration of the tactical
first-person shooter of the now-famous classic Ubisoft lineup FPS on the
Xbox, Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns and
Clint
Eastwood cowboy flicks are the obvious muse for Dead Man’s Hand. The
game places you in the chaps of a expert gunman Buffalo-roaming all
across the Old West on a quest for vengeance with your trusty
six-shooters at your side.
Here’s the official game info, pried from the cold, dead hands of an
Atari PR rep (okay, he wasn’t really dead, but boy, were those hands
chilly!):
Dead
Man’s Hand is a first-person shooter set in the Wild West. You assume
the role of El Tejon, a master gunslinger on a mission of vengeance. As
the story unfolds,
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you will pursue members of "The
Nine," a gang of ruthless outlaws who betrayed you and left you for
dead. For the first time ever, you can experience the best elements of
the Western genre, brought straight from the silver screen to the Xbox
video game system. Gunslinging, bar brawls, horseback action sequences,
train chases and epic showdowns are just part of the Old West feel in
this bona fide "period piece" adventure.
Features:
Uses the latest Unreal Technology from Epic Games to provide amazing
graphical performance, non-stop action and enhanced multiplayer
capabilities via Xbox Live.
An epic Western adventure set in the deserts and hills of the old
Southwest, the mountains and mine shafts of the great Northwest, and the
riverboats and cities of the Midwest.
Allows players to compete against other Xbox owners via Xbox Live as
well as against friends via system link. A variety of competitive and
cooperative play modes will be available.
Nine different firearms to choose from, modeled on the pistols, shotguns
and rifles that made the Old West famous.
Other weapons include knives, dynamite, fixed Gatling guns and cannons.
Over 25 different enemies with multiple variations and types.
Here’s another chance for Microsoft to add another first-person
shooter that’s not soldier-based a la the Tom Clancy trifecta to its
Xbox Live arsenal. Using the Unreal Technology gaming engine gives Dead
Man’s Hand a solid foundation, although the visuals weren’t as
enhanced-looking as the recent string of Unreal games. But Dead Man’s
Hand captures the spirit of the classic western dead-aim with a
wagon-load of “Old West” guns and weaponry and hopefully, a John
Wayne-worthy story that could potentially kick it up a saddle-spur or
two in the quality department. Above all else, the chance to shoot it up
as a cowboy in the Wild, Wild West online makes this an Xbox title to
look out for.
