A good crop of the games on here started out as Nintendo exclusives to the 3DS, or Wii U. How Nintendo rounded up a bunch of ambitious Western themed games I'll never know, but this one is a dud. A cowboy armadillo that rolls around fighting rock monsters while trying to protect a town is all good on paper, but the execution leaves something to be desired. I’ve never really been a fan of Tower Defense games, but I always give them a fair shake anyway. This game would be good despite that genre, but controlling Dillon with the stylist is frustrating, to say the least. Again I love the idea, and it looks and sounds good on the 3DS, but overall it’s just not fun to p

Rockstar has such a great opportunity to deliver a tale that is bathed in more of a classic period piece than a ritzy Hollywood do over. If the game looks anything like what the teaser presented, they just might deliver that game. It seemed calm yet brooding. It seemed slower, while being thoughtful. The posse of men on horseback seen in the trailer is fitting for the time. It was stupid to travel alone through the wilderness of America, and cowboys relied on each other for not only companionship, but the journey ahead. My mind keeps wandering to The Magnificent Seven though and I can’t shake that this is what might be showcased. A band of cowboy bandits causing all sorts of mayhem in a sort of Magnificent Seven bizarro open world gaming 2025. The previous two games were great because the stories encountered seemed real; the characters seemed like real people dealing with personal qualms that had nothing to do with me. It’s the reason I loved the Witcher 3, the world didn’t care about the player, but if I could stop and help, I’d go for it. Otherwise, time to hit the dusty trail.

Until Rockstar reveals more, though, I will keep being nervous over just what Red Dead Redemption 2 is. A lot of rumors are floating around that it’s a prequel. If it is, they could knock it out of the park, I just don’t want them relying on The Magnificent Seven to do it. Give us an American classic, something steeped in our own mythos, while keeping it fresh. Running and gunning is fun in games, but you can get that anywhere ( GTAV /any shooter ever). Let’s see a western tale more in truth with reality than Hollywood. There are so many other stories out there that get overlooked. If it is a prequel, the fall of John Marston's gang could be done with style. How cool would it be to build up a bandit posse only to have it all ripped away (or in Marstons case, walking away)? Usually in games where the player must form a crew ( Mafia III /GTAV), it’s to set out on some serious mayhem and succeed. To have a game where the player forms their crew only to have it taken away would be the ultimate middle finger to that style of storytelling in gaming. Especially coming from Rockstar. Not only would it flip the script, but it would show Rockstar can even go against their own grain, while not borrowing from Hollywood.

All right so dig this. You’re a vampire cowboy. That's a relatively simple, but brilliant idea, right? All of your gear resembles old-fashioned weaponry, but with a steampunk redesign. Plus there are vampire powers as well like draining enemies of blood for health. Like most vampire games the brooding gothic atmosphere may a bit too overbearing at times and it doesn't nail every mechanic set forth, but it's a really fun game regardless. I can’t believe no one else has made something like this since and it came out in 2005. High Moon Studios planned a sequel, but it was eventually canceled. Since then they’ve been relegated to working on games based on licenses or helping out Call of Duty . It tears my heart ap

The samurai western you should pay attention to is Red Steel 2 . When the first was revealed as a launch game the hype was through the roof. That was before we knew the limits of motion controls. Not good to say the least. So when a sequel was announced, I was admittedly shocked and a little hesitant. It switched the setting to a Western and even made it into a cel-shaded game. Felt like they were specifically baiting me into a trap, but the results were good. The controls were a lot better thanks to the Wii Motion Plus. There's still a bit of jank there, but again, much better than the original. Just goes to show that developers can learn from their mistakes. Ubisoft is kind of the king of that actually. Remember the first Assassin’s Creed ? Yi

One of the most fascinating sub-genres that I discovered was the samurai western. There were three that I stumbled upon with one being bad, one being mediocre, and the other being fantastic. Let's start with bad, Samurai Western . You just know a game is going to be good when it’s named after its genre. I look forward to playing Platformer, First-Person Shooter, and Racing this Fall. Ahem, cheap jokes aside Samurai Western stars Gojiro Kiryu who has traveled to the U.S. in search of his brother Rando. It’s extremely cheesy, the voice acting is some of the worst on the system. Gameplay is your basic hack and slash with some RPG elements thrown in. It’s a great idea and the box art is gorgeous, but Samurai Western is awful on the wh