The wild west was nothing like this!

U.S. Game Box Front

The first stage of The Great Battle V
was clearly inspired by great games
like Cabal, or more particularly,
Wild Guns.

This Natsume Logo Should Show
Just How Awesome This Game Is!

I took out the ol' SNES and looked into my cabinet for some more games to talk about on the site. After about fifteen minutes of looking, my hand grabbed Wild Guns, a title that I had completely forgotten about. I then went to check to see just how much information was available for Wild Guns and you know what? I was shocked at the lack of coverage this game has! A pity too, since Wild Guns is a game on nearly every avid SNES fan's wishlist. Why is that so? Because Wild Guns is, without a doubt, one of the finest arcade style action titles available for the SNES and another Natsume gem. Things are looking pretty crazy in the ol' wild west. Vigilantes, crooks, and giant robots are all over the place and two rowdy gunslingers by the names of Clint and Annie are gonna round em' up!

The game uses some vibrant colors which is a good way to bring the west to life. Enemies are wacky, bosses are huge and detailed, everything animates quite well, and explosions are huge and over-the-top. The game is one of the most frenzied shooters on the SNES and despite this, the game remains smooth and consistant. Another big plus to this is just how destructible the environments are! Natsume made sure to fine tune the game and didn't skimp out on even the smallest details. Shooting up signs, tables, billboards, windows, glasses, doors, crates, gas tanks, and...yeehaw! The game sounds fun already dagnabit! The sound is what you would expect from the theme of the game. Nice wild west tunes masterfully composed by Natsume really brings the spirit of the west right into your home.

Wild Guns utilizes a gameplay system that is very user friendly and easy to learn. You basically choose either Clint or Annie and you must roam through different locations to get rid of outlaws and the occasional super robot. The first stage takes place in Carson City but later on, you can choose which level you would like to do. You can move your character left or right along the screen. As you move, the crosshair on the screen also moves and you must target enemies with the crosshair while evading enemy attack at the same time. You can't move and shoot at the same time, but you can use a very helpful evasive maneuver to roll left or right while you attack. You can also double jump away from bombs and the like and as you fight, you will acquire items like super bombs and other guns (you can even become invincible). Enemies will try to throw dynamite at you, but you can even pick it up and throw it right back! The game is two players simultaneously and there are bonus stages as well as a 2 player vs mode.

The game is very balanced in the challenge department, even given its one-hit-kill syndrome and novices and pros alike will want to get their skills up to take this game on. This is one of the few games I am proud to say that I can't really find any real flaws other than the length perhaps. Very balanced all around, and perhaps a shooting masterpiece. I've never found a dull moment from start to finish.

- Written by Vyse the determined -