Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Fatshark
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 5200+ 2.6 GHz CPU, 1.5 GB RAM, 2.0 GB free hard-drive space, GeForce 7800 series or ATI Radeon X1900 graphics card with Shader Model 3.0 compatibility, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Team-based shooter
Release date: April 8, 2010

I have been known to complain endlessly about there being too many games set in World War II. I just find it incredibly irritating that game designers seem continuously unable to dream up interesting settings, or to simply use a historical period that isn’t 1939 to 1945. Often one of the reasons cited is that there was no other time when firearms were widely used. Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West, a new game from Swedish developer Fatshark, is a great example of the fallacy that is the above statement. It is set in the Wild West, and is a most welcome break from the excruciatingly overused WWII theme. Setting up a bear trap to catch a gunslinging outlaw seems novel and fresh when compared to planting a land mine to frag a Nazi.

Lead and Gold is a multiplayer shooter that is, in many aspects,  reminiscent of Team Fortress 2, although somewhat smaller in scale. There are four player classes. First is the big, fat Blaster; a miner armed with a double-barreled shotgun, deadly at close range, who can also throw sticks of dynamite. Then comes the Deputy, outfitted with a carbine and good at medium to long distance. His ability to mark targets is very helpful. Third is the Gunslinger, a revolver-wielding shooter who can dramatically increase his rate of fire, although at the expense of some accuracy. Last is the obligatory sniper class: the Trapper. She is a mountain girl who can not only reach you from across the map, but can also lay down the law in the form of very unpleasant bear traps.

Each class radiates a unique “synergy effect,” which is essentially a buffing aura. A nearby Blaster can increase your armor, a Deputy can up your damage, a Gunslinger can build your accuracy, and a Trapper can make you more likely to perform a critical strike. The game also boasts four modes. One is based on controlling certain locations in sequence. Another is all about blowing up specific objectives. In the third you bring as many sacks of gold to your base as possible, and the final one requires the attacking team to blow up the defenders’ safe and recover the gold inside of it. Of note is the fact that you can’t shoot while carrying either gold or a powder keg, and so you must depend on your team to protect you.

The game graphics are reasonably pleasing, with a cartoonish art style and bright, cheerful maps. The engine allows for some nice depth-of-field effects, although the jury is still out on whether they enhance the gameplay or not. What I found somewhat problematic were the controls. Since the game is a third-person shooter, you see your character running a bit to the left of center, which is fine, except in confined spaces, where I often found myself stuck against a wall; I was navigating with my own (not the character’s) position in mind. The accuracy of fire also caused me some frustration, because in many instances it’s difficult to tell whether something is blocking the character’s field of view or not.

On a more positive note, Lead and Gold is full of little things that make the game more fun to play and allow for interesting strategies. For example, when you get killed, after the brief time-out period you can either spawn at the origin point, or, if one of your teammates is carrying (or has hidden somewhere) a mobile spawn point, you can choose to come to life there. If an enemy touches this “flag,” it is placed back at your base. Another interesting feature is the ability to pull out a pistol when you are on the ground wounded. It’s a lot like the Last Stand perk in Modern Warfare 2, except in Lead and Gold you can only shoot in the general direction of whatever you want to hit, rather than taking careful aim. At that point, you can either be killed or a teammate can revive you. Overall, Lead and Gold is an interesting little game, and for a mere $15 fans of the genre are certain to have fun playing it.