Dead Man's Hand

Rating:
Summary: Another good use of the Unreal engine, but BAD save system..
Review: Darn! Another good game that suffers from the "I'll never let you save where you want" programming syndrome. The gameplay is great; you are a wronged desperado betrayed by your ex-compadres, and you travel throughout the west, hunting them down.

I like the weapon selections, the game is easy to learn, the bonus points for "trick shots" is cool as well. The only drawback is the stupid save system - save at chapters only! What a rip-off. Fortunately, I enjoy repeating parts of the game but that won't last forever.

Buy Dead Man's Hand due to the low price vs. the high enjoyment value.

Rating:
Summary: Another good use of the Unreal engine, but BAD save system..
Review: Darn! Another good game that suffers from the "I'll never let you save where you want" programming syndrome. The gameplay is great; you are a wronged desperado betrayed by your ex-compadres, and you travel throughout the west, hunting them down.

I like the weapon selections, the game is easy to learn, the bonus points for "trick shots" is cool as well. The only drawback is the stupid save system - save at chapters only! What a rip-off. Fortunately, I enjoy repeating parts of the game but that won't last forever.

Buy Dead Man's Hand due to the low price vs. the high enjoyment value.

Rating:
Summary: Won't run. Crashes to desktop
Review: I have a fairly new computer, with display drivers that have run all other games I've loaded. Dead Man's Hand appeared to load properly, but then when I try to start the game, it crashes to the desktop. I've spent a lot of time with the ReadMe file, and with various online resources, including the manufacturer's troubleshooting web page, but still can't make the game work. If you are a computer whiz, you might risk buying this game, but if you are an average fellow who likes PC games but hasn't spent his life as a computer geek, you are advised to avoid this game.

Rating:
Summary: FUN but you might want to wait for RED DEAD REVOLVER
Review: I liked this game. And it is perfect for younger players...no gore/blood. It is violent....but not nasty. It is more like old cowboy movie violence instead of brutal carnage. A better game called RED DEAD REVOLVER is coming. Rockstar Games is releasing it for console but PC will follow. Rockstar made the Grand Theft Auto series, Max Payne and the new hit Manhunt!
I am glad to see them doing a western. I am betting it will blow away western fans or those looking for something new. I swear if I have to kill another Nazi or alien I am going to scream!!!

Dead Man's Hand was a nice change from the stupid and repetitive dark dungeons or abandoned space stations or lava pits we get thrown at us in every darn game! Game creators are so busy trying to make a gun look realistic that they forget to make a games environment ORIGINAL. Game companies need more artists to balance out the tunnel vision of the programming staff!

The games AI is crappy. The enemies move in predictable patterns. A harder setting does not increase their intelligence, it simply makes them shoot faster, the hits do more damage and the first aid kit value is lowered. The game play itself is rough and unpolished. Most games let you walk over fallen fences, etc. In this game, you catch on every damn corner, window, piece of wood on the ground!! Very frustrating when you need to dodge bullets quickly! This game has just been released and already it has a patch available. Not a good sign but that is how Atari does things!

The graphics are chunky and unimpressive. I think Atari just threw this out as an after thought to maybe bang out a quickie profit. Atari is becoming more and more disappointing. They have really gotten away with the legend of their "BRAND NAME" for too long now. Time to walk the walk and drop the talk!

Dead Man's Hand is long though. It will keep you busy. For $20, that is not a bad spend. There is a nice variety of weapons and missions. You are given the option of palying a few hands of poker before each mission. As you win, you get more ammunition and alternate weapon power. If you lose one hand,you lose it all. But you can always quit and restart to try again. lol I loved it. The poker was a nice diversion.

If you have $20 to blow, this game will be enjoyable. If you are budget conscious or spending yor money on several games like Far Cry and Manhunt...saving for RED DEAD REVOLVER can only be a good gamble. If the reviews are good, buy that game instead. If the reviews tank, Dead Man's Hand will only be cheaper in another month anyway! lol

Rating:
Summary: Best Western Since Outlaws
Review: Like just about anything, how you feel about this game depends on where you're coming from. My review comes from the point of view of someone who buys a game largely based on it's setting and immersiveness. I play single player only.

AND... I'm one of the many that really enjoyed LucasArt's Outlaws of so many years ago, back in the 2D graphics (sprites) age. Since then there have been excellent First Person Shooters, but they've been shooting space aliens, terrorists, modern soldiers, and of late WWII. Vietnam is becoming fashionable. There was one covering the War Between the States (pitiful), but do you recall one for WWI? And the CRYING absence has been the Western.

Of all genres, why has the Old West been given such short shrift? We've had a few video shooters, and there was the "missed it by THAT much" of Western Outlaws, but it would seem that the Old West would be the NATURAL setting for a FPS. If you don't know why, look elsewhere at Amazon for movies like The Comancheros and Rio Lobo, Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales!

And it's from this background that I approach Dead Man's Hand. I've been wanting an immersive Western FPS, and here it is. It shows it's heritage as a console game (Xbox) in no mid-level saves and levels shorter than Outlaws' (usually, but not always). But to me the graphics are beautiful, the shooting is fun, the bots behave well, and you're treated to an array of Western guns. It has a great story, and the character you play is someone you develop a real affection for. He's Hispanic, by the way, which is something somewhat uncommon for a game, but my early disappointment that the protagonist wasn't John Wayne or Clint Eastwood gave way to an appreciation for his story and his comments during play.

The feel is a bit more of an arcade than Operation Flashpoint or the Rainbow Six series, but while I generally prefer these games I don't mind this. There is a great physics engine, and the environment is pretty reactive, with some barrels that blow up, some signs or platforms that drop, some wagons you can set in motion downhill to crush your enemies.

If you want a rigid simulation, this probably isn't it. But if you want to sit down and have some fun in the Old West, I highly recommend this! Actually, if it WERE that rigid sim set in the West, I fear the gameplay would end up not fitting The West. A rigid sim would result in players crouching and skulking from one bit of cover to another, like a wargame. That kind of play doesn't fit the West. This game's gameplay does! You can (and should) use cover, but you're drawn to be bolder and move more aggressively ahead. The levels are engaging and pulls you into the story. I'm only half way through it and I really enjoy it. This is the heir of Outlaws I've been looking for.

Rating:
Summary: Best Western Since Outlaws
Review: Like just about anything, how you feel about this game depends on where you're coming from. My review comes from the point of view of someone who buys a game largely based on it's setting and immersiveness. I play single player only.

AND... I'm one of the many that really enjoyed LucasArt's Outlaws of so many years ago, back in the 2D graphics (sprites) age. Since then there have been excellent First Person Shooters, but they've been shooting space aliens, terrorists, modern soldiers, and of late WWII. Vietnam is becoming fashionable. There was one covering the War Between the States (pitiful), but do you recall one for WWI? And the CRYING absence has been the Western.

Of all genres, why has the Old West been given such short shrift? We've had a few video shooters, and there was the "missed it by THAT much" of Western Outlaws, but it would seem that the Old West would be the NATURAL setting for a FPS. If you don't know why, look elsewhere at Amazon for movies like The Comancheros and Rio Lobo, Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales!

And it's from this background that I approach Dead Man's Hand. I've been wanting an immersive Western FPS, and here it is. It shows it's heritage as a console game (Xbox) in no mid-level saves and levels shorter than Outlaws'. But to me the graphics are beautiful, the shooting is fun, the bots behave well, and you're treated to an array of Western guns. It has a great story, and the character you play is someone you develop a real affection for. He's Hispanic, by the way, which is something somewhat uncommon for a game, but my early disappointment that the protagonist wasn't John Wayne or Clint Eastwood gave way to an appreciation for his story and his comments during play.

The feel is a bit more of an arcade than Operation Flashpoint or the Rainbow Six series, but while I generally prefer these games I don't mind this. There is a great physics engine, and the environment is pretty reactive, with some barrels that blow up, some signs or platforms that drop, some wagons you can set in motion downhill to crush your enemies.

If you want a rigid simulation, this probably isn't it. But if you want to sit down and have some fun in the Old West, I highly recommend this! Actually, if it WERE that rigid sim set in the West, I fear the gameplay would end up not fitting The West. This game's gameplay does! It's engaging and pulls you into the story. I'm only half way through it and I really enjoy it. This is the heir of Outlaws I've been looking for.

Rating:
Summary: Finally,a game worth more than the price!!!!
Review: Thank you , ATARI. Thank you for saving me 20 or 30 dollars on a game i would be o.k. with paying that much more for. Other than the linear paths you must take to get from point A to point B, this game is an absolute blast. Western fan or not. There are an incredible collection of backdrops and bad-guys to fill MANY hours of gameplay. The creative way that they have you earn ammo at the start of each level by playing a game of poker. You win, you get ammo. You lose, you lose it all. At the start of the game you are shown an overly-simplistic sequence where everything is still photos with dialogue over it. The first impression was that they put little time into the cut-scenes. Well, that was wrong. After that, the cut-scenes come alive with full animation and voiceovers. They are done in a grainy-style to give it a film-noir look. The weapons are very nice, each one having a distinct sound and feel.The missions are short, but there are a bunch of them. Including bonus missions, I've played through 19 so far and i see no end in sight. ATARI, I don't know why you did this, but, thank you. A game of this quality and price gives me hope that the future of PC gaming is bright. This is in the top 10 of the best shooters I've ever played. And I've been playing them since 1993. Great work, ATARI.