Outlaw

As a gunslinger, take aim to shoot targets or your opponent’s gunslinger.

About the Game

At the time of Outlaw’s release on the Atari Video Computer System, the United States was at the tail end of a decades-long love affair with Western films and television serials. The game’s design, from the package art to the bowlegged walk of the gunslinger, evoked the same feelings as the movies and shows. The children playing the game when it first hit shelves may not have spent time in front of the television wearing cowboy hats and toy gun holsters, but there was a good chance that the parents who bought the games did.

Gameplay held up its end of the bargain. The ability to crouch and aim (being limited to only three angles did nothing to diminish how cool it was), blow holes in stagecoaches and catci, and bounce shots into your target added to the fun. Of course, the biggest thrills came from the Six Shooter games. In particular, taunting foes who foolishly fired their six shots while your gun was far from empty. You also needed to master bowlegged dancing to entice poor shots when you were the one stuck with a depleted six-shooter.

The three Wall games were a test of nerves. How much of the wall can you blast away and remain safe from incoming shots? How much of a gap in the wall do you need to make accurate shots at your opponent? Game 12, featuring a moving wall and six-shooters, was the ultimate one-on-one Outlaw showdown.

Object of the Game

The objective in two-player (Gunslinger) games is to score 10 hits against your opponent before your opponent scores 10 hits against you. One-player (Target Shoot) games are a race against the clock. You must hit a bouncing target 10 times to stop the timer, which counts down from 99.

Gunslinger

Two gunslingers face each other across the playfield with a barrier between them. Whenever a gunslinger is hit, the game pauses the action to tally the score.

How to Play

Your gunslinger moves in the direction you push the joystick. A gunslinger always faces the same direction, so pushing back on the joystick causes your gunslinger to walk backward.

To fire your six-shooter, press and release the red controller button. If you press and hold the button, your gunslinger stays in a crouched position and you can aim your gun up or down. Release the button to fire your gun. Bullets ricochet off the top or bottom boundaries of the playfield, a method you need to master for games with indestructible barriers.

Target Shoot

Your gunslinger starts on the left side of the screen with a bouncing target on the right side and a barrier in between. Your gunslinger remains crouched after firing a bullet until that bullet hits a barrier, the target, or the boundary beyond the target.

Difficulty Options

With the difficulty set to A, your bullets disappear immediately if your gunslinger is shot. If the difficulty is set to B, your bullets continue in flight even if your gunslinger goes down.

Game Options

Features

There are two features that impact your gunslinger and another two that alter the way you interact with the barrier.

Getaway (GT)

You can move your gunslinger immediately after firing.

Six Shooter (6S)

Your gun only has six bullets in it. Guns are reloaded with an additional six shots only after both players have exhausted their six shots.

Blowaway (BW)

You can shoot away pieces of the barrier until it completely disappears.

Moving Barrier (MV)

The barrier between gunslingers (or gunslinger and target) scrolls down continually during the duel.