Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
| Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio | Spellbound Entertainment | ||
| Publisher | Infogrames | ||
| Senior Developer | Armin Gessert | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 July 23, 2001 April 25, 2001 |
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| platform | PC ( Windows ) | ||
| genre | Real-time strategy | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
233 MHz CPU , 64 MB RAM , 4 MB GPU , sound card , 600 MB hard disk space , 4-way CD / DVD-ROM drive, DirectX 7.1 | ||
| medium | 1 CD-ROM , download | ||
| language | German | ||
| Age rating |
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Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a real-time strategy game that was developed by Armin Gessert's studio Spellbound and published in 2001 by Infogrames / Atari SA .
Gameplay
The gameplay is based heavily on that of the Commandos series, but does not act like it did in World War II , but in the Wild West . In Desperados the player controls five other characters in addition to the main character John Cooper , all of which have special skills and tools. Usually the player can only pass a level by combining these skills ; Trigger-happy behavior, on the other hand, rarely helps the player. The game comprises 25 levels of increasing difficulty, which can be attributed to the very good AI of the opponents.
action
The action takes place in New Mexico in 1881. Many trains have been robbed in the last few months by a mysterious and violent bandit boss named El Diablo ( Spanish for 'the devil'). The Twinnings & Co railroad company is offering a $ 15,000 bounty for whoever stops El Diablo. Bounty hunter John Cooper takes on the task - despite the objections of the bad-tempered and despised US Marshal Jackson . However, Cooper soon realizes that the mission may turn out to be more difficult than he assumed. So he plans to form a group consisting of old partners to support him in his mission - including the explosives expert Samuel "Sam" Williams , the doctor and sniper Doc McCoy and the seductive player Kate O'Hara .
On the trail of Pablo Sanchez , who is believed to be behind the robbery, the four travel to Sanchez 'fortress and take him into custody. When they want to deliver him to the marshal, they are almost ambushed, which makes Cooper extremely suspicious. When he tries to get information from the co-director of the railway company, whom he has contacted about the bounty and who is said to be a possible accomplice of El Diablo, he is murdered from behind. Cooper is now suspected of murder and is forced to flee, pursued by Marshal Jackson and the cavalry. Realizing that Sanchez is innocent, he decides to free him. After that is done, the troops - now reinforced by Sanchez - take up the pursuit of El Diablo. You search the office of Carlos , a gang leader who works for El Diablo, and come across a clue: Carlos regularly pays part of his loot as tribute to El Diablo.
The group sets a trap for Carlos and follows him. Along the way, the young Chinese Mia Yung joins the troop to avenge the death of her father, who was killed by the marshal's men while helping the five. But during the operation, Kate and McCoy are captured by the bandits and taken to El Diablo's base. Cooper, Sam, Mia and Sanchez follow them, free McCoy and Kate, and with some difficulty they manage to get to El Diablo's hiding place (an abandoned mine ), where the heroes are captured. Thanks to Mia and her monkey Mr. Leone, they manage to escape from the cell and the team fight their way through El Diablo's headquarters to his office.
In a surprising twist it turns out that behind the mask of El Diablo there is none other than Marshal Jackson himself. It comes to the final duel between him and Cooper, as a result of which El Diablo falls out of the window of his domicile into an abyss, partly studded with huge stalagmites . Cooper tosses him a coin and comments coldly: "Buy yourself a ticket to hell with this."
Characters
- John Cooper
- The player begins the game with him, who will later become the leader of the troop. His tutorial is the first level that takes place in Opelousas ( Louisiana ). He is the main character in the game and can be played in any mission, with the exception of the other characters' tutorials.
- Cooper carries a Remington Army 1875 revolver and can hit three targets in a second. It is also equipped with a throwing knife , which can be used both as a weapon and as a cutting tool. Cooper is one of the two characters who can carry the unconscious or the dead. However, he is the only one who can climb walls and walls, deal a punch and saddle horses. The pocket watch , which he already received in his tutorial, plays a melody after a predetermined time, which is ideal for distraction or lure maneuvers.
- Samuel "Sam" Williams
- An African American who is fascinated by explosives , heavy weapons, and pretty women. His exuberant, opinionated manner often clashes with Doc McCoy's seriousness. His tutorial takes place in an Indian area in Louisiana.
- Sam's equipment includes sticks of dynamite , a sack with a rattlesnake, and rope to tie up unconscious people. In certain missions he can also use TNT barrels to blast the path through an obstacle. His Winchester Rifle has a long range and holds 12 cartridges . Sam is also one of two characters who can operate a Gatling Gun , but only in fixed positions.
- Dr. Arthur "Doc" McCoy
- A scientist and trained doctor of Scottish descent. Cooper saves him from the gallows in Jennings, Louisiana, where he was supposed to be hanging on for fraudulent activities as a quack. He is a somewhat tense person and usually speaks in a low growl. His tutorial takes place at his log cabin on a swamp in Louisiana.
- Doc McCoy owns a Colt Buntline Special , for which he made special high-precision bullets that turn the revolver into a sniper rifle . As a scientist, he also owns gas vials that can be thrown or carried by helium- filled balloons. He is able to bring unconscious characters to their senses and heal wounds. His trench coat can be used to set up a scarecrow to serve as his doppelganger and decoy. He is also using a Dietrichs the castle geezer his team.
- Kate O'Hara
- An Irish - American professional gambler . Kate is rescued in Baton Rouge by Cooper, Sam and McCoy after being caught playing cards for fraud. She is as beautiful as it is seductive, but exaggeratedly self-assured - a quality that causes her several difficulties. As with Cooper, your tutorial takes place in Opelousas.
- Kate has poker cards to distract guards, a mirror that is used on the one hand to dazzle enemies and on the other to ignite the fuse of Sam's TNT kegs from a safe distance, and a quiet deringer with a short range. Kate can attract men by playing with her suspender belt and ultimately kick them unconscious. Your kick is faster and more effective than Cooper's punch. Another seldom used ability is her disguise skills. She is also the only character who automatically sneaks on noisy sub-floors.
- Pablo Sanchez
- A Mexican gang leader of Spanish descent. Sanchez is captured by the first four characters in New Mexico because they suspect he was involved in the train robberies. When the group realizes that Sanchez is innocent, they free him from the Fortezza fortress where he is being held. Sanchez is loud, pushy, and more of a muscle man than a brain. However, his tremendous strength, as well as his knowledge of El Diablo's organization, prove to be quite useful to the team. His tutorial takes place in New Mexico at his fort.
- Sanchez always has tequila with him, which attracts enemies and makes them intoxicated. He can also fool his enemies into a siesta , which causes guards to approach him and ultimately be stunned by his sweeping blow as soon as they are within range. He can also throw stones over long distances and stun opponents. He wields a sawed-off shotgun that can hit multiple targets with just one shot. Like Sam, he can also use Gatling Guns and, due to their enormous power, even carry them by pulling them out of their holder. If Sanchez enters a building in which three or fewer enemies are hiding, he knocks them out unconscious. Thanks to his strength, he is also able to carry two unconscious or dead people at once or to move heavy obstacles aside.
- Mia Yung
- A Chinese girl who joins the group after her father was killed by Marshall Jackson. At 18, she is the youngest member of the team. In her campaign for revenge, she is very brave, although she is not as cocky as Kate. She makes up for her lack of combat strength with skill and intelligence. Her tutorial takes place at a mine in New Mexico.
- Mia uses her small height to hide in barrels. She has a pipe , stun grenades , peanuts and her monkey Mr. Leone to confuse enemies. Your blowgun has a very short range and can only fire one arrow, which does minimal damage. Its actual effect, however, is to make the opponent fall into psychological madness when hit, so that he attacks friends, enemies and civilians. If the victim is not shot, he will faint after a while.
Speaker list
The synchronization was carried out by the Toninton Studios, Bad Vilbel under the direction of Wolfgang Zarges. Doaloge come from Ralf Adam.
| role | German speaker |
|---|---|
| John Cooper | Torsten Münchow |
| Sam | Olaf Renoldi |
| Doc McCoy | Michael Betz |
| Kate O'Hara | Frauke Poolman |
| Sanchez | Helge Heinold |
| Mia | Antonietta Piccinni |
reception
The game generally received mostly positive reviews from critics. 80% of GameRankings.com's reviewers gave the game a positive rating out of a total of 28 reviews. By Metacritic.com the game also received an average rating of 78/100 based on 12 reviews.
successor
→ Main article: Desperados (game series)
In 2006, the second part appeared as the official successor to the Desperados series: Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge .
Due to disagreements between developer Spellbound and publisher Atari, a planned add-on for Desperados 2 appeared in 2007 as an independent game under the title Helldorado .
Trivia
- The role of John Cooper was modeled after Bruce Willis
- The monkey Mr. Leone is an allusion to the spaghetti western director Sergio Leone
- There is an Easter Egg in the "Doc McCoy's Hut" level : At the end of the level, McCoy has to set up a scarecrow. If you set this up at the end of the jetty , McCoy lifts a previously sunk boat with " Jedi forces" out of the water again. Cooper then asks him that he still has the power ( "The power is still with you, young McCoy." )
- The level names partly refer to various western films from the 1970s. The fourth level is called, for example, Hang it higher ! as well as a Clint Eastwood movie. Also play the level names of Level 16 A Fistful Of Dollars , Level 19 For A Few Dollars Less, And Level 18 Six Glorious Scoundrels On The Clint Eastwood Movies For A Fistful Of Dollars , For A Few Dollars More And Two Glorious Scoundrels At.
Web links
- Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive at MobyGames (English)
- Game information on the website of Spellbound Entertainment (English)
- Desperados profile at GameSpot (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive Reviews . Rotten tomatoes . Retrieved May 22, 2010. (English)
- ↑ Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive (pc: 2001): Reviews . Metacritic . Retrieved May 22, 2010. (English)