Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - Game idea

This one struck me the other night when I was watching Tombstone with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. Why not a FPS (first person shooter) in an "Old West" setting? You could have a bunch of different firearms from that historical period. You could have saloon brawls, draw pistols in the street, rob trains, and much more.

*Lots* of potential for great plot lines to reenact history or loosely based on it. Give it a Stephen Crane dime novel motif. You can build your character up by improving horse riding, firearms, fistfighting, and other skills. Play a darker, evil character and raise hell, or play an officer of the law and administer "justice."

Personally, I'd think it'd be a fresh take on the FPS. A little less twitchy than your average FPS, and it has the potential to offer a neat, immersive story.

What do you think?

I like it. I think that would make a great FPS. There hasn't been a good one around for a while... since Quake II, but that's just my opinion. There is a vampire/undead old west FPS that got a decent review in Wired, but I can't remember the name of it.

And by twitchy, do you mean a thumb-killing, button-mashing festival of death and gore? Or just smoother gameplay?

Twitchy means several things to me. Yes, twitchy means thumb-killing, button-mashing festival of death (well said, BTW). It also means, speed speed speed. Little or no thinking or plot. Just run-n-gun. I like these from time to time.

But as I age (33 now), I find I like the slower FPS with fresh ideas and plots. E.g., Deus Ex, Thief series, Morrowwind. Maybe even something like Hitman where there's several ways to accomplish a task. Open-ended play.

Especially single-player. I don't want to come home from work and have my evening of gaming be at the mercy of some schlep somewhere else. We've all had this happen, so I'll leave it at that. But yeah, I like games that proceed at my tempo rather than whatever RPM is the going rate online.

Still, an Old West setting is ripe IMHO.

Twitchy means several things to me. Yes, twitchy means thumb-killing, button-mashing festival of death (well said, BTW). It also means, speed speed speed. Little or no thinking or plot. Just run-n-gun. I like these from time to time.

But as I age (33 now), I find I like the slower FPS with fresh ideas and plots. E.g., Deus Ex, Thief series, Morrowwind. Maybe even something like Hitman where there's several ways to accomplish a task. Open-ended play.

Especially single-player. I don't want to come home from work and have my evening of gaming be at the mercy of some schlep somewhere else. We've all had this happen, so I'll leave it at that. But yeah, I like games that proceed at my tempo rather than whatever RPM is the going rate online.

Still, an Old West setting is ripe IMHO.
I'll have to try Deus Ex, Thief, and Morrowwind. I like the idea of a more calculated, thinking game.

My wife and I just finished Batman Begins (it was okay... there was some pointless, repetitive gameplay, but okay overall) and we're working on Shrek2. Yes I know, but it's hilarious.

Definitely single player. Or two players working together. I'm not one for the on-line team stuff. And if a FPS never has another capture the flag mode again, it will be too soon. That, however, is sheer opinion.

I do like the Old West setting for a FPS. You aren't by chance a game developer in search of a freelance writer, are you? :D

No, I'm actually a writer (more aspiring than actual) that would love to develop a game. I think the window where I could learn C++ and OpenGL has unfortunately closed. I have to stick to Perl to get anything done these days.