At a glance...

Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West review

Sometimes the PlayStation Network throws up a few surprises; games you just weren't expecting, and these can turn out to be better than you might first think. This was the case with Paradox Interactive and Fatshark's Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West, not least because this is the first console title for Paradox. They are a company best known for publishing strategy games on the PC, yet here they are with a Western third-person shooter on the PlayStation 3. True, a PC version is also available, but seeing the Paradox logo pop up on my HDTV was a curious sight to see.

So, Lead and Gold is a Western-themed third-person shooter, treading into a genre which has been covered far better by movies than video games, but one with a lot of potential. Having said that, Lead and Gold focusses solely on multiplayer, so the only Western dramas are those about how one team beat another, or how their victory was hollow, depending on the outcome. The multiplayer focus takes away the need for a compelling narrative and an authentic Western environment, and instead we look at how much fun it is, how the setting helps the gameplay and whether there are rocket launchers. The answer to the last question is - unfortunately - a no, but Lead and Gold does provide a variety of weapons from the era, which are selected for you depending on the class you choose.

Lead and Gold follows the Team Fortress 2 approach to multiplayer gaming by providing for a range of character classes, each with their own weapons, for you to select each time you respawn. There are four distinct classes on offer; "The Blaster" whose special ability involves wielding a double-barrelled shotgun, while "The Deputy" can tag enemies for teammates to take out. "The Gunslinger" has a more powerful and more accurate revolver, and "The Trapped" has a hunting rifle and should be watched quite heavily by the other classes. On top of this the game features six different gametypes, varying from standard team deathmatch (TDM) through to a robbery (where the attackers steal gold and the defenders, well, defend), and right on to Greed (where both gangs are trying to get all the gold for themselves). "Gold Fever" offers up some co-op action for those who don't want to be competitive with their friends, and sees two of you at the top of a hill fighting off waves of incoming enemies.

While the gametypes might not be wholly innovative - they are, after all, essentially well-themed versions of existing classics - Lead and Gold does have a few tricks up its sleeve to propel it beyond the generic third-person shooter. Most notable is the game's subtle efforts to encourage teamwork by giving advantages to those players who stick together. Each class offers the group a different advantage, known as a Synergy Effect, which includes greater damage resistance and increased accuracy. The higher the player's level, the greater the Synergy Effect will be. Players level up in the normal way, by gaining experience through actions such as killing an enemy or capturing the gold. The most curious part is that levelling up is contained solely within the match; all players start the round at level 1, even when going into a new map on the same server. The upside of this is that you don't come across overpowered players in the way you can do on the likes of Modern Warfare 2, as those with much more time than yourself dominate the server with their extra abilities. On the other hand the game doesn't reward you for long-term efforts, and indeed lacks any sort of unlockable extra for your dedication.

The fact that there are no unlockable items is a part of the game's biggest flaw; it's lacking depth. While each game can be enjoyable, there are no long-term hooks, and by the time you've seen all seven maps many times over you're left hoping Fatshark are planning to release some more. This leaves Lead and Gold as a game that is designed for shorter multiplayer bursts rather than a comprehensive experience. Thankfully the game does seem to run rather smoothly; I did not experience any disconnections and it would seem that the company has a stable netcode in place to achieve this. In fact, the game in general feels rather polished, with visuals that capture the Western setting well. Also, like the PC version, there seems to be a community building up around Lead and Gold, so hopefully you shouldn't struggle too much to find competition, even if the title isn't picked up by the mainstream.

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