|
|
Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Wild West
Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Old West is a game that really only came to my attention during a free play weekend hosted by Steam. The game is a 3rd Person online multiplayer shooter where you get to pick from four different classes. The gameplay is very team based which has led to a lot of Team Fortress 2 comparisons but the wild west setting, not to mention the 3rd person viewpoint gives this game a different feel.
Those looking for a single player experience or any semblance of a plot are out of luck as Lead & Gold is completely online only. The gameplay mechanics are very easy to grasp which means this game this game is well suited to new players that want to test out the genre while not getting obliterated instantly by veterans. The downside is that a lot of players might look at this game as a watered down experience and even for new players there are some factors that can impede your enjoyment. Lets take a look at the highlights first. Lead & Gold has a nice selection of game modes that are all variations on the traditional ones. Conquering waypoints in order, blowing up enemy structures, stealing enemy gold to deposit at your own base and more are all staples of the genre but Lead & Gold has a few of its own tricks as well. While playing one member of the team can grab the spawn flag from the base and carry it on their back. All team members who die will then be respawned at the carriers location. If the flag carrier is killed the flag will be dropped for another player to pick up the gauntlet or for an enemy to grab which sends it back to its original base. You can choose if you want to spawn at the flag location or at the base which is handy to escape spawn campers. Another interesting feature is the "Synergy" that rewards players for sticking together and having variation in their team. Each character class has their own type of buff that they share with nearby team members and these include things like increased speed and armour. You can also heal downed team members regardless of your class which is a big help. Players earn experience and level up while playing which will boost their synergy for the duration of the round. There are no persistent unlocks however and each round starts with everyone on even footing. Each of the four classes, Trapper, Blaster, Gunslinger and Deputy have only one primary weapon and one rechargeable special ability. For the Trapper this is the ability to lay down bear traps, perfect for setting enemies up for a headshot, while the blaster can toss sticks of dynamite. Certain maps favour certain classes but overall the different classes are all fun to play. Getting fatally wounded places your character in "last stand" mode where they can still take pot-shots at the enemy using a pistol albeit with wobbly vision and without the benefit of a crosshair. Getting helped by a team mate while in this mode will allow you to stand up again and get back into the game. Sadly this brings us to some of the bad points. The overriding issue with Lead & Gold seems to be lag (makes the games acronym quite ironic) and while there are a few dedicated servers up and running a lot of people are stuck hosting their own games and hoping for the best due to their location. This annoyance extends to the server browser which is far from the best. My experience while playing was very entertaining when I could find a decent game but my ping was way too high for any of the dedicated servers. The whole notion of teamwork also went out the window in most games as players simply ran around shooting each other regardless of the game mode. Laying on the ground bleeding to death while team members simply camp a few feet away from you completely ignoring your pleas help sucks. The game doesn't even support in-game voice communication so you are left typing everything you want to convey to your team. The lack of character customization is also a bit of a missed opportunity. At least the game has a plethora of achievements to unlock. Playing in third person works pretty well and while I can appreciate the simplified controls, the lack of a crouch button is a bit weird. You can't switch teams in the middle of a game either which can be a nuisance when trying to balance matches. Visually the game looks very nice with detailed character models and large, colourful maps. The characters all conform to their stereotypes so the blaster is a grizzled old cigar chomping brute while the trapper is a coonskin hat wearing femme fatale. You can even shoot the hats off enemies but the violence never veers into the gruesome so don't expect decapitations or dismemberment. The visuals strike a balance between comic and realistic which helps to set it apart from the pack. There isn't a whole lot of maps but the ones that are present take place in diverse locations like an abandoned mine, farmstead and train bridge. There doesn't seem to be any custom map editor or support but the levels should last you a while before they get boring. The audio is pretty much what you would expect from a wild west flavoured game with plenty of twangy banjos and "yeehaws" pouring out of your speakers. The guns sound effects are solid and there are plenty of small touches like the sound of spurs when running or hearing your heartbeat while down in last stand mode. I had no hassles with the controls and you only need the bare minimum amount of keys to comfortably manoeuvre your character. When the lag sets in accuracy obviously goes out the window which can be annoying. While I had loads of fun playing Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Old West (the times I could get into a relatively lag free game) in the end I refrained from purchasing it. The online only multi-player shooter market has a ton of options on offer and weighted down by its problems, Lead & Gold struggles to make a big impact. I did however purchase this game as a gift to someone else who hasn't had a lot of experience with the genre and they loved it. If you live close enough to the dedicated servers and don't have a lot of experience with superior games in the genre you can easily ad a few more points to the final score. That is a lot of "ifs" however and to many the pros simply outweighs the cons. It's a shame really as Lead & Gold is a game that has a lot of potential that unfortunately looks like it will go unfulfilled. Games of this type live or die by their communities so I can't comment on the future of this title but one thing is for sure, it can definitely benefit from a few more patches. |
System Requirements
TAGS: :Lead & Gold, Wild West, Gunslingers, Trapper, Deputy, Blaster, Gunslinger, Synergy, Team Based,
|
|
|
Copyright © 2010 GAMERamble. All rights reserved