Gameplay
Outlaws is a first-person shooter. Players control the character as he utilizes several American Old West weapons and items, such as a rifle, shotgun, dynamite and revolver. The player can activate the lantern inventory item to lighten dark areas, and use a shovel in specific areas to dig holes. In the lower difficulty levels, termed Good and Bad, the player is able to sustain several bullet wounds with no apparent ill effects. In the hardest difficulty level, Ugly, the player's resistance is reduced to one or two shots. This forces the player into a different style of play. Where on the easier difficulty levels a player might charge into a gunfight heedless of Anderson's personal health, in Ugly mode, the player must use stealth and cover to win.[2]
It is the first video game to feature a sniper zoom, and one of the earliest examples of a reloading mechanic.[3][4]
Some weapons have alternate fire modes. The basic revolver is a single-shot weapon; holding the alternate fire button allows the player to fire rapidly, akin to fanning. The rifle has no alternate mode until the player acquires a telescopic sight, whereupon alternate fire allows the player to use it as a sniper rifle. Knives can stab, or be thrown. In contrast, the Gatling gun, when deployed, can traverse from side to side, but the player is otherwise unable to move until they stow the weapon away.
Scenarios include a Wild West town, a moving train, a sawmill, a mine, a cliff-side, a Civil War battlefield and a wharf area.
Aside from the main single player campaign, Outlaws includes a set of five discrete missions that chronicle Anderson's rise to the rank of U.S. Marshal. Each of the missions requires Anderson to either capture or kill a specific outlaw. Ranks (Deputy, Sheriff, and Marshal) are awarded on the accumulation of a set number of points. Points are awarded for recovering stolen gold, capturing/killing the outlaw, and for killing enemies. Each outlaw that the player captures or kills appears in a jail cell in Anderson's field office. More points are awarded for capturing an outlaw than for killing one, due to the difficulty in capturing one alive. Completion of the Historical Missions is not a requirement for playing the single player campaign.[2]
Outlaws also features a multiplayer deathmatch in four variants, including a Kill the Fool with the Chicken mode. Multiplayer can be played over local area network, and it was one of the featured games on the MSN Gaming Zone before its demise. The player can assume the role of one of six characters from the main game: James Anderson, Matt "Dr. Death" Jackson, "Bloody" Mary Nash, Chief Two-Feathers, "Gentleman" Bob Graham, and "Spittin'" Jack Sanchez. Each character has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of speed/maneuverability, weapons selection, and resistance.[2][5]
The game was shipped on Mixed Mode CD, which allowed the music score, composed by Clint Bajakian, to also be played in an audio CD player. An orchestra was used with authentic instruments which was uncommon at that time. It is noteworthy that, for the game's original release, the rear cover of the jewel-case listed the fifteen tracks of the soundtrack like any normal audio CD.
