Outlaw (Atari 2600)

Outlaw was originally released by Atari in arcades in 1976. The Atari 2600 port was released in 1978 and was actually a better game. The concept was basically two gunfighters shooting it out against each other and could be played vs. the computer or another player.

Like most Atari 2600 games, this one is pretty simple. You control one of two gunfighters with the old west theme clearly being indicated by the cowboy hats, obstacles and names. One gunfighter is faster and the other is more accurate adding a tiny bit of variety. There are also various game modes. Some involve just the two gunfighters, others have obstacles, and there are also target practice modes.

A friend of mine used to joke that they called this game "Sit Down". That's because when you get shot, it looks like you sit down (see the last screen shot). Thinking of it that way definitely adds a lot of humor to the game.

This was a pretty basic game but it was pretty good compared to the competition at the time. Reviews were positive and it was fun enough in short bursts. From a historical and curiosity perspective it is worth trying but it isn't really the type of game that holds up well today. But if you have an original cartridge lying around, you can play it on the upcoming Atari 2600+ from Atari. It will play your original Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 cartridges and has HDMI out so you don't have to worry about screwing this the analog connection of the original.

There weren't really any sequels to this game that I know of. There was also a port to the Atari 400/800 in 1981 which I'm sure had slightly better graphics but otherwise was likely very much the same. Outlaw was released via most of the various Atari Flashback consoles and for Windows and Xbox 360 via Game Room.

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