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### Gangsters / Sniper [Atari XE/XL]

#### http://atari.fandal.cz/

#### Reviewed By J. Monkman

After spending hours playing Fandal's highly addictive 'Mind Blast' (reviewed in RGCD #02) I was initially enthusiastic about reviewing these two when they first appeared on atari.fandal.cz. However, my interest wavered after reading the release notes; both Gangsters and Sniper are actually fixes of previously unfinished/broken games, and they ideally require light gun support.

Lacking the hardware (and unable to work out how to get mouse-driven light gun emulation to run) I've had to resort to reviewing these two 8-Bit Atari games via joystick mode - and as most of you know, playing target-based shooters with a joystick is no fun at all. Also, as both releases are essentially slight variations of the same game engine I've decided to include them together in the same review - which has the benefit of saving me from having to try to think of ways to pad out two three-hundred word reviews when both games can be summed up in a single paragraph... A paragraph that ends unpleasantly.

First up we have Gangsters, a game that was previously abandoned by it's original developer back in 2003 and recently brought back from the dead by modern Atari uber-stars Fandal and Raster. Out of the two games, I found this to be the most disappointing; it's a simple gallery shooter that's impossible to win in one-player mode (via the sluggish joystick control) and impossible to lose in two-player mode (due to there only being four stationary targets onscreen at any one time). So far, not so good. The aim of the game is overly simple; in each 'level' you are presented with four targets, and you've a tight time limit in which to shoot the 50's style gangsters. Shoot a civilian or policeman and you'll lose a life, and the same penalty applies if you fail to target a gangster quickly enough. To be fair, the game is probably 'alright' if you've got a light gun, but the lethargic joystick support is criminal - it renders the game completely unplayable. Not only that, but the simultaneous two-player mode is just pointless; with two of you playing you'll only lose a life if you start popping shots at innocents. Unless you have a light gun to play it with, Gangsters is a truly tedious gaming experience - and even with the hardware it won't hold your attention for long.

Sniper, on the other hand, isn't half-bad in comparison. Yes, it still has the same slow no-chance-of-winning joystick support to substitute a lack of light gun, but game-play wise it's OK. Hell, if the joystick control was a little more responsive it would actually be fun. You see, instead of Gangsters' lame and repetitive stationery gallery targets, in Sniper you have to shoot fast-moving critters (several on the go at once) before they reach the opposite side of the screen. The variety, animation and quality of the sprites is pretty good, and I reckon it's probably a laugh to play with the necessary hardware. However, Sniper lacks two-player support - a feature that would have really worked well in the game, with each player trying to protect his side of the screen from invasion. It's almost as if the developers got the design documents for the two games mixed up - Gangsters has two-player functionality (but really doesn't warrant it) whereas Sniper is a single-player only affair.

In conclusion, Sniper is the better release of the two (Gangsters plays more like a tech demo than a game), but neither will keep your interest for more than a few minutes - unless of course you have a real Atari and light gun to play them with. The presentation of both releases is above average, but sadly the lacklustre game-play is not up to scratch. It's inspirational that people out there are making the effort to provide support for alternative peripherals, but games like these should be thoroughly tested and balanced when played via all available control methods.

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Graphics: | 78%
Sound: | 78%
Game Concept: | 30%
Gameplay: | 28%
Lasting Appeal: | 31%

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