Video Game Review #520: Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters

Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters

Arcade

Nostalgia Factor:

Growing up, I always loved the original Lethal Enforcers arcade game. As much as I enjoyed the game, I rarely encountered its Wild West inspired sequel. I recall playing one or two times, liking it, but not having enough quarters to ever finish the game.

Once I learned how to emulate, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd return to Lethal Enforcers II at some point and finally beat the game once and for all. And that time has arrived. Lethal Enforcers II, here we come.

Story:

Does this game have a story? Playing as an unnamed and unseen protagonist, you shoot your way through a series of stages, each one themed off the Old West. There's a bank robbery, a caravan chase, a saloon shootout, all that good Old Westy kind of stuff. Presumably you are a cop or a sheriff, as your life gauge is represented by sheriff stars.

Nothing about the story is really explained in-game though. And once you beat the final boss, the credits start to roll with absolutely no ending sequence whatsoever. The game just abruptly ends. Huh.

Gameplay:

This is a simple and fun light gun shooter. If you are unfamiliar with how these games work, let me tell you. If you are playing using an actual arcade cabinet, you stand there and fire the gun at the bad guys that pop up on the screen. To reload, you have to aim the gun off screen and fire it, which fills your chamber back up again. You don't control your character's movement. The screen moves around by itself and takes you from scene to scene. Literally all you do is shoot and reload.

If you are emulating the game, you can use the controller to move the cursor around on the screen. Everything still works exactly the same, only you are using a controller rather than the light gun. My main complaint with this is how the reloading works. You have to move the cursor to the bottom of the screen, hit the shoot button, and then bring it back up again and start firing at your enemies. This was a little wonky for me. Often, this action would not reload my gun, and then I'd be stuck firing an empty weapon at the enemies on screen - resulting in a lot of cheap deaths.

I forget exactly how many levels there are (some reviewer I am!) but I think there are four or five. These levels are no longer than 10 minutes each - if that. Make sure you don't shoot any innocent bystanders, or you'll lose a badge off your health gauge. At the end of each stage, you square off against a boss character. Beat him, and you move onto the next stage. Well, unless it is the final boss. Then the game just abruptly ends.

There is a "quick draw" boss battle somewhere in the middle of the game. You face off against three enemies, but you can't shoot them till they draw their weapon first. You really have to be quick and mow them down one, two, three - or you'll lose a life and have to do it all over again. I got stuck here for a while. It's definitely the most challenging part of the whole game, which is not saying much.

The entire game can easily be beaten in 30 to 40 minutes. I am probably being generous with those estimates. It's a very short game. It's still fun, though. Perfect length for a game like this. It doesn't overstay its welcome.

Graphics:

You can probably tell by the screenshots that the game doesn't necessarily look good. The digitized graphics and character models have not aged very well, but that doesn't mean they look bad. The game has a fun, cheesy feel to it. 

I was digging the Old West theme. It feels like you are playing through an old spaghetti Wester. There are a lot of unique character models. My favorites were the shotgun toting old lady in the blue dress (I laughed out loud when she came busting through a window and shot my ass) and the town drunk shambling through the middle of a shootout. Amazingly, I managed not to hit him both times he appeared in the game.

Sound:

I enjoyed the game's music. It is very typical Western music that would feel right at home in any old movie. I particularly enjoyed the little jingle that plays whenever you pop a quarter (either real or virtual) into the game.

Sound effects aren't as good. The sound of gunfire is somewhat weak, and the guy yelling at you to reload all the time gets old fast.

Overall:

I had a good time with this game. That said, I realize its limitations. It is very short. It is very easy (as long as you have a large pile of quarters at your side). Basically, all you are doing is pointing at a screen and shooting. The graphics are outdated, and there is not much replay value to the game. Once you beat it, there is not a whole lot of reason to come back.

Despite its limitations, I can't help but appreciate the charm of this title. I love the setting and the music. It is a near perfect representation of a low budget Western movie. I don't know if that is the intent or not, but it really nails it. The gameplay itself is fun, too. It's simple, yeah, but I never had a bad time with the game. It is perfectly fun for what it is: a short, straightforward, campy light-gun shooter. 

If you like this kind of game, you will like Lethal Enforcers. I'm not going to say it is a great, or even a particularly good game. But it is fun, warts and all. It earns a recommendation from me. A slight recommendation, but a recommendation nonetheless.

THE GRADE:

C+

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