Weird West

Oftentimes, games will push the feature of "You can do whatever you want!" when the reality is much less expansive. Weird West holds no such false promises; in this case, the world is truly the player's oyster. The game sets the stage, gives you enough tutorials so that you can get your bearings on the controls and mechanics, and then firmly backs off and tells you to have fun. There are the typical RPG (role-playing game) features when it comes to upgrading your weapons and abilities or finding golden cards that will give you permanent benefits shared between characters. But Weird West truly shines in its ambitions and the way it realizes its lofty promises. From the very beginning, there's nowhere on the map arbitrarily restricted from the player. You can completely ignore the main objectives and go exploring, potentially coming across off-track side quests, rare loot, or even random events, which keeps exploration fresh, interesting, and nerve-racking.

In this world, everything you do matters and has a purpose. There are very few people you can't condemn to an early grave, and that goes for all characters, relevant or not. You may eliminate a series of quests by ending certain characters' lives prematurely, but rather than punish you, the game takes a "Sure, let's roll with it!" approach and provides other options for you to explore to accomplish your goals without preventing you from making progress in the story. The game encourages any and all play styles as well, giving you the option stealth, action, or a combination of both. You can choose to help people out of the kindness of your heart, or demand payment for your "generous" assistance. But keep in mind that Weird West remembers, and there may be a time when you'll regret crossing certain people or traveling down certain paths. Weird West is the perfect water-cooler-conversation game where you can get together with friends and share whatever strange or unique happenings occurred during your playthrough, as no two people will have exactly the same experiences. What starts as a casual, though morbid, rootin'-tootin' cowboy story turns into something strange, sinister, and magical. The freedom and diversity of choice will hook you, but the compelling characters and world, bizarre twists and turns, and wholly unparalleled presentation will have you playing this game again and again, just to see how differently things end up next time.