It's been a while since we've seen a great video game based in the Wild West. Remember the good ol' days, when you could team up with three of your fellow amigos to take down bandits in Konami's Sunsetriders? Or how about dispensing some good ol' justice with Capcom's Gunsmoke over on the NES? Yeah, it's been awhile since the West really came back, guns blazing, into our arena. Fortunately, it looks like a couple of companies are eager to give the genre a go again in this next generation.

The first is Rockstar Games, picking up the rights and production to Capcom's cancelled Red Dead Revolver and promising a heck of a good time this April. But beating them to the punch is Atari, who has come forth with their own rootin' tootin' Western game, Dead Man's Hand. Does the game score big upon its release? Well, yes, if you're just a solo player. But if you're looking for a good time with friends, well, you might want to pick up a whiskey bottle and listen to the sad tale.

The single player game focuses on a bandit named El Tejon, who suddenly finds himself brutally betrayed by his gang, known as The Nine. Of course, revenge is in order, and El Tejon soon busts out of his jail cell and begins to hunt each member of The Nine, vowed and ready to take them down and collect a good amount of bounty in the meantime. The game takes place in a number of Western-themed locations, from dusty canyons where bandits come from every corner to old Western towns, complete with rusty hanging signs, good ol' girls looking for a good time, and plenty of bad guys trying to finish you off.

The game utilizes the old Unreal engine, but Humanhead Studios makes good work out of it, creating some wonderful environments to explore to find goodies and medical kits when you need them the most. The animation's a bit off, but nothing really noticeable. The hit collision also needed a bit more work, as you actually shoot better from afar than trying to hit an enemy up close, but overall they still look the part and load pretty easily. I like the horse riding levels as well, although it feels a bit smooth on the horse. He moves, but you don't. Weird.

The game also features a stellar soundtrack, right out of the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. The dialogue's a bit cheesy for the most part, but still fits the tone of the game, and you have to love some of the sound effects, including the trotting of your horse and the shattering of windows that you've just shot out to take down a baddie.

One thing that Dead Man's Hand bumps into the traditional first-person gameplay is a trick shot system. You can build up a meter at the bottom of the screen with well-timed shots, including the destruction of environment stuff around you (like crates, signs, bottles, etc.) and some well-timed shots, like "hat shots", where you shoot the hat off an enemy. Think of it as a head shot, but nowhere near as bloody. Once built, you can pull off some excellent shots with the weapon of choice, which is rather cool. It does take timing to build, though, so practice.

I think I should also mention that the poker interface before each level is neat as well, although, really, you seem to have an incredible amount of luck as you rack up bonuses. One fatal hand, however, and you lose it all and take to the streets with the basics. So be careful with your luck.

The game plays alright, but, with the collision detection, sometimes you can find yourself in an ambush situation a bit too much. Also, the game seems to have artificial intelligence that's wavy at best. Sometimes, the game is incredibly tough and tries to finish you off a bit quickly, while others tend to be a bit too easy, where it's a cakewalk. Some of the bosses are this way as well- you'd think that a bandito leading a brigade wouldn't corner himself to take multiple blasts from your shotgun.

Now onto the thing that most first-person shooters rely on for longevity in the marketplace - the multiplayer. And, sadly, this is where Dead Man's Hand is about as useful as a dead horse. The game lacks any sort of single game multiplayer option, meaning that there's no ability to take on four players via split screen on one machine. You have to System Link to other Xboxes with more copies of the game to get multiplayer going, or take on opponents via Xbox Live. The game boasts a number of multiplayer options, like straight-up deathmatches, the ability to team up with others against the computer in Posse mode, or taking on one particular player to collect some cash with Bounty mode.

Sadly, the multiplayer seems even more flawed than the single player game, as interaction seems a bit slower and the collision detection seems kind of worse. A flaw in programming, or just something in the network? I couldn't say, but this could've used a little more attention either way.

Dead Man's Hand had a chance to be absolutely great. As is, thanks to its lacking multiplayer features, it really just seems to be short-term entertainment, although that short-term can be a blast for one player. I liked some of the stuff Humanhead tried, but its success still seems somewhat out of reach. Give it a rent if you like westerns or first-person shooters, and then decide if you want to deal with this Hand or wait for a little Revolver action.