Sunset Riders, 1991 Konami (20 From 1991 #3)
5One of Konami's all time great run and gunners, this is set in the Old West and features up to 4 gunslingers trying to claim bounties by knocking off outlaw gangs and their bosses. Steve and Billy have pistols, Bob has a rifle and Comrano has a shotgun. This employs the old Rolling Thunder motif of jumping up to higher floors and dropping down to lower floors, and in some instances you MUST utilize this method to avoid certain death. Your ability to shoot rapid fire or double shot with power ups comes in SUPER handy, and these upgrades can be found either in doors or in gold bags (shoot the latter). Bonus points can also be found in piles of gold or food, and a rare 1up icon exists on stage 6. A slide is possible by pressing down/forward and jump, though its practicality may be limited. Two stages allow you to ride your horses, and the rest require you to take on the enemy on foot. Many boss stages are thankfully not that difficult, and their weakness may be exploitable over and over. Keep a sharp eye not to let certain objects fall on you (boulders, barrels, etc.) or you will lose a life. You start with 3 and can get extras at 20K and 200K, or the earlier mentioned 1up (as well as adding credits during gameplay). The attention to detail is so awesome, as is the sense of humor.. but the real treat is the awesome opening animated sequence involving the 4 lawmen participating in a shootout, then riding off into the sunset. So damn cool! If you've never seen this one before, you are REALLY missing out on one of Konami's proudest moments. See you soon for the penultimate entry in my 1991 series!