The hunt is on! You're the Last Bounty Hunter

The Last Bounty Hunter finally made it to CD-i in 1997 and marked the end of CapDisc's CD-i productions including these excellent conversions of American laser Games. The Last Bounty Hunter is American Laser Games largest production and live action cast of all. Around one hundred actors contributed their talents to this interactive experience. Equipped with a six-shooter and sometimes a shotgun, your job as a bounty hunter will require you to track down four of the most vicious outlaws in the West: Nasty Dan, El Loco, The Cactus Kid, and Handsome Harry. Unfortunately, these outlaws have scores of gunfighters protecting them, so you'd better be alert.

Confused as "Mad Dog McCree 3", the gameplay is exactly the same in all the other ALG games on CD-i: Mad Dog McCree, Who Shot Johnny Rock, Crime Patrol; The difference with older American laser Games is that this one makes more use of FMV live shooting instead of static 'multiple shooting' sequences. While they can use these to lengthen the game and take away predicting enemies, it is also far more repetitive and doesn't invite me to replay scenes. So in this case, The Last Bounty Hunter is definately one of the best you can get. The setting is about the same as the two Mad Dog McCree games.

this game is based on line action in first person perspective, and you need to analyze situations quickly and shoot any threats before they shoot you. Be careful though, not all characters that appear are threats, some are innocent civilians that like to jump in your way while you're blasting away with your pistol. The pursuit of each outlaw takes you through different shootout scenarios and challenges ranging from a saloon to a bank to an Old West version of Chinatown.

Targeting can be set to either the CD-i Gun or the CD-i Mouse/Trackball. While the Gun is far more fun to play with, it is also a little slow and using the mouse you can reach higher accuracy. On the Internet I read about a PC feature of this game that automatically adjusts the level of difficulty to the player's shooting skills. I wonder if CapDisc included this in the CD-i version, but after playing in several ways, I don't notice anything of this. Who will tell?

You will probably die a lot in this game. In fact, you won't be able to play continuously for 30 seconds, because of unforseen one-killers by an unexpected enemy. This makes the game a little frustrating, and sometimes you will feel cheated why a guy shot you before you even had the chance of killing him. Thankfully, you have unlimited lives. After a while you remember when a ceratin enemy will pop up, so you'll keep the cursor ready at the enemy's spot.

Here's the promotional video of Philips Media about The Last Bounty Hunter:


The production value in The Last Bounty Hunter is very high. The acting is first rate (although a little cheesy) and really adds up to the Western atmosphere. The set design and setting is also first rate. In fact, The Last Bounty Hunter was filmed with the assistance of Old Tucson Studios in an Old Tucson setting. The same locations were used in some well known movies including Tombstone, Rio Bravo, and Lightning Jack. the CD-i version offers one of the best graphics of all the console versions, without a doubt. Thanks to the use of the Digital Video Cartridge, no other console can keep up with this high level of quality.

Interestingly, ALG continued the route of taking different paths to the end of the game to improve replay value, like they did with mad Dog McCree 2. One of the gunfighters that protects the four outlaws is a world record holder in fast draw competition in real life. Let me tell you this guy is QUICK! He can fill you full of lead in the time it takes to blink. All in all, some very nice touches.

There are also a few negatives to say about The Last Bounty Hunter. First, you can complete the game within one hour. For the original price of fifty dollars one would expect more than ONE hour of gameplay! But the scenes are great to play although replay value is low because it's the same story over and over again. Very little is randomized in this game, in fact this counts for every American Laser Game. It's still up to offer you the most addictive one-hour-of-shooting CD-i has to offer. In fact, nothing can beat real video killing.

All in all, I had a great one hour of gameplay with the Last Bounty Hunter. Production qualities are top notch, the acting believable, and the action non-stop. In short, I had a blast. Though the game is enjoyable, I wouldn't pay the high amount of money it requires to get an original copy of the second hand market. Mind you this is one of the most rare CD-i titles to get, and I've seen prices over 100 dollars. Crazy I know, and that's why it's important to know that this game doesn't offer a lot more than the other ALG games which are offered cheaper, probably because The Last Hunter has been released only in Western Europe. (While the game itself was created in 1993/1994, the decision to port it to CD-i took a long time!)

Thanks to: a WorldVillage member