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I\u2019ve been excited about developer Flying Wild Hog\u2019s Evil West since its reveal at The Game Awards in 2020. So much about it immediately captured my attention. Despite Red Dead Redemption\u2019s best efforts, I\u2019ve always felt there\u2019s a shortage of wild wests in video games, although some games use a western\u2019s formula to tell a story set elsewhere. Evil West\u2019s premise also feels reminiscent of something you\u2019d see in the PlayStation 2 era: cowboys who protect mere mortals from the secret horrors of the world, such as vampires and other creatures. My mind can\u2019t help but see Darkwatch, a game I played repeatedly as a child, when I see Evil West.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even more generally, that era was great for third-person action westerns \u2013 Gun, Red Dead Revolver, the aforementioned Darkwatch, and Call of Juarez (although Techland released this during the next generation, its 2006 release year is close enough to the PS2 that it feels at home here). All of this is to say that playing Evil West makes me feel like a child again in the best way.<\/p>\n