12 Best Western-Themed Video Games Ever

Back in the nineties, the RTS game reigned supreme on PCs, with everything from Age Of Empires, Command & Conquer, and Dungeon Keeper creating something innovative and fun out of moving around little objects on a pretty map. Come the noughties, the RTS was waning somewhat. But out of the shade came Desperados, a game that was as tactically challenging as it was fun to play.

Taking its cues from kindred spirit title, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, Desperados gives you a handful of cookie cut western types – the main man is called John Cooper, and Pablo Sanchez can entice enemies with a bottle of Tequila, cliché fans – the aim of the game is to traverse various maps using stealth and the strengths of the characters at your disposal.

Whereas in Commandos you could put down a solder with your revolver and jump in a river, Desperadoes featured far more advanced enemy AI, with varying levels of enemy vision and mood to worry about when planning how to execute a mission. Still, the option to pre-program certain manoeuvres creates some really satisfying moments and the horses are much more fun to canter around on than they should be.