You're probably already aware, but Rockstar - developer of hit games like Manhunt 2 and Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (plus some rubbish indie game called Grand Theft Auto) - has been teasing a successor to its hugely successful 2010 cowboy sim Red Dead Redemption.
I don't know why it was successful, mind you. It was 25 hours of shooting chickens and riding horses to the middle of nowhere. Not exactly my idea of fun. But anyway.
For some reason people are excited for what looks to be a sequel. But there are better cowboy games out there, I swear to you. Take a look at these four cowboy / western games that are infinitely better than Red Dead Redemption 2 will ever be.
2-Bit Cowboy
2-Bit Cowboy is kind of like what would happen if you crossed Red Dead Redemption with an actual good game.
And by that I mean it's a cowboy game but it's actually, y'know… good?
It's a spaghetti western-themed platformer whose art style takes inspiration from old Game Boy games - a very drab colour pallet, yet somehow it works.
You can also double jump. And a double jumping cowboy is all I've aspired to be in my life, making 2-Bit Cowboy an instant win.
Rodeo Stampede
Okay, playing this will definitely make you a different sort of cowboy - riding an alligator or western gorilla is a whole different kettle of fish to riding your standard Shetland pony.
But make no mistake, Rodeo Stampede is one of the greatest games on mobile. It takes the character collecting element from Crossy Road and puts you in the wilderness - instead of crossing the road, you have to race through it! You chase after other characters, who all perform differently.
To capture that character you have to befriend it - and again, they all like different things. The aforementioned alligator, for example, likes going in water and eating buffalo, whereas that gorilla I mentioned doesn't eat any other animal!
These add a whole new dimension to each character, and make this a game you could play for months.
The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was one of the first truly great mobile games. It told a beautiful story - of you guiding a family across the land, looking after their health and their wagon, helping them along their way while intermittently taking part in mini games centred around repairing the vehicle or hunting.
It's a lovely, engaging adventure, and one that deserves to be played by everyone.
SteamWorld Heist
SteamWorld Heist might not be your classic cowboy game, given it's set in space, but that never stopped Star Wars being the greatest spaghetti western film of all time, did it?
You can tell it definitely still is a cowboy game though, because one character wears a cowboy hat and shoots a cowboy gun. Definitely a cowboy. SPACE COWBOY!
Seriously though, SteamWorld Heist is a great mix of XCOM style combat, a gorgeous 2D, cartoony art style, and some brilliantly funny moments. Get it played.
