Gun Fight

Gun Fight

Console: Bally Astrocade
TV Standard: NTSC
Developer(s): Taito Corporation
Publisher(s): Midway Games
Release Date: 1978-04-01
Players: 2
Co-op: No
ESRB: Not Rated
Type: Action, Shooter

Gun Fight is a fixed screen shooter where two players compete in an Old West gun fight. It was the first video game to depict human-to-human combat. When shot, the characters in fall to the ground, and the words "GOT ME!" appear above the body. The game has two joysticks per player: an eight-way joystick for moving the computerized cowboy and the other for changing the shooting direction. Unlike later dual-stick games, Gun Fight has the movement joystick on the right.

Obstacles between the characters block shots, such as a cactus, and (in later levels) stagecoaches. The guns have limited ammunition, with each player given six bullets. A round ends if both players run out of ammo. Gunshots can ricochet off the top and bottom edges of the playfield, allowing for indirect hits.