Nerdicus NES Review #147: Cowboy Kid

Title : Cowboy Kid

Publisher : Romstar

Developer : Pixel

Genre : Action

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $100-$150

Is that Tom Selleck? Oh...my...GOD...is that TOM SELLECK!? No one can sport a moustache like that except Tom Selleck. And who's that Native American? Antonio Banderas?! This game is filled with top notch movie celebs! Although, I wouldn't really call Tom Selleck top notch anymore. Think his last major film was probably Three Men and a Baby.

So the name of this game is COWBOY KID, but he doesn't look like much of a kid. Well, I guess it makes sense if it's just a nickname. After all, there was Billy the Kid...but he was a kid. Okay, I'm not sure what to make of this. Regardless, it's pretty self explanatory as to what kind of game this is going to be. An action western of course! Haven't seen many of these for the NES, so this should be a doozy.

Not to mention this is probably in the top 20 of rarest NES games out there. A limited release, combined with the fact that it came out in late 1992 would pretty much make this game an expensive collectors target. I'm talking around $150 loose, and almost $400 CIB. So if you have this bad boy lying on your shelf, you've got some gold. If not, well, good luck finding one. I've yet to snag this.

Hope you're ready for a trip back to the Wild West as Romstar has given us their all to provide one of the most realistic gun slinging experiences for any console. Heck, this might even be better than RED DEAD REDEMPTION! No...nothing is better than RED DEAD REDEMPTION. Man, I loved that game..too bad I'm not reviewing modern ones. Ah well.

Strap on your spurs, toss up your saddle, and YEEEHAWWWW. Time to be a Cowboy Kid.

You play as a young gunslinger, hoping to make a name for yourself as the most lawful sheriff of the west. And what better way to prove that you are the best of the best, than by killing some rootin tootin varmints that are plaguing your fair town! Bring out the wenches and give me a pint of ale! I need some refreshments after this showdown at dawn!

That's the game in the nutshell, but basically you are just moving from town to town, killing bandits, collecting gold, and buying new weapons and items to help you kill more baddies. It's a WHOLE lot of killing baddies when you think about it. Sort of reminds you of River City Ransom. Especially since this game has some RPG elements as well, since you go into towns, talk to people, buy items, rest up, and even play some mini games, but we'll get to all that shortly.

As the game starts, and you become sheriff, the only thing you really have to do is to track down the bad guys. There's a few major villains that you'll need to hunt down throughout your stint as wild west sheriff. Of course, none of these are real, but their names surely are western material. Wild Wood Chief, Slash Joe, Billy Morgan, The Mad Brothers, Master Keith Hawk, and the Scorpion Master. Okay, they sound more like wrestlers, but that's okay.

It's a rinse and repeat action game, so it does get somewhat repetitive. Especially since the variation of baddies isn't much. The weapons you'll acquire at least make things a bit interesting. You start off with a knife, but you'll gradually work your way up to better weapons like pistols, and rifles. Too bad, no bazookas. Then again, there are no bazookas in the wild west.

When you're not killing villains, you'll also find yourself surrounded by a town chock full of mini games to keep you entertained. My favorite of course, being the shooting gallery. And don't you love using the NES controller to control a reticle display? The accuracy is AMAAAAZZING...not really.

You gotta admit though, the game although repetitive proves to be quite satisfying.

You know what, when all is said and done, the game is pretty damn decent. You've got some great visuals for one of the later releases on the NES. The designs of the characters are a little flimsy, but the way they created the western backdrop is quite good. 

The music is catchy, and the sound effects are spot on. Unfortunately, I'm always looking for those good 'ol classic western music gimmicks, and this game TRIES to do them, but you can only do so much with chip tunes, eh?

And, if you happened to get bored of the single player game, you can always invite your friend over to play as your native american sidekick who will help you go around to defeat those baddies. More River City Ransom style gameplay...but this game is nowhere near as good as that masterpiece.

Still, a worthy addition to any collection, not only because of it's value, but because of it's appeal. Not bad. Not bad.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!