Video Games of the 2000s, Part 1 Codexery

Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge

A real-time tactics sequel set in the Wild West.

Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge

Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge is a real-time tactics game for Windows, created by Spellbound Entertainment and released by Atari. It continues the story from *Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive*. A spin-off/sequel, *Helldorado*, came out in 2007, and a proper successor, *Desperados III*, launched in 2020 on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One via THQ Nordic. The plot follows John Cooper, who vows revenge after his brother, US Marshal Ross Cooper, is tortured to death by henchmen working for a criminal called Angel Face. John sends Doc McCoy to the Eagle's Nest, Pablo Sanchez's fortress, to gather him and Sam Williams. Doc finds the fortress taken over by a rival bandit leader, Rodriguez, and his friends captured. After freeing them, they reunite with John and Kate O'Hara in Santa Fe, where John has agreed to protect settlers on a journey. At a pass called Eye of the Needle, they survive an ambush by hostile Native Americans, but a US cavalry troop under Captain Clarke captures an unconscious Indian. Suspicious, John, Doc, and Kate follow the soldiers and learn Angel Face bribed Clarke to stage the attack, aiming to spark a war between the US government and Native tribes. Kate follows Clarke to Fort Wingate, while the others return to repel a second raid on the settlers. At the fort, Kate finds the Indian prisoner, Hawkeye, too weak to talk. Doc patches him up, and Hawkeye reveals a letter to Clarke. The group steals the letter, and John uncovers a signature: Lester Lloyd Goodman, alias Angel Face. They present the evidence to the fort's colonel, capturing Clarke, but a loyal sergeant stages a revolt. John's team helps liberate the fort. Back in Santa Fe, they kidnap Goodman's secretaries to find his accounting book. They coerce secretary Morgenstein to cooperate, but when John, Kate, and Sam present the evidence to the sheriff, he reveals he's corrupt and arrests them. Hawkeye alerts Doc and Sanchez, who free their friends and recapture Morgenstein. They enlist a bank manager to open a safe holding the documents, but Goodman intercepts them, takes Kate hostage, and flees to the Sacred Mountains. John boards a train after them, but it derails and he's captured. Hawkeye and Doc go to his tribe's camp, which Goodman's men have occupied; they liberate it and meet Sam and Sanchez. With the tribe's help, they save Cooper from hanging.

Quick Facts

Title
Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge
Developer
Spellbound Entertainment
Publisher
Atari
Director
Jean-Marc Haessig
Designer
Matthias Nock
Programmer
Arno Wienholtz / Mark Novozhilov
Artist
Serge Mandon
Writer
Hans-Jörg Knabel / Jean-Marc Haessig
Series
Desperados
Platforms
Microsoft Windows
Released
GER · 27 April 2006 · UK · 28 April 2006 · NA · 8 May 2006 · AUS · 12 May 2006
Genre
Real-time tactics

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

The plot follows US Marshal John Cooper as he seeks revenge for his brother Ross Cooper, who was tortured to death by henchmen of a criminal known as Angel Face. John sends Doc McCoy to the Eagle's Nest, Pablo Sanchez's fortress, to gather him and Sam Williams, but the fortress has been taken over by Rodriguez. After freeing his friends, they reunite with John and Kate O'Hara in Santa Fe. The group uncovers a conspiracy involving a corrupt US cavalry captain named Clarke, bribed by Angel Face to trigger a conflict between the US Government and Native tribes. They eventually identify Angel Face as Lester Lloyd Goodman, and after a series of confrontations, Goodman is killed when his cigar ignites explosives.

Reader's Guide

Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge received 'average' reviews according to Metacritic. Critics praised the graphical quality but many disliked the story and the buggy features. Development was troubled: Andreas Speer of Spellbound stated that publisher Atari missed six months of payments, forcing layoffs and a release that was not as planned or promoted. A sequel, Helldorado, was made using scrapped parts of the game, but Spellbound could not gain the rights to the Desperados name. The game was released in 2006 across multiple regions, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, North America, and Australia. Its legacy includes a direct successor, Desperados III, released in 2020 by THQ Nordic.

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