Dead Man's Hand (video game)

Story

El Tejon joined the outlaw group known as the "Nine" seeking fame and fortune as a gunslinger, not to harm women and children. This led to his betrayal: the gang's leader shot him and left him for dead.

General San Juan Jacinto Blanco discovered El Tejon and imprisoned him. In his cell, Tejon met Iago, a revolutionary leader. Their alliance will spring them both free to seek revenge on those who wronged them.

Plot

In 1890s Mexico, a young gunslinger named Tejon joins a gang called The Nine. He enjoys robbing banks and trains, but he is less bloodthirsty than his fellow gang members, and this eventually causes a rift. His leader, Tennessee Vic, shoots him in cold blood and leaves him for dead. The corrupt General Blanco finds Tejon and throws him in prison to rot.

There, Tejon shares a cell with the leader of the resistance fighting the general, and the cellmate’s men free them both. Tejon’s first target is Sanchez, the group’s drunk who used to find hideouts. After gunning down Sanchez and his men, Tejon’s former lover hears about it and offers to help, but he refuses, saying the mission is personal and dangerous.

Next, Tejon goes after Flat Iron, a renegade Comanche who is fast and deadly with knives. Tejon kills him in a tough fight. Between missions, Tejon hunts a criminal called BlackJack, an overweight drunk who is an excellent rifle shot. Then he confronts Numbers, the gang’s cowardly banker, and kills him easily.

Along the way, Tejon picks up bounties that either help him find the Nine or earn extra cash. He moves on to the lumber mill of Big Guns Grissom, the gang’s strongman, who is strong but not smart and throws axes with accuracy. Tejon blows up what remains of the mill.

Next is Father Zeke, a crooked preacher who uses whiskey bombs and taunts his enemies with scripture. Tejon kills him in his church and then destroys his house. Finally, remembering his cellmate Iago needs help, Tejon returns to Mexico to fight General Blanco. During the battle, he rallies the remaining rebels and defeats the general for good.

Reception

Critics were divided on Dead Man's Hand, with Metacritic showing "mixed" scores for both console and PC versions. In Japan, the Xbox version arrived on September 2, 2004, as part of the Xbox World Collection, where Famitsu rated it 27 out of 40, with individual scores of seven, seven, six, and seven. Playboy reviewed the Xbox version over three months before its US launch, praising a scoring system that unlocks special trick shots for players who aren't cowards.

The Times awarded four stars out of five, noting the Wild West setting fits the first-person shooter genre well and that the old-fashioned weapons give gameplay a freeing feel, adding that the 16+ age rating seemed too strict for the game's mild content. Maxim gave three stars out of five, calling the concept and gameplay a royal flush but warning that rough visuals can annoy like an infection from a saloon. 1Up.com gave the PC version a D+, describing the game as mostly dull target practice with lifeless enemies and boring levels, criticizing the lack of mid-mission saves, weak graphics, and absence of team play, and concluding that the experience lacks depth, artistry, and excitement, ultimately not being worth the trouble.