Overview
Fast Draw Showdown is a historical-fantasy full-motion video light-gun shooter developed and released by American Laser Games for arcades (using Amiga-based ALG hardware) in North America in 1994.
One of the last games released for their LaserDisc-based ALG platform, Fast Draw Showdown builds on the "showdown" mechanic of Mad Dog McCree, Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold, and The Last Bounty Hunter by putting players in a series of duels in the Old West.
Each duel has players holstering their six-shooter light-gun until the proper time, where they must draw, aim, and successfully hit their opponent as quickly as they can. Each game has players facing off against four random opponents and if they manage to succeed against all four, they face off in a final showdown against real-life quick-drawer Wes Flowers.
Unlike other games using the platform, which can be swapped easily in the same cabinet, Fast Draw Showdown uses a dedicated 33" arcade cabinet with a vertically-oriented screen. It also features options for video redemption, including both tickets and unique collectible trading cards for each opponent. The cabinet later received a smaller 25" version with an updated holster, instructional decal, external volume controls, and a new "tournament" setting that allows operators to determine the four opponents.
It later received a home port for Windows PCs, and is one of the few ALG games to receive neither console ports at the time nor a DVD-Video release. It later received two digital ports over a decade later: one for the Wii (on January 4, 2010) and one for the PlayStation 3 (on July 19, 2011). Both Wii and PS3 versions are unique for their updated UI, dedicated single-player campaign modes, and multiplayer modes.
The game was also included in the 2002 Global VR PC-based arcade cabinet Six Gun Select, along with The Last Bounty Hunter and, in later revisions, both Mad Dog games. Unlike the original arcade game, this version crops the screen to fit the horizontally-oriented display.
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