Rustlers Online

RUSTLERS is an online Wild West shooter, played in third person. Two teams, one dusty street, and fights that are over fast. Most rounds aren't won by whoever peeks first, they're won by whoever peeks at the right moment. Badge or bandana, that part's up to you.

There are six modes right now. A couple of them are tight little duels, and one turns the whole map into a horror night.

Wanted. Free for all, but only one player is the Wanted outlaw. Get the first kill and the poster is yours. You score for every second you stay alive, your bounty keeps going up, and everyone can see where you are. Whoever finally drops you collects the bounty, and the poster with it.

Duel. One on one, played in rounds. You don't get many mistakes. Once the sun starts going down your health starts draining too, so nobody gets to hide forever.

Team Duel. 2v2 up to 4v4, no respawns. Last crew standing takes the round.

Team Deathmatch. Two teams, respawns on, first to the kill target wins.

Loot. There's a sack of gold in the middle of the map and you need to haul it back to your side. Whoever carries it is slow and can't shoot, so either the team covers them or they toss the sack to someone else.

Wild Herd. This one is played at night. Everybody spawns as a cowboy, and fifteen seconds later one player turns into the Black Stallion , a huge mustang beast. Anyone it brings down comes back as a Rabid Colt and joins the herd. Hold out until the clock runs out or put the Stallion down. Silver bullets help a lot.

There are over 20 guns from the period: revolvers, lever-action rifles, carbines, pump and double-barrel shotguns, single-shot long guns, and yes, a hand-cranked Gatling. The Whitworth is for people who like to sit back behind a scope. The Volcanic fires fast. The double-barrel is for when things get personal, and the engraved Colt is for when you want to look good doing it.

You can see the guns work. Cylinders turn after every shot, levers cycle, break-actions snap open. Every gun has its own reload, animated by hand.

Knives, axes and the rest. Bowie knives, tomahawks, cavalry sabers, hatchets and pickaxes. Hold the button to wind up a knife throw. If it lands clean, that's the kill.

Throwables. Dynamite, molotovs, dust bombs, tar bombs, and traps if you like planning ahead.

Wood won't save you. Bullets go straight through thin planks. A fence hides you, it doesn't protect you.

There are eleven maps, and knowing them matters about as much as your aim does. Each one has some high ground worth fighting over and a few back alleys to flank through.

Ghost Town: an old gold-rush town with a long main street, rooftops you can climb and a dried-up fountain in the square.

Iron Junction: two rail lines, a raised platform, loading docks and covered warehouses.

Copper Mine: a dig pit on three terraces, an ore bridge and lamp-lit galleries.

Canyon Waystation: a dry cistern between two adobe outposts, deep inside a red canyon.

Salt Flats: a stalled freight train cuts the map in half, and the payroll chest is sitting in the open car.

Eagle Ranch: a two-story barn up on the hill, and cornfields that hide you but won't stop a bullet.

Plus Dusty Town , Dry Creek , Red Fort , Timber Mill and Redrock Pass .

Sheriffs on one side of the street, outlaws on the other. Ride with June Calloway and Nora Sterling if you're with the law, or with Rosa Vex and Ruby Crowe if you're not.

67 ranks. Each one has its own name and insignia. You start out as a trail-worn drifter, and the top rank is Undying Renown . Ranks are only for bragging rights: no extra damage, no extra health.

Ranked play with a skill rating, player leaderboards and clan standings.

Clans. Put a posse together with your friends and take on other clans in clan wars.

Medals and titles at the end of every match, from Bounty Hunter to Head Hunter.

Quick Play. One click puts you in an open room, or opens a new one. If seats are still empty after 20 seconds, bots take them, so you're never stuck waiting.

Bots on Easy, Normal and Hard. They take cover, throw dynamite and try to fight at the right range for whatever gun they're holding. Good for practice, and good for filling a room.

A tutorial of sixteen short lessons. The last one is your first duel.

Spectate live matches from the lobby. If your connection drops, your spot is held for 90 seconds so you can reconnect .

Fair play tools: vote kick, in-game reports, a chat filter, and penalties for leaving ranked matches early.

If this looks like your kind of game, add RUSTLERS to your wishlist. See you in town.