Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold
Encyclopedia
Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold is a live-action laserdisc video game
produced by American Laser Games
, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO
, CD-i
and PC (under DOS
), the first release being in 1992; the quality of the video is the lowest on Sega CD. A sequel
to the moderately popular Mad Dog McCree
, the game abandoned the rather simple style of the original, introducing elements that can be considered "Hollywood", including dynamic shootout scenes and in-game music, as opposed to the original's almost complete lack thereof. Like the first game, Mad Dog II is a single-player first person perspective
game where the player follows the storyline and is required to quickly shoot certain enemies to proceed on the quest. The game was rereleased by Digital Leisure
in 2003.
main character must track down the wanted outlaw himself, eliminating any and all gang members and hostiles along the way; from the introduction, one can conclude that he or she will be up against renegade Indians
, banditos and "Mad Dog's sleazy crew".
The player proceeds through the game, first by taking a preparatory shooting lesson with a stagecoach
driver – played by Ben Zeller, who appeared in the role of the prospector
in the original game – and then by choosing one of three guides: Buckskin Bonnie, the Professor and Shooting Beaver. Each guide takes the player along a different, unique route, but they converge in the game's final shootouts, which take place inside a moving train
and in Mad Dog's hideout; the latter scene is especially lengthy and culminates with a showdown with McCree himself.
However, hunting down and defeating the infamous gunfighter is not the player's only goal; as the title implies, Mad Dog has hidden a chest full of treasure
in his hideout and it is up to the player to get it back from him. At times, the player will discover that the treasure chest is full of sand and obviously does not contain the "lost gold". However, this scene may appear during the final scenes of the game does not always occur unless the player has reached the end using more than one credit; furthermore, the sand scene almost certainly does not appear on the CD-I or DVD versions of the game due to currently unknown reasons.
Like Mad Dog McCree, The Last Bounty Hunter
and Fast Draw Showdown
, Mad Dog II contains random scenes in which the player takes part in a showdown, in which he or she is up against one or more gunfighters. One starts out with an empty chamber and must quickly reload when given the chance, and proceed to eliminate the enemy as fast as possible. Shooting practice at the beginning of the game involves hitting cow skulls, signposts and such from a stagecoach in motion.
The player must avoid getting shot and hitting innocent civilians; if one of these occurs, the player loses one of three lives, and a short clip is displayed often showing an undertaker giving advice or criticizing the player's actions. In the PC version, a mouse
or light gun
is used to shoot, reload and choose paths or guides; in addition, there is one load/save slot and three possible levels of difficulty.
This game was panned with a low score of 9% for game quality from the US version of PC Gamer magazine. The worst-rated game by the US version of PC Gamer is the game's prequel, Mad Dog McCree, at 4%.
Laserdisc video game
A laserdisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video played from a laserdisc, either as the entirety of the graphics, or as part of the graphics.-History:...
produced by American Laser Games
American Laser Games
American Laser Games was a company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that created a wide variety of light gun laserdisc video games. The company was founded in the late 1980s by Robert Grebe, who had originally created the system to train police officers under the company name ICAT , and adapted the...
, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
, CD-i
CD-i
CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Royal Philips Electronics N.V. CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book, which was developed by Philips and Sony...
and PC (under DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
), the first release being in 1992; the quality of the video is the lowest on Sega CD. A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the moderately popular Mad Dog McCree
Mad Dog McCree
Mad Dog McCree is the first live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games. It originally appeared as an arcade shooting game in 1990....
, the game abandoned the rather simple style of the original, introducing elements that can be considered "Hollywood", including dynamic shootout scenes and in-game music, as opposed to the original's almost complete lack thereof. Like the first game, Mad Dog II is a single-player first person perspective
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
game where the player follows the storyline and is required to quickly shoot certain enemies to proceed on the quest. The game was rereleased by Digital Leisure
Digital Leisure
Digital Leisure, Inc. is a Canadian publisher of software. The company formed in 1997 with the vision to acquire, remaster, and publish numerous classic video-based arcade games such as Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace. These three games were among the first to use...
in 2003.
Plot
As is the case with most American Laser Games releases, the storyline of Mad Dog II is rather simple. Once again, the anonymousAnonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
main character must track down the wanted outlaw himself, eliminating any and all gang members and hostiles along the way; from the introduction, one can conclude that he or she will be up against renegade Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, banditos and "Mad Dog's sleazy crew".
The player proceeds through the game, first by taking a preparatory shooting lesson with a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
driver – played by Ben Zeller, who appeared in the role of the prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
in the original game – and then by choosing one of three guides: Buckskin Bonnie, the Professor and Shooting Beaver. Each guide takes the player along a different, unique route, but they converge in the game's final shootouts, which take place inside a moving train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
and in Mad Dog's hideout; the latter scene is especially lengthy and culminates with a showdown with McCree himself.
However, hunting down and defeating the infamous gunfighter is not the player's only goal; as the title implies, Mad Dog has hidden a chest full of treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
in his hideout and it is up to the player to get it back from him. At times, the player will discover that the treasure chest is full of sand and obviously does not contain the "lost gold". However, this scene may appear during the final scenes of the game does not always occur unless the player has reached the end using more than one credit; furthermore, the sand scene almost certainly does not appear on the CD-I or DVD versions of the game due to currently unknown reasons.
Gameplay
Mad Dog II is, in essence, a rail shooter, and therefore gameplay has a relatively simple structure. The player is all but guided along a path once chosen and his or her only role is to shoot the villains before they manage to hit the player. A special cursor is used to specify the location the player is aiming at. There is also a limited number of bullets in the chamber; however, reloading is relatively easy and can be done an infinite number of times.Like Mad Dog McCree, The Last Bounty Hunter
The Last Bounty Hunter
The Last Bounty Hunter is a live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games in 1994. Like almost all of the games produced by the now-defunct company, it was a rail shooter and, like the two installments in the Mad Dog McCree series before it, was set in the Old West...
and Fast Draw Showdown
Fast Draw Showdown
Fast Draw Showdown is a live-action laserdisc video game, released by American Laser Games in 1994 for a limited number of platforms. As one of the last live-action rail shooters released by the company, which began the series with Mad Dog McCree, it is also arguably the shortest...
, Mad Dog II contains random scenes in which the player takes part in a showdown, in which he or she is up against one or more gunfighters. One starts out with an empty chamber and must quickly reload when given the chance, and proceed to eliminate the enemy as fast as possible. Shooting practice at the beginning of the game involves hitting cow skulls, signposts and such from a stagecoach in motion.
The player must avoid getting shot and hitting innocent civilians; if one of these occurs, the player loses one of three lives, and a short clip is displayed often showing an undertaker giving advice or criticizing the player's actions. In the PC version, a mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
or light gun
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
is used to shoot, reload and choose paths or guides; in addition, there is one load/save slot and three possible levels of difficulty.
This game was panned with a low score of 9% for game quality from the US version of PC Gamer magazine. The worst-rated game by the US version of PC Gamer is the game's prequel, Mad Dog McCree, at 4%.