# Talk:Outlaw (1978 video game)

Hi, would it be possible to somehow mention the arcade of the same name in this article? Here are some sources that mention a connection:

Retro Gamer: "[...] and copycat Outlaw, which released in the arcades in 1976 but is better known for its 1978 Atari 2600 port."
Time Extension: "Atari is reissuing the 1978 port of its arcade game Outlaw on the 2600 [...]" and from the PR release from the same article: "Based on the 1976 Atari arcade game of the same name"
Centre for Computing History: "It was originally an arcade game, released in 1976."
Mika1h (talk) 13:58, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

So, this is an issue. Its not based on the Atari game despite what those sources say. I believe this might be because for a long period of time, this game was just referenced as part of the Atari article. The game is more of a copy-cat of Gun Fight. You can see gameplay of Outlaw the arcade game here which is a light gun game where you shoot players crossing the screen from your perspective. This version is here where you have two players shooting at each other blocked by various objects like cactus, etc. This is half the reason I moved this 2600 game to its own article, as for years, the wiki article was going off of unsourced info based on the assumption that two games published by Atari would be the same title. You can even see other editors sort of winking at their use of Wikipedia for this in the Destructoid article where they tease the subtitle "Not to be confused with 1985’s Outlaws or 1997’s Outlaws" Andrzejbanas (talk) 13:22, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Outlaw (1978 video game)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Nominator: Andrzejbanas (talk · contribs) 16:26, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
Reviewer: PresN (talk · contribs) 14:42, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Starting this review. --PresN 14:42, 2 October 2025 (UTC)
The way I typically review articles is to list out issues that I find as I go through the article, rather than using a checklist.

I'm just going to fix minor typos/wording issues rather than describe them. As a note, and only calling it out because I do it too so I notice it, not because it's an issue for GAN: there's a big overuse of the word "game"; it ends up being used in almost every single sentence. A lot of instances could just be "it" or "Outlaw".
Put an attempt to fix this. In some spots its tricky, as I don't want people to think I'm talking about "that other Outlaw" or during the sales that only Outlaw grosses a certain amount rather than the Sears re-titled release. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"limitations of the Atari Video Computer System" - this is the first time you give the full name, but since later you call it the Atari VCS you should call out the acronym here, e.g. |"limitations of the Atari Video Computer System (VCS)"\
Done. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"both arcade and console video games displayed artwork with montage of gunfighters, horses and covered wagons." - could be clearer that it's the packaging/marketing that displays such, not the game itself
True. Tried to clarify this. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"bullets are more powerful and can destroy the center obstacles in the game, such as a stage coach, wall or a cactus" - as this is the only mention of such, maybe be more explicit like "bullets are more powerful and can destroy the center obstacles in the game, such as a stage coach, wall or a cactus, which block bullets in other game modes."
Done. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
I get the impression (from Getaway mode) that the bullet travels relatively slowly; is it slow enough to dodge? Are you able to fire a second bullet while the first is in flight?
Depends! I don't believe they move any faster or slower, but you can definitely dodge which I think is implied as there wouldn't be much of a game without it. The manual does not go into details on whether or not you can move after firing (from my gameplay, you can not move until the bullet has made contact with either the opposite wall, an obstacle, or the target/opposing player). I'll see if there is this detail in any retrospective overview). Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"Outlaw was developed by David Crane for Atari for the Atari 2600." - given that it was the Atari VCS at the time (and that's what you called it in the lede and call it again in reception), I think it should be called the Atari VCS in this sentence, maybe with the same note as in the lede or as "for the Atari Video Computer System (later renamed the Atari 2600 in 1982)."
Happy to oblige. Done. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
Tense issues: you jump from "he wrote a resume" to "Crane had officially started" - should just be "Crane officially started working" (and 'started working', as this isn't sports where "starting" is a standard term). Then "Prior to Crane's game, Atari would release an arcade video game also titled Outlaw in 1976." -> 'Crane's game' is awkward, there's an overuse of the word "game", and "would release" changes tense again and goes against the time order- try "In 1976, Atari had released an arcade video game also titled Outlaw."
All fair points. Tried to re-configure this. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
home console conversion - I'm stuck on this phrasing; it's not a literal conversion of the game (both for legal reasons and because Crane added a single-player mode). Maybe "Crane's Outlaw was not based on the gameplay mechanics of Atari's arcade game, but instead on Midway's arcade game Gun Fight (1975)."
Yeah this is tricky due to how games were made back then, its not a port as its unofficial, but just sort of what was happening in the game development world during this period. I've tried to re-phrase this to connect the two Outlaw games. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"Crane's version reduced the controls to one control stick and button." - feels out of place; move to either before or after the "Crane said the game was influenced" sentence, though note that then you'll have three sentences in a row that start with "Crane" - at least one of them should be changed to "He" or similar.
Done on all points I believe. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
"Following the release of the Atari 2600+ console, Atari SA announced it would re-release Outlaw for the system on a physical cartridge." - since this was in the past, you don't need to mention that it was announced; this can be collapsed to "Following the release of the Atari 2600+ console in 2023, Atari SA published Outlaw for the system on a physical cartridge."
True. Changed. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
And that's it! It's a very solid little article, this is all minor tweaks. Putting on hold for now, but I'll promote as soon as you can get to these. --PresN 15:23, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Hi @PresN:, I believe I've changed everything except for the information about the dodging and ability to move while shooting. The manual doesn't go into detail about it nor does the AllGame source or similar retrospective overviews. I'm not at home now but can check the Bunch book at home to see if it says this but failing that, I think I've responded to everything. Andrzejbanas (talk) 11:22, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
I'm going to go ahead and promote; if you can find that information that would be helpful but I don't think it's mandatory if it's not clear from the sources used already. --PresN 18:11, 7 October 2025 (UTC)