Wikipedia tells me that John Henry “Doc” Holliday died Nov. 8, 1887. Doc Holliday was involved in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But if the developers of Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West have anything to say about it, 123 years later, the Wild West is still alive and kickin’ with gunfights, fur trappers and good ol’ boys having a dynamite-chuckin’ good time. Set in the era of the Wild West, this strictly multiplayer third-person shooter captures the feel and theme of Doc’s day so well, you can almost smell the gunpowder. If games received soundtracks like movies, then I’d say pop in some Garth Brooks or George Strait while you take out some dirtbag desperado — heck, do that now when you’re just starting to read.

When you connect to a server and either join or create a game, a variety of options open to you. There are several game modes that center on more “traditional” sorts of shooter multiplayer modes. There’s Shootout, the us-versus-them, kill as many of them dirty red or blue-shirted yellow bellies, and battle for top score mode. There’s Gold Fever, in which you and a buddy try to keep the gold out of grubby greedy hands for as long as possible while hoards of baddies come after you.

Another fun game mode is Robbery. An attacking team tries to, well, rob the other team. Did I mention the TNT? You get to walk it over to where the goods are stored and blow up a shabby wooden shack (or bank vault door) and book it to your drop zone before enemies gun you down. Or they’ll shoot the TNT you’re hugging to your chest, and it’s goodbye cowboy. Explosions and blood, oh how simple prairie life must have been back in the day.

There are other game modes as well; most of them involve either keeping the other team from blowing up or stealing something or taking out enemies while your teammates try to complete an objective. As you, the cowboy or cowgirl extraordinaire, join your gang to outsmart or outlast the other gang, you’ll get to choose just what sort of adventurer of the Old West you’d like to be. Four choices are at your disposal once you’ve selected a game and joined a gang.

There’s the Trapper, the Gunslinger, the Deputy and the Blaster, each with their own special abilities. The Trapper has the longest range; basically she’s a sniper with a coonskin cap and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude. And who doesn’t love coonskin caps? I’d love to have one — fuzzy hats rule. Equipped with hat and long-range rifle, you’re able to zoom in to pick off the opposing forces, place traps to cut into an unsuspecting leg, or whip out your smaller pistol and lay waste to close-range folks. Being as I’m not the greatest aim I don’t usually go with the Trapper, though I do love that hat so I’ll swap over to her if I want to try my hand at sniping.

If you’re more a fan of the traditional hat, or cowboy, then the Gunslinger instead of the Trapper is for you, and usually most times me. The Gunslinger is the close-range nitty-gritty-dirt-band sort of a guy. He can fire off a volley of shots by “fanning” while you try to get down and dirty with them varmints in your sights. I found myself picking the Gunslinger more often than the other types of gang members mainly because I like closer combat, but that’s just personal preference.

Though, if you’re wanting a bit of both the Trapper and the Gunslinger, then you’ll want to plop on a bowler hat and go to town as the Deputy. He does pretty well in both close- and medium-range fights, and he’s got pretty good range from far away from what I could tell. He’s able to mark a target for death, making them easier to spot. If a giant skull over your head doesn’t say “shoot me” from the Deputy, I don’t know what does. Plus, he resembles that bartender that cleans glasses all day, but if you really make him angry he’ll go Hulk on you. And by Hulk, I mean whip out the shotgun and lay waste to you while probably saying “we don’t take kindly to you’re kind ’round here, partner.”

But, a guy who looks like he’s more accustomed to mines and the underground versus a nice saloon would definitely be the Blaster. The guy that throws dynamite right at your face and runs away, then asks questions later. I don’t think he asks any questions of a bunch of dirt that used to be a coonskin cap wearin’ sniper. But who am I to argue with Old West interrogation tactics? The Blaster carries a pretty powerful rifle to combat gang members in between using, from what I see most players selecting, his favorite weapon: the dynamite. And the explosions are pretty danged cool, partner. They’d blow the feathers right off a chicken faster than you can say “Yeehaw buddy!” And, that’s the last time I’ll try to throw out a saying that wasn’t really from the Old West. I’ll just stick with singing along with “Should Have Been a Cowboy.”

Now, even with these cool types of cowboys you can be and the fun that is definitely had obliterating opponents, I feel I might need to mention just how gorgeous the look of the game is. Lead and Gold captures the look of the Old West fantastically, right down to the clothes on the characters and the saloon signs that eventually get shot at. I really felt that there were stories that could be told from the world that’s created in Lead and Gold, and that’s just from shooting and dodging enemies.

The flow of the levels, the genuine feel of the era and the large mixture of game types makes Lead and Gold a great title. I’m curious as to whether or not there will be a single-player gameplay type of some kind down the road, but either way, this cowboy’s going to get back on the saddle and take on some varmints. I’d highly suggest you do the same even if you’re not a fan of the period. I’m not; I’m more of a swords and castles kind of guy when it comes to history, but a fun entertaining game is a fun entertaining game. Lead and Gold is certainly that, even if you get shot at and watch your cowboy die a lot. Get along little doggies, and get that there game a bought so you can join me in the Wild West mayhem.