Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West was one of those straightforward action games you'd find during the Flash era. It didn't try to be anything more than a quick, browser-based shootout, and that was its appeal. You'd load it up on a site like Newgrounds or Miniclip, and within seconds you were in the action.

You control a lone sheriff standing in the middle of a dusty street. Your view is from behind, looking over his shoulder. Outlaws appear from the sides of buildings and from behind barrels. You click the mouse to aim and fire your revolver at them. After six shots, you have to reload by clicking again; there's a tangible pause where you're vulnerable. The main objective is simply to survive each wave, protecting the town of Susanville from the gang's assault. The pacing is relentless. New enemies spawn constantly, and the difficulty ramps up quickly as they start moving faster and appearing from more directions. It feels tense and immediate, a test of simple reflexes against an overwhelming force.