American Laser Games

It turns out there is an emulator for Laserdisc games. It’s called Daphne, and I found the ROMs. I can play Who Shot Johnny Rock the way it was originally intended. I’ve seen some differences already, in contrast to the DOS port I played when I got my first PC. The prospector from the beginning of Mad Dog McCree has a cameo in WSJR. I laughed so hard when I saw it. The bit was not in the DOS game! At long last, I can play the game in full resolution, as well as their entire catalog. This FMV shooter is hugely nostalgic for me, as it was one of the first PC games I ever played on my computer back in 1996, and I am curious about the studio and everything else they produced.

I can experience the arcade version of the game. This tickles me to death. I had the DOS version memorized. The arcade game is just different enough to keep me on my toes.

 

Having done a few playthroughs of the arcade game Who Shot Johnny Rock, I see a typical playthrough is shorter compared to the DOS port. Murderer’s Row (the leadup to the finale) is shorter in the arcade version, and there are fewer in-between scenes. Makes sense. Must maintain arcade pacing.

I would love the PC port with laserdisc resolution. DOS version has multiple difficulty settings and a save feature, plus the pacing and placement of in-between scenes is more logical.

Who Shot Johnny Rock deserves a quality rerelease. Until then, the DOS port is the next best thing, and I’m so glad we can still go back and enjoy the laserdisc edition if for no other reason than to see it in full resolution. For superior gameplay, choose the DOS port.

I played Crime Patrol. They went all-out with the stunts in this one. Seeing this in an arcade back in the 90s would have blown my mind.

Mad Dog McCree 2 is pretty clever, though it seems finicky about hitboxes and timing. Don’t know if that’s true to the arcade. It’s fascinating to replay these as close to intended as I can. I see all of them had DOS ports.

The Last Bountyhunter is tough. Frenzied pacing and the pinnacle of their stunt-work, combining moving arenas with stationary shooting galleries. ALG had perfected the craft of the FMV shooter, and the result is this quirky Western, perhaps the best game they ever produced.

 

 

I even tried Mazer, their 3DO exclusive. I can see why it stayed on the 3DO. It’s clunky. An ambitious change for them, certainly an attempt to move on from FMV, but it’s uninspired and unpleasant.

 

I remember the windows port of WSJR was bad. So much was cut it’s barely a game. The DOS port was true to the arcade version and even improved the pacing. From what I’m seeing while tinkering with the DOS ports of their other titles, the same is true for all. The WinXP conversions of Mad Dog 1 and Bounty Hunter are pretty close to the arcade, but they lack points and a clearcut lives system. These versions scrub the titles of their game elements. They’re not the same. If only the DOS games saw a rerelease at full resolution.

I see ALG’s three Westerns got a Wii port, and it looks like it preserved the arcade game aspects. It should have been an American Laser Games compilation. All of their games deserved such a conversion. WSJR and Last Bounty Hunter are my favorites. I wish the DOS ports had a rerelease at full resolution. 

Space Pirates is cheesy, but it’s also sincere and a genuine challenge. If the folks behind MST3K made a movie-game, it would have been like Space Pirates.

 

Drug Wars (Crime Patrol 2) is more of the same as its predecessor, but with even more stunts. That’s all I can think about while playing the game: damn these stunts are impressive and they would have blown my mind had I see it in the arcade.

 FMV shooters are hugely nostalgic for me. These would have blown my mind had I seen them in an arcade. Live action stunts like this, in an arcade game! Wow! The ALG catalogue deserves a rerelease. Something that preserves both the arcade experience and the DOS ports.

Play the DOS versions to experience the games as they were meant to be. Play the WinXP conversions to see them at good resolution. Get the LDs to work if you want the best of both. I’m uncertain how well the “singe” versions recreate the arcade experience, but they’re the best representations we have for what we saw in the arcade in the early 1990s.

The studio should not be forgotten. They created some amazing experiences for arcade and PC. Remember the FMV era. Remember.