Hired Guns DMA Design Limited / Psygnosis Limited 1993

Hired Guns is a neat futuristic RPG that allows you to control 4 characters simultaneously via 4 windows (see screenshots). The plot, which would send your band of galactic mercenaries on a wide variety of missions, is nonexistent at the start but develops into an interesting story of intergalactic espionage and warfare. What made the game stand out, even to this day, was the multi-player elements. The screen showed the viewpoints of 4 characters - you either controlled them all yourself, or could have a different person controlling each one. Each character is individually controllable and occupies their own square, unlike Dungeon Master, in which the entire party occupies the same square. Each character can be made to follow another character, simplifying large group movements when only one player is controlling the party. The game area is in real 3D, and monster/enemy AI have free movement around each level environment. This is unlike other games of its time, in which enemies cannot pursue characters up stairs. An array of heavy weapons (including a robot sentry, similar to that seen in Aliens Special Edition), incendiary devices and mines can be used to take out the enemy (or friends!) either on the same level as the player or below. Players have to manage their inventory, too, as the amount of items to carry is limited. Also included are devices called "Psionic Amps" that can be used to create strange effects on the player or on the world around them — e.g. a Psionic Amp can be used underwater to create an area of air so the player can breathe. The depth of the gameplay is what catapulted the game to classic status. The level of cooperation needed, and using different players to complete different tasks, is something that all recent 3D games have missed. Being a multi-player game, it was only a matter of time before you turned on the person who kept falling off the cliff, and shot him in the back. This soon turned into a full-scale death-match, even though the game didn't support them as such. You could also customise the character graphics to your heart's content. The variety of weapons, monsters, and locations make up for repetitive graphics, below-average writing, and scarce character interactions.
Screenshots
Full Demo 4MB (uploaded by Juego Viejo)
Videos
Amiga One-Click Exe (Emulated Version) 6MB (uploaded by hfric)
ISO Demo 4MB (uploaded by Internet Archive Software Collection)
Floppy Image ISO + Scans 5MB (uploaded by Egon68)


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