Play Mad Dog McCree Online

Summary

Mad Dog McCree broke new ground as the first live‑action laserdisc video game, turning real motion‑picture footage into an interactive shooting gallery. Its blend of quick‑draw duels and a six‑round revolver gave players a taste of Old West gunfights without the usual pixel art.

The project was a modest $125,000 venture shot on location in New Mexico, using local talent to populate the dusty streets. Actor Russ Dillen filled several outlaw roles, including the titular Mad Dog, while Ben Zeller appeared as the prospector, adding a genuine small‑town feel to the scenes.

When the game landed on the Sega CD, reviewers noted the video’s grainy texture, but praised the inclusion of light‑gun support and a clear manual that diagrammed each level. Three difficulty settings let newcomers and veterans alike test their reflexes, and the fast‑draw showdowns faithfully recreated the tension of a classic western standoff.

Storyline

In Mad Dog McCree the player steps into the boots of a silent stranger who rides into an unnamed Old West town. An elderly prospector named Ben Zeller begs for help, explaining that the mayor and his daughter have been kidnapped by the outlaw gang led by the notorious Mad Dog McCree, and that the sheriff is locked up in jail. After the stranger shoots two gang members who try to silence the prospector, he learns that One‑Eyed Jack holds the jail keys and is waiting in the saloon.

The stranger defeats One‑Eyed Jack’s crew, claims the keys, and frees the sheriff. While the duo heads out to confront Mad Dog, three gang members ambush them; the sheriff is mortally wounded and, with his dying breath, tells the stranger that a map to Mad Dog’s hideout lies in the local mine and that the prospector should be consulted before entering.

A bank robbery by Mad Dog’s men is halted, and a grateful boy warns the stranger against using the hideout’s back entrance. The prospector is found tied to live explosives, which the stranger disables by cutting the fuse. The map from the mine leads the stranger to the hideout, where he blasts the smokestack, forces the gang out, rescues the mayor, but sees Mad Dog escape with the mayor’s daughter.

The final showdown is a quick‑draw duel; forewarned that Mad Dog wears a bullet‑proof vest, the stranger shoots both of his hands, forcing him to drop his weapon. The mayor unties his daughter, the townsfolk applaud the stranger, and Mad Dog is seen riding away into the distance.