Howdy.

Grab a six-shooting revolver, purchase a fifth-gallon of whisky, pass it clockwise, then download and install this game. Why? Yeehaw.

Here's what this game is, pardner: A mod of the Source Engine that plays out as a medium-paced, close-range arena shooter. You create a loadout of Wild West-style weaponry and go into battle with a pack of curly wolves not unlike your-rough-cut-self. The primary combat mode is free-for-all: Indeed, the close-range combat and synchopated flow of action work well with its "battle royale" style.

Pony up.

The game's overall feel is not unlike Quake, with lots of hitscan twitch-aiming and weapon-swapping. By the time you've made a frag or two, you've gone through your whole loadout twice--and that's great. Every choice matters and there is no single option that beats the bunch. The game encourages smart ambushes, with split-second decision-making to augment the coordination needed to score kills. It's a game of big set-ups, big pay-offs, and big losses. The winnin'-est cowboy knows when to play to the gallery, and when to skedaddle, to avoid lookin' the blowhard.

Don't put a spoke in the wheel like a thoroughbred just yet, though. Not everything is in apple pie order, nor is it as fine as cream gravy, buttered grits, or roast Arbuckle's. Bend an elbow, and read the goods 'ccordin' to Hoyle:

The gameplay featured in Fistful of Frags can be as repetetive as it is fun. It's simple, enjoyable, exciting, and--paradoxically--mesmerizingly dull after you've played each map for an hour or two. A few friends can help liven the game up, for sure. Being as stool-trippin'-ly roosted as the posse in-game can do wonders too. You high-falutin' nancy.

Shut yer damn bazoo.

Don't take this flannel mouth's gab for nothin', though, lessin' you try the game yerself. When you're feelin' like a bona fide coffee boiler, saddle up to a server on Fistful of Frags and send some sorry shave-tails to the ol' bone orchard. Shoot or give up the gun already, Lukey-boy ye damn varmit! Also, fasten on your best bib and tucker, before you have a hog-killin'-esque alright time of it. Y'here.

7.1 / passthewhisky.