Midway - Boot Hill (1977), 4/10

Midway’s Boot Hill arcade game offers a simple Pong-esque shoot-em-up experience, where players trade pixel projectiles in a dueling scenario. The screen flashes “Get Ready / Draw!” before letting players take over and face their opponent. There are cactuses and a wagon protecting the computer, creating additional challenge beyond “fair” dueling. Boot Hill is bolstered by its inherent simplicity like many other early arcade titles, but it is also limited by its straightforward approach and homogeneity. There is a strength in repeatability, common to early arcade games, but when the competitive allure fades, so does practically all interest in the experience. Boot Hill features a background unique to the title at the time of release, using fixed art background to embellish the simple gameplay with flourishes of art, but this is, again, a surface level player draw.