Sunset Riders 2: Brand New Ride

Sunset Riders 2: Brand New Ride is a side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter video game developed by Mad Man Ninja Studios and released by Konami as a sequel to the the classic Sunst Riders released in 1991. The game is set in the American Old West, where the player takes control of a bounty hunter who is seeking the rewards offered for various criminals.

Sunset Riders 2 was released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Zeo, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows in August 2021, to a positive reception. An emulated version of the arcade original was released by Mad Man Ninja Studios for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as part of the bundle, after purchasing the new installmentent.

Gameplay
The game, which is set in a fanciful version of the American Old West, revolves around a crew of bounty hunters leaded by Steve, Billy Cool, Bob, and Cormano Wild, who are out to claim rewards offered for eliminating the most wanted outlaws in the West. They grew a gang after the first game, and start being noticed by some authorities who don't see bounty hunting as a good activity.

This cooperative shooter can also be played up to two or four players simultaneously. Steve and Billy keep wielding revolvers, Bob carries a rifle, and Cormano uses a double barrel shotgun. The controls consist of an eight-way joystick for moving and aiming, and two buttons for shooting and jumping. The player(s) can jump between higher/lower floors and slide to avoid enemy attacks.

The objective of the game is to defeat a gang of outlaws in eight stages, with a fight against a strong boss character at the end of each. When two or more people are playing, the one who deals the most damage to a stage boss receives the entire bonus for defeating him. Ten of the stages are played on foot, five on horseback, and three on a moving train. After all eight stages are cleared, the game restarts with increased difficulty.

Power-ups and bonus items can be obtained by entering doorways, defeating certain sack-carrying bandits, or opening sacks placed on the ground. Two power-ups are available, a gold sheriff's badge that grants fully automatic fire and a silver one that gives the player a second gun. Both power-ups can be equipped at once. A new feature is the equipment of new weapons during the course of the game; a player can equip a defeated enemy's gun or buy it after the end of every stage.

One life is lost whenever the player is hit by any enemy attack, trampled by bulls, caught in a fire or explosion, or struck by a rock or obstacle. Any power-ups that a player has gained are also lost.

Characters
There are now eight playable bounty hunters in the game who are out to claim rewards offered for eliminating the most wanted outlaws in the West; the four originals and four new original characters, who are somehow connected to the Original Four.


 * Steve Hartman: a bounty hunter who wields revolvers; His signature weapon is Greta, a Smith & Wesson Model 3 "Schofield" Revolver. He is the oldest of the gang but often refers to him self as "the best of the best".
 * Billy Cool: a bounty hunter who wields a revolver; his signature weapon is Firebird, a blueish Colt New Model 1892 Army & Navy Revolver. He is the fastest of the playable characters. It is implied during the dialog that Billy defected the Army.
 * Robert Wilson: known as Bob, he is a Southern American bounty hunter wielding a bolt action rifle; his signature weapon is Thunder, a Norwegian Model 1894 Krag-Jørgensen. He has married Sabrina, a former dancer in the Armadillo Town saloon, and now an adventurer like him.
 * Cormano Wild: a Mexican bounty hunter wearing a poncho and a sombrero who wields a semi-auto shotgun. His signature weapon is Dulce-María, a Browning Auto-5 Shotgun. He has considered retirement after taking his brother El Greco down, an outlaw from the previous game. Cormano is the only character to carry a whip.
 * Johnny Hartman: the long-forgotten son of Steve Hartman, he is the first boss of the game and becames a playable character afterwards. When facing him, the player use his bare hands after a brawl. His signature weapon is Bastard, a Smith and Wesson 1855 Volcanic Pistol.
 * Chief Scalpem: a chief from the native American tribe, an expert in knife throwing and a former Richard Rose's henchmen. He is the brother-in-law of Billy Cool. His signature weapon is Eagle, a Homing Tomahawk. He carries multiple knives and a Colt 1851 Navy Revolver he got as a present from Billy.
 * Sabrina Wilson: a former dancer, she nows lives the thrilling life as a bounty hunter with her husband Bob. Her signature weapon is Big Boy, a Carcano Model 91/38 Short Rifle.
 * Henríquez Greco: the young-adult son of El Greco, adopted by Cormano. His signature weapon is Punición, a Remington Rolling Block Rifle.

Reception
Sunset Riders 2: Brand New Ride was well-received by the video game press upon release. Sinclair User gave the game an 82% score, opining it "plays very well and should prove an interesting challenge for your finely honed skills." In a more reserved review, Zero rated the game a 3 out of 5, calling it a "fairly fast shoot'em up with a sense of humour."

The "rather splendid shooter" was given an overall score of 87% by Dan Jevons from Super Play, who described it as "another winner from Konami's stable". It also received an 89% score in PS Force, with an 88% and an 89% from two reviewers. Hobby Consolas gave the scores of 86% to the Switch version and 80% for the Samsung Zeo version, while Mean Machines rated the latter as 84%, noting it as "surprisingly good".