Desperados Wanted Dead or Alive, Robin Hood Legend of Sherwood, Chicago 1930 review | In-depth look

This is a review of three Tactical RTS games produced by Spellbound. That means Desperados: wanted dead or alive, Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood and Chicago 1930.
I will try and take apart all aspects of all three games.
Table of contents:
3:00​ - Desperados: wanted dead or alive
29:27​ - Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
49:55​ - Chicago 1930

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

49:54 Hi, I made the music for Chicago 1930 :) Thanks for the review! Best Regards, Rapture

[@ltgchris693]

The actual music in game? If so you have my respect, the music was one of the best things in Chicago 1930.

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

@@ltgchris693 Yes, I did the ingame music and the cutscene musics, also the sound effects of the intro & cutscenes. Glad you like it man!

[@ltgchris693]

For what's it worth, it put me right away into a "mafia" mood ;) If you don't mind me asking. Were you part of spellbound at that time? Or worked outside the company?

[@hochi3214]

Robin hood legend of Sherwood one of rhe best rts games ever made

[@ElHuevoFromCBC]

Chicago 1930 veteran here, I fucking love this game, even if the game does have its issues, but here is the kicker, Chicago 1930 stands out by you selecting the correct weapon, character and approach to each mission, for example: In the mafia missions you have Jack Beretto who has +2 with the colt, that means that he can snipe down enemies with the pistol, and Joe Gurney can do the same, but with the tommy gun. Thats the fun of that game, knowing what to do in each map and selecting that one dude who can gun down and finish the job. The police missions are dumb and stupid though, because you do the same except you go to the jail for it. and the missions get extremely hard later on promotion a more aggressive approach. Works in the mafia missions, but not in the police missions. If you want to have a great time with Chicago 1930 (this is a bad idea btw) play the entire game in hard mode, where enemies have inhuman reactions and that snipe you from across the map, this encourages stealth, aggressiveness and perfect execution with the characters. Also, if you press the space bar you enter "The matrix mode" where it slows down time and you can perform quick actions.

[@jakubhota2370]

The holy trinity of my childhood ☺️ good days

[@ltgchris693]

This and the Commandos sereis.

[@serbianempire6456]

I'm really glad somebody is still talking about these games. I have only played Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood and am probably biased, but i really love that game. Now I can see why somebody who is coming from Desperados to Robin Hood would view it as a slight downgrade. But I think they were simply going for different kind of experience with it. I do agree that maybe they could have added another castle and could have really added more forest maps, but playing those forest levels didn't really feel tedious for first several playthroughs of mine. But the last time I have done it, it did really feel quite repetitive. I guess I have changed over time, because the game certainly didn't. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@ltgchris693]

I do agree with you. Robin Hood has a unique feel to it, even more then the other two games, i think it's because of the fencing mechanics and lack of guns. The are all great in their own right, especially the two first.

[@GoofyRiderFilms]

Desperados : Wanted Dead Or Alive makes me so nostalgic! Been playing it as a kid, I sometimes still play it. When you play it a lot of times you will realize how much detail spellbound put into the game. Right now, I'm playing Desperados 3, and I can confidently say that Mimimi understands what made the first game so good! Desperados 3 is amazing!

[@ltgchris693]

True, but the art direction is a little bit off for me. I very much miss the vibrant colors of the first Desperados. I know that this is done on purpose, but the color palette seems to be a little washed out. Other than that the Mimimi games are great.

[@GoofyRiderFilms]

@@ltgchris693 I can completely understand the vibrant colours thing, but it was easy overlooked by me because of the stunning graphics and the story. The way they revealed Hector was the long coat, the banter between the characters,etc. I could see they went for a 'realistic' approach. Also you said 'Walls of Fortezza' was your favourite level! it was mine too! Along with 'Piggies in the middle' and 'The magnificent six' those levels are the most memorable for me. Rest are too but i think these levels are amazing !

[@null_subject]

Wow, this is a great video! Such a detailed look at some awesome classic-subscribed!

[@ltgchris693]

Thanks. Thought that these games deserved a closer look.

[@QuestMode]

Very well thought out and well articulated review. Thank you so much!

[@drakk8741]

Discovering your video via the Steam page of Desperados. Great video with excellent review on which i agree 90%. I grew up playing Commandos (from the first to the last) and Spellbound games (Robin Hood, Chicago and the three Desperados games) and i completely relate to your points and feelings. I still play those games from time to time (they're still very nice games to play even in 2021) and i played Mimimi games too (Shadow Tactics and Desperados III), even though i liked them very much they lack the charm those old 2D Isometric games had. My biggest dream would be a Desperados 1 re-master with 4K HD graphics and better animations yet the very same gameplay and story (+ the expansions maps that were planned but never released). Anyway you earned my like and my sub ! :D PS: Where are you from ? I can hear a german-ish accent but i'm unsure. BTW i'm French and i understood 100% so your English is perfect !

[@ltgchris693]

I agree when it comes to Mimimi games, they are a solid effort but lack the soul of Spellbounds works (but it may be my nostalgia speaking). I wonder how much of that soul lies in the art styleand maps themselves. Another thing entirely is that Mimimi plays it safe in a manner of speaking, Desperados 3 is very similar to Shadow Tactics, while Spellbound tried to venture into new territory, with Robins base and the fencing mechanics. But then again Commandos didn't change the formula much in the entire series and it still turned out ok (but less memorable, at least for me). I for one would like to see a Robin Hood re-master. Heh... I get that from time to time about my german sounding accent,which is surprising to me as i am from Poland :) And thanks i try to do my best, and sound as clear as possible.

[@Feindflieger1]

Purchased these games 20 years ago and still playing them on my dual boot Win 10 64 / Win 7 32 system.

[@ltgchris693]

I'm the same. Expetialy when i remember that Robin Hood exists, i have to replay it periodically, the maps (although few) are excellent.

[@Feindflieger1]

@@ltgchris693Do you know that you can upscale the game (Robin Hood) up to 1080p? But that resolution will cause very tiny characters and items. 1400x900 is a suitable resolution on my 55" 4k TV screen. At the moment I'm trying to find out how I can upscale the resolution of Chicago 1930.

[@ltgchris693]

@@Feindflieger1Doesn't it lose its magic in such a high resolution? The character design must be unrecognizable.

[@Feindflieger1]

@@ltgchris693Not at all. You can play with all possible resolutions to find out the best you're comfortable with. I agree that 1080p is way to high for that game but something between 1200x800 or 1400x900 is ok. And for sure it depends on your screen. My PC is connected via HDMI to my 55" TV screen and playing that game in max 1024x768 is...

[@jorgeinti]

great video, i hope robin hood comes back in a remake with the fixes you suggested

[@toxez318]

(Sorry for using google translate). I'm a fan of Spellbound games (The original Desperados is one of my favorite games). In Desperados, there is another funny snake trick: In a mission where we first penetrate the fortress (if I remember correctly) to save Sanchez, and then reinforcements arrive and we need to get out of the fortress - you can leave the snake at the gate and all the riders will fall from their horses... Thus, we will only need to calmly leave the fortress. And about Robin Hood, I liked ambush missions as a kid, but it really was worth making more maps for variety (both basic and ambush). I also really liked the visual style of the games, it's a pity that now they don't use such technology, the picture in the games looked like it was drawn on a sheet of paper. P.S. Great video, I like and subscribe!

[@ltgchris693]

Yeh the maps really looked like little artworks. Especially the ones in Robin Hood. I guess that the hand painted backgrounds don't mesh well with 3D even if the game is as stylized as in Blades of the Shogun or Desperados 3. The trick with the snake is exactly what i used in that mission with Sanches for this playthrough :) Works like a charm, every time.

[@toxez318]

@@ltgchris693 Yes, such a picture in 3D is difficult to make. This makes me sad that they abandoned such a beautiful pixel 2D :(

[@mrmxyzptlk456]

I still play desperados one of the best game Ive ever played ❤ thanks for making a video about it brings back lot of memories❤

[@ltgchris693]

Then give Robin Hood a try, you might like it.

[@benykristo]

I played those games when I was young, really enjoyed them. Now Desperados 3, Shadow Tactics & Shadow Gambit are so good. nice memories though thank you !

[@ltgchris693]

Thank you for telling me that they released a third game. I knew olny about Desperados 3 & Shadow Tactics.

[@emaucho6562]

Great video, thank you for it! BTW I love these games, but my favorite game from Spellbound is by far Airline Tycoon in which I spend tens if not hundreds of hours.

[@ltgchris693]

Oh i can see that. I myself spent many tens of hours in Anno 1800. I know that it isn't the same genre, but it's too a german game ;)

[@Azazel5021]

great video

[@ltgchris693]

Thanks

[@brunocerkvenik]

Does anyone know how to export the objs and textures? I really wanted to know how they created the maps of these games, they have a cool traditional illustration style.

[@migueldeblas7874]

I played a lot Desperados and Robin Hood, though my favourite is Robin Hood I agree with you, they made very few unique maps for that game. What do you think about the new RTS games by Mimimi? Great video man!

[@ltgchris693]

I do like them (the ones from MImimi) but i kinda miss the old map style, they are still solid, but not as distinct. I actually do plan on making a video about both of them, Helldorado and Cooper's Revenge, don't know when though. But they seem to be doing way less experimenting then Spelbound (don't know why, but i would love to see a tactical RTS in the "Three musketeers" time period).

[@boskee]

@@ltgchris693 Fully agreed. Mimimi games are great, but they lack the charm and atmosphere of the original Desperados.

[@AaronGwynaireGameDev]

Fantastic review. I couldn’t agree more. Desperados is magical, and then a few years later I picked up Robin Hood, and again great game, lovely memories. However, those forest levels …. I picked the game up again Last year but I’ve lost interest just due to the constant backwards and forwards between tax collector level and ambush level, etc … Desperados III is great too, from what I have played, but it’s just not the same. Desperados I possesses incredible charm :)

[@ltgchris693]

I even think that Blades of the Shogun is a bit better then Desperados 3. Perhaps because i don't have any expectation how it should look like.

[@Ousvec]

You have to collect all those money for the ransom of king richard. It makes sence you have to do it many times! Don't blame the game for it. I absolutely love it and it get more and more difficult.

[@AaronGwynaireGameDev]

it gets boring after a while. more variation would have been a good idea!@@Ousvec

[@Ousvec]

you are just too picky. Be happy for this game, it is amazing!@@AaronGwynaireGameDev

[@AaronGwynaireGameDev]

@@Ousvec it is amazing, don’t get me wrong! I love it! What does put me off though is the repetitive limited amount of tax missions. Have you played spellbounds other game Desperados?

[@TheHaba6]

Oh that robinhood game so good, btw didnt see u do once "special" melee attack on gameplay.

[@ltgchris693]

There is only one in the footage, at 47:14

[@tahnadana5435]

you know what IP could strive on this genre? vampire the masquerade

[@ltgchris693]

This is actually a fun idea, although i think that it would have to be remodeled to be more open then these games. But by that time it would become an isometric RPG. I still wish they would do something on the basis of the "Three musketeers"

[@tahnadana5435]

@@ltgchris693 Paradox Interactive dont have any money to make an all out a baldurs gate isometric RPG, its a shame how what they made in 3d now is not as charming as in 2d sprites, also, where are the talking heads nowadays? another IP that would be perfect is DUNE..made the fencing battle like legend of sherwood but with more varied animations and game mechanics

[@chaunceystewart9960]

I bought Desperados Wanted Dead or Alive during the Steam Summer Sale. I am doing my first playthrough. It's a great game so far.

[@ltgchris693]

It is. And if you like that one, you probably will like Robin Hood too.

[@null_subject]

I loved all three of these games, but man, replaying back through Commandos 2 really solidifies its supremacy in this genre it created. Many more abilities than its peers? Check. The best pre-rendered maps ever made in the RTT genre? Check. WITH ROTATION!!? Check. Full interiors (including tiny unimportant guard posts)? Check. Insane attention to detail for the time (auto-sneaking animation, stairs animation, etc)? Check. Probably the most options ever given in a stealth game? Check. Flawless multiplayer? Check. Only in Commandos would the devs give you a grappling hook that can pretty much be used anywhere (in _addition_ to rope ladders, and the general ability to climb), and then give it an secondary use, just for shits and giggles (you can hold it taut and used it as a tripping hazard). Pyro were just showing off.

[@ltgchris693]

Yeh... Commandos 2 was a great game, although i still prefer the map style of the Spellbound games, I just love the hand drawn style. When i was thinking of making a video about Commandos the first thing that came to mind was the incredible amount of work that went into each map and funnily enough also the grappling hook :) I remember how fun it was to attach it to the roof of the U-boot hangar and infiltrate if from the top down.

[@ikooikooo3485]

what program you used to game capured desperados pls ?

[@ltgchris693]

OBS Studio

[@ikooikooo3485]

@@ltgchris693 thanx for rep. how you play desperados without lagging on win 10

[@ltgchris693]

@@ikooikooo3485 Can't really say. It didn't lag for me.

[@Tibor0803]

The lack of maps are not as terrible and it's compensated by the armies and difficulty of solving a mission overtime, so it's mostly forgivable.

[@ltgchris693]

Robin Hood or Chicago?

[@Tibor0803]

@@ltgchris693 Robin Hood. It's absolutely not problematic gameplay-wise. Yep, situational of which of Robin Hood's Merry would do the trick best in certain situations, but even if the maps are repetitive, the challenge is absolutely not the same it varies.

[@ltgchris693]

@@Tibor0803 It does. But i still felt, that after a while i got frustrated with the amount of ambushes i had to perform.

[@Tibor0803]

@@ltgchris693 Well, it's a stealth-strategy genre type of game just like the rest of what we already know. However, Robin Hood is somewhere between action-strategy and stealth-strategy. So it's really mixed when it comes to gameplay. So far, I have played the normal difficulty and I have to tell you, you have to carefully think it over what you are about to do or else you may render your Merry Men to die for nothing.

[@ltgchris693]

@@Tibor0803 I always play on hard. I try to avoid combat as much as i can. But i must admit that the "super move" that i described in the video, made every fight trivial. My point is simply, that they had a ton of content in the main castles, so they don't really need to pad out the game, using the forest missions. Anyway, whatever i might think is a drawback, this is still an awesome game.

[@user-we3qe5nr9b]

robin hood is the best of all of them

[@ltgchris693]

After i played them again back to back, i have to agree with you. It has most definitely the most unique atmosphere.

[@Hubbaser]

Once I wanted to play Commandos but UI and controls were so atrocious, unexplained that I dropped this game in 5 min :/

[@ltgchris693]

I can certainly relate. When i tried to play it for the first time with my brother, we accidentally used the camera option to follow enemy units around. So we concluded that this is a non interactive historic game. Just after some trials we finally got the hang of it. But ultimately it was worth it. Commandos is a great game.

[@user-yw7yy8ns8i]

[@ltgchris693]

I am very interested, what is the story behind this comment :)