Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (Arcade) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Konami's 1992 license-based run-and-gun arcade game, Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.
Played through on the normal difficulty level with Cowlorado.
Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa was a short-lived cartoon series from the early 90s that, like most kid's cartoons of the time, featured anthropomorphized animals wielding lethal weapons. It's strange to think how much more violent cartoons were back then, isn't it?
Anyway, like Bucky O'Hare, The Simpsons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moo Mesa was yet another cartoon that had the good fortune to be selected as the basis for a Konami arcade. Anyone that has played a Konami arcade game from the early 90s knows what this means: no matter what you think of the show it is based on, the game is going to be good.
Playing like a heavily tweaked version of Sunset Riders, Moo Mesa gives you control of one of four space-mutant C.O.W.boy officers tasked with saving bovine-babe Lily from the evil outlaws that kidnapped her. It's hokey, but it's bright and brash and doesn't take itself seriously in the least.
I especially loved the mutant scorpion boss that fires at you with an XXL pistol that has been strapped to his stinger. Such an awesome, totally unnecessary detail. The game is loaded with little touches like that.
The game plays like any other run-and-gun game of its era - you're usually running right while hammering the fire button - but Moo Mesa introduces a couple features to differentiate it from Sunset Riders. You have a dash move that can destroy breakable objects and stun enemies, a hopping twirl that passes through enemy fire, and a backward somersault move that temporarily makes you impervious to damage as you bound out of harm's way. Both of these moves give you a lot of speed and control, and though the somersault can make the game a bit too easy, the variety they provide helps the game from becoming tedious. You also get a couple of shoot 'em up stages which are nothing to write home about, but they are temporarily entertaining diversions.
Like most of Konami's arcade games, the real attractions here are the graphics and sound. The sprites are huge and well animated - they look as much like the cartoon as they possibly could have, given the game's age - and there are tons of voice clips and sound effect samples blaring non-stop over the hyperactive, endlessly hummable FM background music.
It's one of Konami's lesser known arcade games of the period, but Moo Mesa is a great choice if you appreciate old-school arcade action and top-tier production values.
Let's rodeo!
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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[@NintendoComplete]

The television show may now have been long since forgotten, but Konami's Moo Mesa does an excellent job at spinning the Sunset Riders' formula into a completely manic, thoroughly absurd, and entirely awesome classic arcade title.

[@Invidente7]

Them cowboys made a brief return on the TMNT 2003 show ... It was a season where the turtles were in the future, and the cowboys showed up in a virtual world or something

[@NintendoComplete]

@@Invidente7 That sounds like just the ridiculous kind of thing I'd expect it would be lol

[@Erwooten23]

Questions where do you find all of these old games??? I know you could find a few on E shop and perhaps a few at garage sales or flea markets but, you have/play some classic games I haven't seen in years.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@Erwooten23 I remember a lot of them, but I also do a lot of research to try to find ones that are kinda forgotten or that you don't usually see many videos of. I prefer to do the unique ones when I can rather than merely rehashing the same ones that other people have already done to death.

[@thenspeakonit]

Honestly this was awesome. I usually only watch 10 minutes to decide if I'll like a game but I couldn't stop watching this one. How can I play it?

[@Octopuswithcorn]

I'm sad I live in a world where Konami somehow never made a Street Sharks game

[@Oddbrother]

Yet they did with turtles, mice, and -k- cats.

[@zimtak6418]

I know, sometimes I wish I could "Rick and Morty" my way into a parallel universe that had more and/or different 90s Konami arcades, as well as more Konami arcade ports to the SNES. My childhood gaming days were pretty awesome, but still, one can't help but wonder what could have been.

[@anthonymarshall8311]

Well let's look at this...Konami had already designed a turtles game and already designed a 4-player Western run and gun....So do you REALLY think a game based on a obvious turtles rip would actually be made over a cartoon designed by the turtles main animators in a western setting? Besides...Be happy you brat...We still got a killer X-Men and Bucky O'Hare game from em.

[@troyandrew6154]

​@Oddbrother k cats? Never heard of that one before

[@PeteTheRock2002]

I remembered the opening and enjoying it as a kid. Man, those were the days of ABC Saturday Mornings...

[@thecowboy2]

Fun fact: Marshal Moo Montana was voiced by Pat Fraley, who voiced Marshal Bravestarr in the 80's Filmation cartoon.

[@Ragalo100]

He also voiced Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[@anthonymarshall8311]

Even more fun fact...The cartoon came out in 92 dude...

[@WilliamDearthwd]

And Dakota was voiced byJim Cummings. He's done many animated roles like Winnie the Pooh starting in the 90s, and Tigger after Paul Winchell stopped doing the voice soon before his death. Cowlorado was voiced by Jeff Bennett, who also did voices like Tex Tinstar, Duke L'Orange, and Johnny Bravo.

[@troyandrew6154]

And wildcat on talespin

[@figment1988]

​@@WilliamDearthwdand Jim also voiced the Terror Mask in the 2010 reboot of Splatterhouse (interestingly, despite acknowledging that role, it is one he admits that it isn't one of his favorite roles)

[@shoresean1237]

Masked Bull : I'm-a bustin' out of here! Cow-lorado: We been canceled for nigh on twenty-five years. Masked Bull: I'm-a orderin' some furnishins' for here! Maybe a futon couch. This place get cable?

[@Leoj305]

Wow, I can not believe this cartoon got an arcade game. Holy crap, the memories.

[@christianpipes2110]

It’s the opposite for me, as I was surprised to found out that it was based on a cartoon 😂

[@shawnswint1521]

Another Arcade Game Classic that Deserves the Arcade 1up Treatment.

[@zimtak6418]

I loved this arcade! I remember being so disappointed back in the day that they never made a port of this to the SNES like they did for Turtles in Time.

[@AkiraStrix94]

If I had to guess, maybe it had to do with Cowboys of Moo Mesa not being AS popular as the Ninja Turtles were at the time. I think they did crossover with the Turtles in comics, but I don't know how long ago that was.

[@beauwalker9820]

I never watched that, but from looking at this, this series needs a reboot.

[@supersaver87]

I'm all for it! I've been binge watching it the past few days, I forgot how much fun I had with it back in the day.

[@zimtak6418]

It deserves a reboot every bit as much as Ninja Turtles did.

[@angeldeb82]

I used to watch some episodes of the Wild West C.O.W.Boys of Moo Mesa when I was little. Never knew there was an arcade game of this. Nice one! :)

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

YIPPEE-COW-YAY!! Let's rodeo, fellers! 90s cartoon kids rejoice, *Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of **_MOOOOOO_** Mesa* is super-cool and instead of physical melee attack actions like in *Ninja Turtles,* I love how you shoot at dudes and ne'er-do-wells with the occasional brute force carried out in the form of a good old-fashioned ramming headbutt! (They _are_ bulls, after all) What an awesome, action-packed arcade classic, brimming with personality. Yee-haw!

[@Disneyfan82]

This show deserves a reboot without changing too much.

[@djangoflores7413]

Exactly. I am just afraid that if they reboot it, they might try to completely copy cat Quick Draw McGraw.

[@Disneyfan82]

@@djangoflores7413 Or Thundercats Roar. Or even turn Boot Hill Buzzard into an irredeemable monster which he doesn't deserve.

[@TrueSolunar]

Oddly enough, I have a playlist for the cartoon saved in my videos...

[@duanecrichlow8791]

Oh my goodness! I haven't played this game in such a long time.

[@GaryBeltz]

"I'm gonna BBQ your ribs!" (laughter) hey leave my ribs out of this! :D

[@luiscastillo-tt4is]

OMG i've been looking for this game for almost 15 years man, thanks for this gameplay,i used to steal money from my mom to play this game 😂

[@zimtak6418]

I used to work my ass off cleaning the entire house from top to bottom and mowing the entire front and back yard just for 50¢ to play this game, and some others, about twice a month. My Mom was such a cheapskate considering she got around $2500 a month from my Dad just for existing *plus* about $750 in child support that was hardly spent on me.

[@MrJimmy527]

Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (c) DIC Entertainment, 1992-1993

[@jdr4503]

Oh youre playing the greatest video game ever made . . . nice

[@egiferdi]

im so old now, thanks for upload this :)

[@zimtak6418]

I know, watching videos like this brings back fond childhood memories, but then reminds you how old you are too. I hate to sound like a stereotypical old fart, but my 16-bit arcade generation was the best arcade generation dagnabbit!

[@DavideGendo]

I had the luck to play the original arcade and it stays as one of my favourites from Konami's golden age. I recall that the bosses become slightly more difficult the later you decide to fight them, but since some still have simpler attack patterns, over several plays I ended up making some "perfect route" where the first choosable level I did was the one with the train or the one with the scorpion, followed by the buzzard, while Five Card Stud was a pushover in any case, so he was the last I confronted before the final level. Since you played this, and all iterations of Sunset Riders in the past, what about Mystic Warriors next? It's the true successor to SR, made by the same team, set in an over-the-top modern ninja setting.

[@NintendoComplete]

Oh yeah, I'm quite familiar with that one :) itll be up soon, don't worry

[@thecowboy2]

This is a hidden gem of a game - and that's no bull. ;-)

[@jasminelovespink]

Pun intended?

[@Djclyve]

I have never ever seen this at an arcade. I would’ve eaten this up. It doesn’t even seem like it’s that unfair.

[@yusakug]

Boy, Konami did get kind of cartoon license crazy back in the 90s, didn't they? Even if the show wasn't that great, love this game. Kind of like Bucky O'Hare. Not a great show, but man, Konami spun gold out of it.

[@NintendoComplete]

Yeah, there were a ton. GI Joe and Asterix, along with all the really popular ones, were great. Hell, even the Roller Games games they made were pretty good.

[@israelflores4626]

@@NintendoComplete Oh yeah, I forgot they did an Asterix game.

[@purpledonatello]

God it so satisfying when the bullet hits the boss when he turns red. It’s makes me want to jam the shoot button so fast until it breaks.

[@noelmorelos7941]

Wow the Cows are mutants

[@lontonggunting8119]

I searched for the title for years, I think this is the best arcade game , i love this game so much

[@sammyyo461]

Darn it, Konami!! You use to be so cool.. … Gotta Love westerns with some Steampunk tossed in, right?? Wasn't his show created by a former artist who worked on "TMNT"?? I gotta say, I really love the diverse stage variety, including that flying "Shmup" stage that's most likely a tribute or homage to "Gradius"!! Also I must admit, that "Masked Bull" character looks quite like a badass villain!!

[@beauwalker9820]

Yeah, in fact, the C.O.W. boys characters cameo'd (as holograms) in the 2003 TMNT series.

[@-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-]

they should have made a C.O.W. Boys/Sunset Riders crossover game.

[@Perknare]

Yeah like how Battletoads/Double Dragon existed.

[@live4marilyn]

C.O.W. = Code Of the West

[@hdofu]

Contra, Otomedius, Warzaid

[@comedian416]

I remember being a kid in the 90's playing this arcade in a local grocery store every weekend when my dad took me for grocery shopping. Joy's that kids today will never get to experience. I miss growing up in the 80's/90's

[@oscarthelemon3161]

yup this is the game I was looking for

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

have you ever played bucky ohare?

[@JonesDylan874]

YEEHAW! Gotta love me a good run-n-gun shooter! This fits the bill.

[@diogeniscruyff1084]

You cant love this game when you already love sunset riders!Arcades were the epitome of fun when it comes to video games!!no game today has their feeling no matter how expensive and good graphics it has

[@Togemon5]

I have a question why does the game 4 heroes when the show only had 3?

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

incorrect. the show had all 4 of them.

[@Togemon5]

@@ChickenMcThiccken I mean as main characters because all the episodes I have seen have only 3 characters

[@emarumatou7236]

Tengo una pregunta, como puedo bajar el ROM de C.O.W boys en el mame4droid? Lo e intentado y no me corre el ROM. Me podrían ayudar? Gracias! :)

[@AyaneOfDeath]

Lets Rodeo! Lets Rodeo! Lets Rodeo!

[@marvelbliss]

It's a crying shame this game was never ported, because it's so gosh-darn fun! Heck, the music even sounds like it came straight from the SNES! I can only assume it didn't get a port because it was nowhere near as popular as TMNT (incidentally, didn't both franchises have a crossover back in the day? I swear I remember that being a thing).

[@Falcovsleon21]

In the comics. And in the 2003 TMNT cartoon but that was more of them being stuck in a holographic projection with the characters than a true crossover.

[@atlanticgames3197]

the teenage mutant cowboy cows , why dont have a snes or sega megadrive port :'(

[@Bloodreign1]

Such exotic location names too, like Niagara Desert, Jane Meadow (a long dead actress from the old days of film) and Sheeza Butte (She's a butt, or She's a Beaut) on the between stage map screen. Fun game, but some choice names for locations.

[@EBStorm0487]

28:17 there goes the Masked Bull 😂😂😂😂

[@xRocketzFighterx]

This is pretty good. Wish MAME was easy to set up to play this and other awesome arcade classics.

[@NintendoComplete]

It's pretty easy, actually. Just grab the emulator, put the game in the roms directory, and then load it up. If you don't like the command-line, MameUI provides a simple interface that's easy to use. Once you're in the game, just hit tab and a menu will pop up so you can configure your controls :)

[@MrSuperspeedsonic]

The newest upgrades from Mame made the emulator easier to set up and play. Just like Alex (NintendoComplete) said, you just need to put on the roms in the directory and done. I can also recommend you to download the correct version if your PC/Laptop is 32 bits or 64 bits, the correct version will be the difference between good or acceptable performance. Also you can use controller with the emulator. Just take in count that not all roms works with the emulator, this game works but 3D games and other ones needs other bios and more setting. Enjoy your play!!

[@BARONXAVIER]

MOONSET RAIDERS????

[@evildeadmitch]

Pretty amazing.

[@user-wd6me5vz7p]

konami knew how to make great arcade games based on cartoons. the only flaw was, was that the endings would be too short.

[@Dynaman21]

One of these days Konami needs to take all of their non-Turtles cartoon games and sell them in a similar manner to the Cowabunga Collection (this, Bucky O'Hare, GI Joe's arcade game, X-Men if they can finagle the rights, etc). Call it "Weekday Afternoon Arcade" or something like that.

[@wiisalute]

I still don't understand that opening intro. Can anybody explain it?

[@user-ge6co1oh7h]

LET'S RODEO!

[@perualonso]

Sega and Nintendo could’ve done Sega Genesis and Super NES versions of this game, which include the show’s theme song, and 2-player mode.

[@toniclementegarcia4900]

Hi Is this mame or the arcade pcb? In case it is mame, what version did you use? Thank you :)

[@WilliamDearthwd]

That bald eagle is somehow strong enough to carry a full grown anthro cow through the air for a while? It's like how phoenixes are portrayed in Harry Potter. ^^

[@TheScaleTech]

Was this just a reskin sunset riders?

[@ghgaming5363]

Como lo descargo para emulador mame de xbox 360 o wii

[@TheAlphaOmegaX3]

I want this!

[@magnusdiridian]

it's BULLSHIT this never got a home release

[@MrSuperspeedsonic]

I 've found interesting the lots of licensed games that Konami made in the past. I don't know if Konami had lots of employees that were fans from those shows or toys, or Konami though that these licenses could be useful for make a wealthy buck or that people get interest in the company. But we can complain? The majority of licensed games from Konami were great for sure, I am wondering if the developers took notes from the source material, or taken hours and hours watching the shows for ideas or they just get someone that had aknowledge from the source material, certainly I can appreciate the level of detail from the licensed games from Konami. I think this game is pretty good, just like the Bucky O'Hare game and certainly I can put my trust in the "Sunset Riders with C.O.W.S.". I am interesed about the show now, by the way, it is pretty 90's for sure.

[@lorinmiller3317]

Is the Cowlorado Kid the only character that you play in this game?

[@jamesoffutt2801]

Let's assume that Moo Mesa takes place in the same world as usagi yojimbo. Only in the West.

[@mkiwi980]

What's weird is I hate the show but I love the game.

[@Disneyfan82]

What's there to hate about western shows?

[@PacManEntertainment2]

It's like Rolling Thunder

[@jeffclydecainong2444]

WOW 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 this looks like TMNT Shredder's Revenge, and others like Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, Cuphead Collection, Metal Slug Saga, Resident Evil era and all too!!!

[@WilliamDearthwd]

6:30 a scorpion man!

[@charlieduffney138]

Does anybody remember fivel goes west video from years back?

[@windscar15]

Let’s get real. Prior to Red Dead . This and Sunset Riders were the shit if you wanted a fun cowboy action game.

[@pop2uno]

10:51 Did the boss just said "adios gringos"?? That's funny. Btw, do white americans like that term? Always wondered. Anyways, great video of a game I didn't know existed so thanks for the memories. *Edit: just found out that gringo is not from "green, go" but from an alteration on griego or greek in spanish. It basically points to anyone who doesn't speak your language.

[@NintendoComplete]

In my experience, most don't care. It's not a word I've ever seen anyone take offense to.

[@pop2uno]

Good to know, still people have names, so I will try harder to refrain from using pejorative terms. Cheers from Mexico!

[@pop2uno]

@Mr.Cenourinha san Hi back to you 🤗 Funny things, curses and bad words. Literally, cabron means big goat. How is a big goat a bad thing? Isn't bigger, better? Now, culero...that's an insult.

[@hanifmoin2817]

good GAME

[@EBStorm0487]

12:37 it’s Skull Duggary’s curse

[@troyandrew6154]

This game needs to be on the nintendo switch or ps4

[@alainsalmeron2540]

This game is not available for the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive

[@Server_Error_404]

help give me file for mame 2000

[@weemadangus1834]

Been trying to get this one to work on mame4droid keeps asking for chd!

[@NintendoComplete]

I would try just redownloading the rom from a different source, and make sure it's the correct one for whatever romset your version of Mame4droid supports. This game didn't use anything exotic for storage (like a hard drive) so you won't find any chd files for it.

[@MrSuperspeedsonic]

I got the rom from edge emulation. I recommend you to download the heavier rom, because that is the working one.

[@nsixties4380]

This is just sunset riders with cows as playable characters also 100th comment

[@InnovateSphereStudios]

I think this is a animal version of Sunset Riders

[@rodrigojaramillo367]

10:50

[@Dorelaxen]

I LOVE this game. I always considered it a sequel to Sunset Riders. Only watched a couple of episodes of the cartoon, and I remember it being pretty lame, but the game sure was excellent.

[@thenspeakonit]

How can you play it today?

[@Dorelaxen]

MAME.

[@user-ge6co1oh7h]

YAHOO!

[@anthonyhaislip8608]

Please Arcade 1up makers create a wild west cowboys of moo mesa arcade game 🙏🙏🙏.. I would definitely buy one to add to my arcade game collection

[@makotohan166]

It would be difficult as this is a game adaptation of a series Konami didn’t make. Plus they’d need another game like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one did to justify the price

[@animallovery2k149]

I heard Jirass roar

[@alainsalmeron2540]

Servicios de Television Mexicana Estudios Candiani

[@eugenehills8371]

Toon Disney cow 🐄 weapon gun

[@abrakadabra2077]

The easiest arcade game I've ever played. the only one I went through on one coin on the arcade machine

[@Ifalvarado]

Moo Moo

[@charlieduffney138]

Red dead redemption for kids.

[@mana_beast_beats1114]

Mmmmmm. Tasty Seizure Juice.

[@kaiumeda6341]

29:23

[@2011muneeb]

how to dash !!!!

[@Krizalid3YE]

This game hasn't contact damage? talk about luck xD