The Tin Star rounds 'em up at the arcades in 1983


The Tin Star. Big game. Tremendous game. Released on September 21, 1983, by Taito. A very good company, Taito. Very smart people, they knew what they were doing with this one.

Now, you talk about arcade games, you had a lot of them. Some good, some...not so good. Total disasters, frankly. But The Tin Star? This was a winner. A truly great western shooting game. You had to protect the town, shoot the bad guys, very tough. Very challenging. It required skill, not like some of these games today where anyone can win. Sad!

We're talking about a time when arcades were powerful. They were booming. Everyone was there, everyone wanted to play the best games. And The Tin Star, believe me, it was up there. It wasn't just another game. It had character. It had excitement.

The Tin Star was an arcade game so fantastic, so revolutionary, it made every other game look like, frankly, a total disaster. I mean, we’re talking about a Western shooter, okay? Cowboys, guns, the Wild West—nobody loves the Wild West more than me, folks. I’d be the best sheriff, believe me.

The Tin Star—great name, by the way, very strong, very powerful—was Taito’s American masterpiece. You’ve got this sheriff, right? Gitalong Zeke, toughest guy in the west, nobody tougher. So tough, so popular, so beloved that Taito brought him back as the star of many more of its 1980s games.

You’re blasting outlaws, dodging bullets, riding horses—it’s action-packed, it’s thrilling, it’s like the Second Amendment in pixel form, folks. Taito, they knew what they were doing. They didn’t mess around with weak games, not like some of those other companies, who, frankly, were putting out garbage. Absolute garbage.

For 1983, this was top-notch, the best. You’ve got these colorful sprites, and smooth animations. Look out - there's a Bad Hombre behind the piano. And the sound? Incredible. The gunshots, the galloping horses—it’s like you’re right there in Dodge City, cleaning up the streets. The music? Right out of the best western movie saloons. People were lining up, putting quarters in like there was no tomorrow. Arcades were packed, and The Tin Star was the star of the show, no question about it.

It was a fantastic concept. Grab that revolutionary rotary control, and suddenly, you're the sheriff, the toughest sheriff, the best sheriff. And you're cleaning up the town. You had to be quick, you had to be precise. You couldn't be a loser, or you wouldn't have a town anymore. And if you were good, if you were truly good, you kept playing. It was tremendous.

The Tin Star was about justice, swift justice, and sometimes, you need that. Sometimes, you need a strong hand. And Zeke, he had the strongest hand. He was a great protector. This game, it made a statement. It said, "We're not going to take it anymore." It was about taking action. Not just talking, like some people do, but real action. And the arcade receipts for The Tin Star showed people wanted real action, not talking.

Everybody wanted to see Zeke take out the trash, and that’s exactly what he did. This game’s about justice, about standing up to evil. And Zeke dished out plenty of justice, with a side of gunsmoke. That mustache, that grit, the way he handles a gun – nobody compares. And in this game, he’s got this quiet strength, but when he snaps, watch out. The bad guys don’t stand a chance. 

It’s like a one-man army, folks. Zeke’s out there, guns blazing, taking out the bad guys left and right. It’s beautiful, really beautiful.

Some people, they don't appreciate the classics. They're always looking for the next big thing. But sometimes, the old ways, the strong ways, they're the best ways. And The Tin Star, on September 21, 1983, showed everyone the best ways.


Location: Dodge City, KS 67801, USA

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