About Mad Dog McCree
Mad Dog McCree is the first live-action laserdisc video game from American Laser Games. It began as an arcade game running on Amiga-based hardware, released in North America in December 1990, in Europe in February 1991 and in Japan in January 1992. American Laser Games published it in North America, Atari Games in Europe and Capcom in Japan. David Roberts directed it and James Pattinson designed it. It is a single-player game, classed as both an interactive movie and a light gun shooter.
Home versions kept coming for more than twenty years. An MS-DOS version came out in North America in 1992, followed by Sega CD and Windows releases in 1993 and CD-i and 3DO versions in 1994. A DVD edition appeared in 2001, then versions for the Wii in 2009, iOS in 2011, the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and the PlayStation Network in 2013.
DOS.Zone’s description sets the scene. You are a stranger cleaning up a Wild West town that the outlaw Mad Dog McCree and his gang have been terrorizing. You shoot outlaws, avoid hitting bystanders and face quick-draw duels, across stages made of full-motion video. That description dates the game to 1993, while the MS-DOS release is listed for 1992, and the page doesn’t say exactly which PC version it carries.
How it runs in your browser
Pressing Play takes you to the game’s page on dos.zone in a new tab. There, js-dos, DOS.Zone’s open-source DOSBox build for browsers, emulates an IBM PC and boots the MS-DOS version. The video and other game files load from the site, so there’s nothing to install and no copy of your own to find. You don’t need an account, and DOS.Zone shows no ads.
The listing tags the game as action, full motion video and arcade for the IBM PC, and it gives a rating of 5 from 21 player reviews. It doesn’t say anything about saving or how scores are kept.
Controls and devices
In the arcade, players held a light gun and fired at the screen. On the PC there’s no gun: you aim and shoot with the mouse, as DOS.Zone’s description points out. Click inside the emulator window first so it receives your input. DOS.Zone doesn’t list any keyboard controls for this game.
On phones, DOS.Zone can show virtual on-screen controls, but this version was built for a keyboard and mouse, and a desktop or laptop with a real mouse is the better fit for aiming. We haven’t tested it on a phone, and Chromebooks haven’t been checked.
Tips
Look before you fire. The description warns that bystanders appear alongside the outlaws and that you need to avoid shooting them. Duels are quick-draw affairs, so keep the mouse ready.
If you’d like DOS shooters of a very different kind, where you move freely through levels instead of watching filmed scenes, Doom and Duke Nukem 3D are on DOS.Zone too.
Is Mad Dog McCree Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Mad Dog McCree online for free?
Yes. DOS.Zone runs the MS-DOS version free in a browser tab, with no account and nothing to download. It isn’t made or endorsed by the game’s rights holders.
Do I need a light gun to play Mad Dog McCree?
No. The arcade original was played with a light gun, but on the PC you aim and shoot with the mouse, as DOS.Zone’s description notes.
Does Mad Dog McCree work on a phone?
DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls on phones, but this version was built for a keyboard and mouse and we haven’t tested it on a touchscreen. A computer is the better fit.
