Justice Ain't Gonna Dispense Itself

As much as I really wanted to talk this week about John Marston from "Red Dead Redemption" he is actually an extremely typical Western cowboy character existing in a very classic rendition of the Old West atmosphere. So instead, I'll switch gears to another cowboy heartthrob who's just one of many varied characters in a video game I'm obsessed with lately:

Jesse McCree from Overwatch

Three guesses what the belt buckle stands for! (source)

Since in my discussion post I argued that it would be completely plausible for an Old West cowboy to be able to live in today's world, I'll further my point by using McCree as an example that's already in practice.

For those who haven't heard of Overwatch, the timeframe of the game takes place about 60 years from now, during which time the heroes (playable characters) are called back to their initial positions in a United Nations-style task force called "Overwatch" which was created in order to fight against the Omnic resistance - the Omnics being sentient robots who are fighting for their own rights. It turns into a pretty ugly war between the Omnics and the Overwatch force, taking many casualties and ruining many cities around the globe.

Jesse McCree gets involved in Overwatch only after the gang he belongs to - the Deadlock Gang - is infiltrated in a sting operation by Overwatch commander Gabriel Reyes (Later, Reyes becomes Reaper). The Deadlock Gang had long been holding the American Southwest captive to its illegal activities for decades and they mostly dealt in arms and munitions. On one of the game maps (called Route 66), the gang has blown up a bridge in order to obtain a nuclear warhead from a military cargo train passing overhead.

Route 66 map on Overwatch, note blown up bridge over the canyon. (source)

After most of the Deadlock Gang is captured, including McCree, he (much like John Marston) decided that he had enough of that life and wanted to atone for his wrongdoing by fighting for noble reasons and justice. Overwatch's leaders, Reyes specifically, wanted to recruit him to their cause and McCree accepted, though he later went into hiding when infighting between Overwatch members began its downfall. I'd also like to mention the fact that he'd lost part of his arm and had a robotic one to replace it, this sort of thing being the norm in this future era since a lot of the characters have robotic appendages or systems to use to their advantage.

John Marston from Red Dead Redemption (source)

The similarities even between McCree and other cowboys are not to be ignored either, since his "Deadeye" ability is the exact same that Marston uses in "Red Dead" and they look very similar to each other. McCree also has notable voice lines that are direct references to other Western movies and characters, for instance: "I'm the quick... you're the dead," he says at random in the game lobby (The Quick and the Dead), or, "I'm not good, not bad, but I sure as hell ain't ugly." (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly). He also has several different "skins" or outfits in the game that hearken back to other classic Old West characters.

Here you can see what McCree sees during "Deadeye," also notice his robotic hand. (source)

So, here we have McCree, who in the year (est) 2045 or so is running around the Southwest with a gang of bandits, dressed in chaps, spurs, and a ten gallon hat, with his signature weapon being a six shooter known as the Peacekeeper. His "ultimate" attack ability is called "Deadeye" and when activated he shouts a classic throwback to many a standoff: "It's High Noon" and then yells "DRAW!" while simultaneously shooting any of the enemies he's locked on to. A tumbleweed appears behind him and gently rolls across the ground nearby. Yet it all takes place 60 years from now and no other characters think that he's odd or out of place. It's still very normal for the southwestern United States to look and operate much like it did in the 1800's with some modern upgrades alongside.