Gun

UPC: 047875809659

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: Activision, Inc.

Developer: Neversoft Entertainment

Category: Action

Style(s): Action Adventure

Synopsis: Designed to present grown-up gamers with a well-rounded cowboy adventure, Gun tells a classic Western story of revenge and rugged individualism, with the player in the starring role. Colton White was robbed of his heritage by a lifetime of lies; now he aims to take charge of his destiny and become his own man. The game's open-ended mission structure and expansive environments allow players to explore the frontier as they choose. Missions offer a variety of gameplay styles, including stealth action, precision shooting, and horseback riding. Players can develop Colton White to be an upstanding, classic hero, who protects the innocent and follows a code of righteousness, or a vengeful loner, who best serves the frontier community by serving himself first. The game's story progresses through a series of major missions, but many side-quests allow the hero to develop skills and earn scratch. Money and other crucial resources can be gained by collecting bounties, winning at the poker table, or by less civically upstanding means. Gun was developed by veteran studio Neversoft, previously renowned as the creator of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. Key characters in Gun are voiced by a number of accomplished screen actors, including Tom Skerritt, Lance Henriksen, and Kris Kristofferson. The game's story was written by screenwriter Randall Jahnson (Sunset Strip, The Mask of Zorro, The Doors). ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 24-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The simple black-and-white manual contains everything you need to know to get started. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

The settings look nice, but some of the NPCs are too stiff and have no emotion. Load times are almost non-existent. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Set in the Old West, Gun is treat for fans of Western films. Players get to perform such actions as chasing down wanted criminals, busting out of jail, assisting in a cattle drive, stopping a train, and racing through the frontier for the Pony Express. Gun's gameplay excels too, making every shootout a "blast." The shootouts are the best part of the game. There aren't any duels at high noon, but the action is plentiful and typically involves multiple foes. Nearly every weapon serves a purpose. There's a pistol for rapid-fire assaults, a shotgun for indoor battles, a bow for silent hunting, a sharpshooter for sniping, and a rifle for ranged combat. And just as Max Payne has Bullet Time and Neo has The Matrix effect, Colton White has "Quickdraw" to slow time and improve his accuracy. While the game feels like the Old West and looks good, there are only two relatively small towns to explore. Most buildings cannot be entered, and the majority of non-playable characters won't interact with you unless you attack them. Saloons are often empty, and though there is plenty of land to traverse, there aren't many places to visit. Gun would greatly benefit from a few more locations to visit. Gun's main weakness is its short length. The storyline gallops along at a brisk pace and can be completed in about five hours, and the optional side missions tack on three additional hours of play. All missions improve Colton's skills and provide cash rewards, but you won't need to be Wyatt Earp to defeat the bad guys. You can save the game at any time, there are plenty of health-restoring flasks to drink, and dying during a mission usually doesn't set you back too far. Although the game is open-ended, there really isn't anything to do after you reach 100% completion. You can ride around on horseback, occasionally getting attacked by a few easy-to-defeat bandits, or you can fight the townspeople, but that's not much fun. Neversoft should have included more areas to explore or at least some shootout mini-games that could be played at any time. Gun starts with a bang and moves as fast as a speeding bullet, but it empties its clip too soon. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

While the main missions are too short and there isn't anything left to do after completing the side missions, the game's action is good enough to get you to play through a second time. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Great gunfire effects and excellent voice acting. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Gets the feel of the Old West right, from riding a horse through the frontier to the thrilling shootouts. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.