GUN – XB – Review

Everyone
knows how the Lord’s Prayer goes, but few expect to hear the words “thy will be
done” as a prelude to a quick shot and a bullet to the forehead. But that is the
intro cutscene to GUN and provides a hint at what is to follow.

Get ready
boys and girls, time to saddle up and head to the old West for a tale of gun
slinging and mystery.

It begins
with Coronado’s second expedition in 1542 and a gold-toting party attacked and
annihilated by Indians, then fast forwards 300 years later to Colton White and
his father, Ned, hunting game animals. It is a living, but as they turn in their
bounty to a steamer, Colton becomes embroiled in a bigger mystery, one that
begins with an attack on the boat, continues when Ned reveals he is not Colton’s
real father and sends him off to find a woman in a saloon in Dodge City – as
sparse as that town is. En route, Colt will collect a horse, learn to ride and
shoot and walk through tutorial elements that prepare for the bigger journey
ahead.

If you are a
fan of the old movie Westerns, you can’t help but be drawn to this Neversoft/Activision
Xbox title. It has all the elements of the great old shows – a sinister and
powerful force working behind the scenes to manipulate the land and power
structure to his own ends, plenty of gun play, chases, bounty hunting and saving
the West. Consider it a little bit of The Wild, Wild West meets up with a Clint
Eastwood spaghetti Western and you will start to have an inkling of what is
offered here.

The script
is involved and immersive. This is a third-person shooter, and if you are prone
to like pushing the targeting stick left to target left, the first thing you
will want to do is hit up the control scheme. For some reason, all the controls
are inverted to begin with. But this is minor. But the game does not always play
out in the third-person perspective. Colt has a couple of tricks up his sleeve,
one being the quick draw. When he goes to that, the world slows down – almost
like bullet time in the Max Payne games. It also affords players the
first-person vantage point. Swapping out weapons is also easy, and should you
pull a rifle, depressing the right thumbstick allows players to zoom in on
targets.

Colton
carries a canteen that acts as a health potion. It is refillable and there are
various places within each level that you will be able to refill the bottle. The
D-pad gives players access to various actions, such as drinking from the
canteen, holstering your weapon or leaning around corners. The controls vary
slightly for the horse-mounted scenarios (and be careful how hard you ride your
horse, you can spur it to death), which are a part of the game as well. While
there is a somewhat linear story arc (and you may find the occasional invisible
wall that stops you from being too random with the mapboards), the game also
sports a variety of side missions and challenges you must negotiate to advance
your character.

Where the
game really emerges as a winner is in the audio track. As the game plays out,
you will hear voices that have a familiarity to them. Ned sounds a lot like Kris
Kristofferson, and that is exactly who provided the vocal talent, along with
other acting notables. The music is terrific and is precisely on the lines of
grand Hollywood Western films. Hats off to Neversoft here, the audio for this
game is truly good.

Graphically
the game has some strong elements and weak ones. The environments seem sparse
and even Dodge City, when you first enter it, is a smattering of buildings along
a dusty main street, not the landmark along the commercial trade route that it
was up until 1880 or so. The characters, though, look good and the environments
make good use of textures to present a pleasing visual treat. While not a huge
draw, the graphics fit the bill nicely.

While the
game itself runs along the shooter lines, there are role-playing elements as
well. Stats are kept, and can be accessed through the menu. You can boost your
stats with the side missions, and you can – of course – earn coin to upgrade
your gear.

Is GUN the
definitive Western game? No. But it is darn good, and fun to play. The action is
well paced, the story is very well done, the game looks great and the audio is a
definite treat.

Review Scoring Details for GUN

Gameplay:
8.4
The controls are
a little awkward and you can adjust sensitivity and such. Load times are minor
and while the actual story thread feels a bit linear, there’s a range of side
missions and other things you can do to take a break from the game’s story
structure.

Graphics:
8.5
It is bloody and
the environments, while huge, can feel a little empty. The character models are
well done and the animation is solid.

Sound:
9.0
First-rate voice
work by established stars like Kris Kristofferson, Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Tom
Skerritt and Lance Hendrickson help propel this tale, coupled with a
movie-quality music score that captures the feel of the genre in the way that is
synonymous with the western theme.

Difficulty: Medium
There are several
settings for difficulty and players can find the one that suits them. While much
of the game is purely reflexive in nature, having a fondness for the shooter
genre will definitely help.

Concept:
8.2
The game has many
familiar elements that have been woven together nicely. The control scheme,
though, seems a little burdensome at times.

Multiplayer: N/A
While the game is
listed as Xbox Live aware, there didn’t seem to be a lot to do with the build
provided for the review, other than pull up a friend’s list and chat using a
headset.

Overall:
8.4
The game has some
linear elements where the story is concerned, but there are side quests and such
to break up that routine. With a superior soundtrack, solid visuals and a
well-told story, featuring plenty of action along the way, there is a lot to
like about GUN.