One of the best Xbox games of the year has arrived. Neversoft put down away the skateboards to deliver a western worthy of sequels. That isn't to say that GUN is perfect as there are few things that could use some improvements/depth. All in all, GUN has the makings of a classic that will hopefully be fully exploited in future installments. Just realize that while some previews liked to do some comparisons to GTA, GUN is more of a third person action game than GTA and shouldn't be compared that much.
As I've already stated, GUN is a western game featuring a movie-like story. The story is really played out nicely with one exception that happens to be the game's big downfall. That exception is the length. The game could use some more depth to it, though I didn't think it was too bad. GUN features a good amount of optional side missions that you can partake in that will raise your stats and earn you some extra cash. These missions range from finding wanted posters and killing or subduing that person to herding cattle. I thought it would have been interesting to look at the posters and then you can eventually find that person walking around and subdue or kill them. Instead, the game makes you decide if you want to take on that mission and shows you where they are at.
The game features a nice amount of weapons/tools, each with varying reload speed and power. A great touch is that you can go to a shopkeeper to upgrade weapons to enable you to reload a certain gun faster or give it more power or carry more ammunition for that gun. You can even purchase an axe to mine for gold that you find. The axe pays for itself but there could've been some more gold deposits in the game. The only thing that is really useless is a scalping knife. It's definitely a nice touch but won't do anything except take up time during a battle.
Fighting can be a little easy thanks to Quickdraw. Quickdraw is essentially bullet-time. When there are a bunch of enemies on screen Quickdraw is a lifesaver. Simply tap the left thumbstick in the direction of an enemy and you will target the nearest enemy in that direction. To make things even easier, there are arrows pointing in the direction of the enemies. Switching weapons can be a little tricky during a battle as you have to hold in black and press a direction corresponding to the weapon. There's also melee attacks but nothing advanced. You are also able to grab onto a person (not just an enemy) and use them as a shield or execute them.
One of your main means of transportation is by horseback. This is executed very nicely in GUN. You are able to gallop, spur, jump, shoot or even trample people/animals from your horse. Spurring too much can actually kill your horse from riding it too hard. Riding a horse wasn't simply thrown in to help you get around faster, it was properly added and implemented to give you the feel of riding. When not on a horse, you will be doing some running around on foot.
The graphics of GUN are pretty nice but are also nothing spectacular. Considering the lack of loading screens, the graphics are especially nice looking. The only complaint is that there is a lack of pretty much anything between cities when outside of missions. You might see some loose horses but it doesn't give you the feel of being in the wild. I thought it would be really dangerous when going outside of towns and away from the railroads.
The game features good voice acting but that's thanks to the hollywood talent. For example, there is Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, and Lance Henriksen providing their voices to GUN. The sound effects really shine as well. Each gun has a distinct sound that comes out nicely. While riding horseback you'll notice the change of the horses' gallop while going from on railroad to grass. Overall, the sound in GUN is great.
In the end, GUN is a great game that is a tad short. It's missing some depth to it. Everything else about the game is fun and enjoyable. GUN is a game that must be played, even if you just rent it. I'm really hoping a sequel will be announced for next-gen consoles as I had a blast with GUN.
