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Aimed at you, Aussie Ninja is the cowboy from hell
Publisher: Activision
Sat, 24 December 2005
by: Australian Ninja
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"He was a cowboy, mister, and he loved the land. He loved it so much he made a woman out of dirt and married her. But when he kissed her, she disintegrated. Later, at the funeral, when the preacher said, "Dust to dust," some people laughed and the cowboy shot them. At his hanging, he told the others,
"I'll be waiting for you in heaven -- with a gun."
-Jack Handy
Gun, it is the game that knows its own name.
I guess "Wild West Action Simulator 5000 Deluxe" would not have been as catchy a name. I am just in love with this game. So much so that I would rate it higher than other people would, purely because I like it so much. Gun is far from perfect. It has a few flaws, such as a manual camera and no lock-on targeting [except while in quick draw], but those are forgivable and manageable. In fact I quickly adjusted and mostly was not even bothered by the few flaws in the game. But make no mistake, this is a solid game, very fun to play and so damn different to the endless ton of boring sequels and other generic action games out there today. Gun is a brilliant game to play. Assuming that you are interested in (a) action games or (b) Wild West Cowboy movies. Movies such as Tombstone, Fistful of Dollars, and Unforgiven. If not, then Gun is probably not for you. But if, like me, you like a good action movie with gratuitous violence and needless destruction [is there any other kind?] then chances are you will like Gun.
Gun is a game set in the 1800s starring Colton White as a revenge driven cowboy out to get some revenge-ahol. If you imagine playing Max Payne or The Punisher with added horse riding then you will have a fair idea of how the game plays. The major difference is playing in large outdoor picturesque environments instead of inside cramped ugly city buildings.
Gun is a third person action game with Guns, Melee attacks, Horse Riding and a Grand Theft Auto mission based game structure.
 | | Wild, wild horses...couldn't drag me away |
While the mission structure is set out like GTA with story missions and optional side missions the game is nowhere near as big as even the smallest 3-D GTA game. In fact the game only takes one-to-two weeks to finish depending on how many of the side missions you play. As good as Gun is, the only major downfall is that it is a little short. The good news is I never got bored the whole time I was playing it. While it was fun to make some poor varmints head literally explode with my rifle shot - I had just as much fun working at the ranch herding cattle.
The main storyline involves Colton White seeking revenge on the man responsible for the death of his father Ned. What starts out as a simple revenge story quickly escalates into a series of events that result in Colton going after the corrupt city officials. At any time during the main game, you are able to go and take on side missions. While they are optional you really will need to complete most of them for money to buy upgrades from the shops. The upgrades come in the form of: faster gun reloading; more powerful shots; bigger health bar; faster horse etc. It is sensible to buy the pickaxe from the shop early in the game, as it is needed to mine gold to get more money.
The side missions I found were varied and interesting.
I had just as much fun playing them as I did the story missions. Many side missions are available near the beginning of the game and most will see you doing similar things to the main game. The major different things you will do though include: herding cattle on a ranch; playing Poker in the saloon [real Poker card game]; reading "wanted" posters to take on Bounty missions.
While Gun is not a particularly difficult game, at times the controls can be frustrating. The controls are overly complex and could have been made simpler. Having said that, by the end of the game I was a crack shot with every gun and could easily take on seven or more men all at once. Whether they were mounted on horses or on foot I had no trouble kicking a serious amount of ass. I think some people, especially more casual gamers, would have more trouble with the difficulty of the game and the controls. I'm well co-ordinated at many things (After all, he is a ninja- Sammy) and play a lot of action games. Overall I found the game frustrating in bits, but overall easy to play once I got into the flow of things. There are a variety of difficulties available in Gun; I played on "Normal" and breezed through the game. The only significant challenge being the end boss fight.
There are a few different ways to attack enemies in Gun. One way is to manually aim with a gun and shoot. Another is to run up to them and slash at them with the knife. Or grab them for a quick kill. Use the rifle to snipe them from a distance. The smart way however is mixing them all up and use plenty of the "quick draw" ability. Quick draw allows you to enter Bullet Time slow motion. Using only your six-shooter pistols you can take down as many enemies as possible until the timer bar runs out. While in quick draw you will be in first person view. Normally there is no lock-on targeting - except while in quick draw you can flick from one enemy to another allowing for fast efficient kill combos. Also during quick draw it is easier to get headshots. Manual aim is still available during quick draw and is useful for an easy headshot or leg-shot for wounding rather than killing someone. One cool game feature that is straight out of other games [Punisher] is the ability to take a human shield at any time. With the press of a button you can grab someone as a hostage and still fire your gun at other enemies. While grabbed you can quick kill the hostage with your knife at any time or let them go then shoot them in the back for fun.
Gun sure is pretty. Riding my horse through the open plains, snow covered mountains in the far distance left me feeling rather tranquil and peaceful. Until some Indians or Bandits attack that is. Here a bang, there a bang and before you know it I'm back to enjoying the dusty trail past the rocky crags and into town.
Aesthetically Gun is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Technically it is not as good as the top PS2/Xbox game titles. But the game engine is well crafted to produce pleasant environments that are often lovely to stop and admire. I frequently would stop on top of say a hill, mountains in the background; a town to one side of me and enjoy the ambience. Add Crickets chirping and gentle whistling western movie music playing and it all adds up to a nice view and soothing sounds for the ears. Then the horse makes some sounds and you just melt into the game. All the violence is forgotten and for one moment you are like a Zen monk in utter stillness without thought or action.
The range of graphical effects shown off in Gun is stunning. The blood that spurts out of people or horses when shot is quite gruesome. It looks great as it splashes into puddles on the ground. The smoke from flaming bottles, gun shots, a chimney, and a cigar are suitably twisty and see-through. The dust that horses kick up when they gallop is just gorgeous. The animation also is top notch. Try shooting a person a couple times in the legs then watch them writhing on the ground to see how good the animation is.
The way your horse runs slides and jumps is breath-taking. Just riding the horse is a lot of fun and easy to control.
Gun sounds just dandy, not at all like lemon candy.
Right from the start of the game, I was impressed by the voice acting. Straight off the bat I picked Lance Henrickson's voice - Mr Wrinkly Millennium Aliens Man himself. He's done a few voice-acting jobs in games now. He brings a certain classyness to a game with his voice. In this game he voices the main villain to great effect. He sure does a good job of sounding threatening and plain evil when he wants to.In fact, all of the games voice actors do a wonderful job - the main characters and the no name townspeople etc.
The weapon sound effects are nice, though average at best. But they do the job and that is what counts. The chink-chink sound of cowboy boots is accounted for along with tumbleweeds and neighing horses. The additional voices of the townsfolk and enemies are just great. I really liked the screaming and wailing sounds when people got shot or cut. Some of the screams when you scalp a live person are sickening. Grab a hostage and people will say things like "He's gone crazy!" and "Time to ske-daddle."
Walk into the bar and you can shoot out the windows or alcohol bottles on the counter. A satisfying "kssh-tinkle" sound lets you know your bullet has shattered the glass.
The music in Gun is some of my favourite music in any video-game I have ever played. This is not the music you run out to get a soundtrack of. No it is all very subtle and mood enhancing Cowboy Movie music. At times it is peaceful and soft, at other times when appropriate it becomes loud and dramatic. Words fail me to describe the actual instruments used, but if you've watched even a handful of cowboy western movies it is that kind of music that is used in Gun. The music is varied and always appropriate to your location and the in-game events.
As I said earlier, I am in love with "Gun" and especially with the game's music. It goes a long way in establishing the mood and feeling during the game and at times I was so engrossed with the game world that I did not want to leave.
At times the game is so enchanting that I would sit on top of a rocky cliff in the warm afternoon sun and just watch the clouds go by while listening to the chirp of the crickets.
 | | Don't forget to wear your bulletproof hat |
In Gun there are plenty of opportunities to brutalise people. In fact it reminded me of another game called "The Punisher" the way you can take human shields and perform quick kills. Not just with enemies either, if you feel like grabbing a civilian then go ahead. You can grab people, release them, and quick kill them with your knife. Kill enough townsfolk and they will send a posse to take you down. If you happen to be really good at shooting things like me, then you can kill the entire posse and suffer no consequences. There'll be no come-uppence for me I tell you, no come-uppence!
I like to fire off warning shots at civilians and yell "dance you varmint, dance" at the TV screen. They usually scream and run away. Unless I enter bullet time and shoot them in the knees, then they really dance! Sometimes a civilian will pull out a gun and return fire, then things really get fun. Nothing like sniping their head clean off or charging them and using a little slice and dice action with the old Bowie knife. Then when they are half dead on the ground writhing in agony, scalp them just for fun and listen to those blood curdling screams of pure torment.
What I love about Gun is that the game is so fun and stylish. Right from the start I was enchanted with all the trappings of the Wild West as seen in movies.
What else I liked: hunting animals, shooting outlaws, watching tumbleweeds tumble by, seeing surly men wearing long trenchcoats and sporting disturbingly large moustaches, throwing dynamite at people, riding a realistic horse, getting to wear a cowboy hat and boots, firing six shooters, hunting outlaws with a price on their head, drinking whisky, firing a gun through the rope of a hangman's noose to save a life, becoming a deputy sheriff, having a showdown in the main street, taking down six men with "quick draw" in less than ten seconds, shooting renegade Indians, firing flaming arrows with a bow, using kegs of TNT to blow up walls and people, firing a gattling gun on a train, firing a huge cannon with real cannon balls at people, hi-jacking and intentionally crashing a train, riding a genuine steamboat on a wide river, entering a town called "Dodge City", herding cattle on horseback, shooting off peoples hats, throwing whisky bombs at people, shooting someone's horse out from under them and also shooting a bandit then watching him tumble in slow motion from his horse to the ground.
Gun is one of my personal favourite games I have played this year. The other games being Darkwatch, Chronicles of Riddick and San Andreas. All very violent action games with dark themes. There are few faults in Gun [dumb camera, lack of lock-on targeting] and they are minor faults that did not stop my enjoyment of the game.
The game is not that long, but I didn't feel it was too short either. It is very satisfying to play. It can be annoying at times with some small painfully difficult sections that need to be replayed over and over until done perfectly. But they are really no big deal. The poker game is real and I don't know how to play poker. Good thing you don't have to play poker to finish the game or I would have been up a certain creek without a paddle. Overall I really like this game and I thank the gaming gods that I got to play it. Most folks would finish it in one to two weeks of play. There is no great replay value but I started playing again from the beginning just for fun.
I had an engrossing love affair with this game. If it were legal I would probably marry "Gun." I had a lot of fun and I seriously want a sequel to be made with far more missions. Give me a sequel you darn Neversoft varmints!
by: Australian Ninja
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Damn, this game is awesome; I can't wait to show it to my best friend. | |
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