Gun

"Almost perfect. Almost."

Wow. When I saw the first advertisements for this game, I was instantly psyched. I can only think of two other western-style shooters out right now: Red Dead Revolver and Darkwatch. However, Darkwatch doesn't really count. So that leaves one. And that's simply not enough. But Gun more than makes up for the lack of western games.

Graphics: 8.5/10

The graphics were excellent for being on PS2. The in-game animations were smooth, but I found the NPCs to be under-animated at times. Colton White's animations, however, obviously had a lot of work put into them. The terrain was well made, but at times I found it hard to tell water from... Not... Water. I'm so articulate. Anyway, that could be bad, because Colton can't swim. Everything looked good, is what I'm trying to say.

Audio: 7/10

The audio was good. The gun sounds seemed a bit strained. The voice acting, however, is superb. Remember the villains from the old westerns? The way even their voice made you hate them? Well, that's exactly what the black hats sound like in this game. Colton's voice really stirred up my emotions. He sounds like an anti-hero, which is what he is.

Gameplay: 10/10

Ah, the gameplay. This is where the game really shines. A lot of gamers don't like third-person shooters, because, quite often, the controls wound up being simply awkward. In Gun, however, the controls are perfect. Switching between shooting are not shooting is quick and easy. Firing from the back of a horse is just as easy as on foot. Switching weapons is easy, as well.

The actual playing... Awesome. Awe-inspiring. Other adjectives that have "awe" in them. All of these describe Gun's gameplay. The mission variety was pretty good. In the beginning, you're just learning to play the game, obviously, so it can get boring. But after that it speeds up quite nicely. Breaking out of jail, defending a bridge against marauding Apaches, herding cattle, all of them are well done. You can even walk right up to a buffalo and shoot it with a pistol, but this doesn't serve any purpose.

Killing innocents is a bad idea, especially in towns. You have a "Town Patience" bar, which gradually empties as you kill more people. When it does empty, a posse is formed which will try to kill you.

Story: 10/10

The story is great. The characters are all stereotypical western types. There's a corrupt politician, a more corrupt preacher, and even a prostitute with a heart of gold. I don't want to spoil anything, but try not to get attached to too many characters.

The story has its negative points, however. It's really fast-paced, which isn't good. For example, Colton signs on with above-stated corrupt politician at one point. You'd think there would be lots of jobs before you break off with him, but it's not so. After the first mission you're enemies. The whole story is like this, which can be disappointing.

Rent or buy, you ask? Well, I recommend renting it, and deciding whether or not it's for you.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/06