REVIEW: GUN

GUN

Genre: Action
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Neversoft
Publisher: Activision

I've never much fancied the wild west days, what with the outdoor plumbing, hunting my own food, and no Internet, however during my time with GUN, I let my senses soak up what the environment had to offer. I'm still not convinced to set my time machine to that era, but the experience wasn't bad. That's not to say the game isn't without its problems. Of the three Activision Xbox 360 launch games I have played - GUN, Quake 4, and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - two of them have left little to be desired. Since Quake 4 doesn't suffer from the same problems, I'm now convinced the problem lies with the developer.

Neversoft is known for the highly acclaimed Tony Hawk series and finally decided to use some of those earnings to branch out a bit. Or at least that is what I had hoped, but it seems Neversoft's 360 ports aren't up to snuff. Both Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and GUN have similar issues. Coincidence? Perhaps not.

GUN, at least in HD, suffers from much graphical ugliness. Visible environment seams, bland textures, and draw-in are just a few of the issues that you'll see in GUN. There is even one glitch in the side missions that allow a mission title to appear on the horizon yet when you approach the spot on the map, it disappears. It should disappear to symbolize that all side missions are completed until further story progression, but it shouldn't wait until you're right on top of it.

The good news is that GUN does have a few redeeming qualities. The story, albeit short, does have some depth to it. You play as gunslinging Colton West who was raised by a good-hearted hunter named Ned. Ned is voiced by Kris Kristofferson and instantly sells you on his character. Unfortunately, your time with Ned is short lived as he and Colton find themselves on a steamboat destined for demise. After Ned discretely checks on a mysterious item, the ship quickly comes under attack and Ned goes down, but not before telling Colton that a journey awaits him in Dodge. Off you go with hope to uncover the story of the mysterious item that is assumed lost at the bottom of the lake.

GUN plays out in a style similar to Grand Theft Auto III with its open ended world and bustling activity. Granted, GUN is not nearly as big as GTAIII, as its two main towns (Dodge and Empire) are very small in size compared to Liberty City. However, the sprawling landscapes do offer the chance for big adventures, hunting and various other side missions, and bandit attacks to partake in or evade. On normal mode, the game is rather easy and should net you 8 hours (or less) of play time depending on if you chose to play the side missions and/or search out the 44 gold pieces that are scattered about.

With the main story being as short as it is, the side missions do offer a little more variety and play time. Although, I would have preferred the side missions to further flesh out the main story even if it was to merely have Colton cross paths with other key characters. As it stands, the side missions seem to stand out from the rest of the story like a separate entity and not meld with it. However, there are benefits to completing side missions. Not only is it the only way to gain 100% completion, but they also grant you cash to spend on weapon upgrades and stat improvements.

With top-notch voice acting from celebrities like Kris Kristofferson and Lance Henriksen, I do have to wonder if Neversoft blew all of their finances on voice talent rather than on graphical prowess or fleshing out the story. The story is not bad by action game standards, but it seemed somewhat rushed. Combat, while simple in execution, was done well, I thought. Even during firefights while on horseback, I never had a problem hitting my intended target, and as the game progresses, your weapons get more powerful. By the end of the game, you've got one of the coolest rifles around that truly makes you feel every shot it fires.

If it sounds like I'm being unfair to GUN simply for its technical problems, rest assured I only have us gamers' interests at heart. What is unfair is paying $10 more for something that is being passed off as next-gen when it clearly is not. That, to me, is not worth 60 of my hard earned dollars. So, would I recommend GUN? Yes, but its short length and lack of replayability makes it a rental at best. Save your money for developers and publishers who understand the meaning of next-gen. If it weren't for the halfway decent story, terrific voice acting, and the well done horseback aspect, I'd give the game a 2.5, but since those traits are present, I've tacked on an extra half of a point.


3 out of 5