GUN

Except for a few early titles (including Spider-Man and MDK), Neversoft
has been solely dedicated to creating and mainting the highly acclaimed
Tony Hawk series of games since 1999. If the quality of the series
hadn’t remained top notch and evolved, one could easily call the
developer a one (skate) trick pony. Scheduled to coincide with their
latest Hawk outing, American Wasteland, Neversoft is taking a step out
of the concrete jungle of the skate clique and throwing gamers back to
the old west in Gun, a story driven action/adventure game with a Pro
Skater-like series of side missions befitting the rough riders of the
Kansas territories in the 1800s.

You play as Colton White, a hunter/trapper traveling the Kansas plains
and New Mexico Badlands with father Ned, earning your living collecting
meat and skin for trade in the local boom towns. During a typical day,
just after a grizzly attack, a riverboat floats up to the bank near
where you are hunting. After boarding, the boat is ambushed by
renegades led by a twisted preacher. Everyone aboard dies, but you
manage to escape and vow revenge. With a few allies by your side, your
trusty horse and a variety of authentic pistols and rifles, Colton will
blaze a trail through the old west to discover more about himself and
his father than he ever knew.

Besides tackling the story arc,
you can accept side missions to make cash for upgrades. Drop your chips
in a poker tournament, collect on posted bounties, ride for the pony
express and more. These side missions help to keep replayability
decent, but the story will only hold an experienced player’s attention
for 6-8 hours. Xbox 360 owners can unlock achievements when they’ve
completed an entire set of these side missions, as well as each chapter
in the story.

Gameplay is solid, but mostly run and gun. As a
gunfighter, you’re able to shoot from the hip, but a quick draw mode is
available, which slows time, steadies your aim and makes headshots,
disarming and even dismemberments easier when firing. The environment
is virtually seamless and expansive, though you’ll quickly learn the
best paths to mission areas or towns either through moutain passes or
by following the railroad tracks.

Graphics likewise are well
executed. Camera clipping is nowhere to be seen, which is impressive,
but not surprising for Neversoft. Especially well done are the cut
scenes. Use of the in-game models displaying surprisingly convincing
facial expresses, down to quivering lips and Eastwood-esque squinting
stares really helps sell the cinematic nature of the game. Even the
game’s soundtrack becomes its own character, as it changes depending on
the mood of the scene or your health status. Expect to hear voices from
Ron Perlman, Tom Skerrit, Tom Jane, Lance Henriksen, Kris Kristofferson
and Brad Dourif (otherwise known as killer-doll Chucky).

Sadly, don’t expect any multiplayer or online features. Gun plays more
like an old west Spider-Man; large story arc with plenty of side
missions, which makes for an excellent single player game but limits
replayability in the end. Absolutely worth the rental, but falls just
shy of buying power in our book.