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No, NOT guns, but Gun. You know...the game that GOG just put up.

Figured I'd do one of my annoying novel length reviews as a separate thread rather than clogging up the release thread, or by disingenuously adding it in the "Games Finished In X Year" threads. Hopefully this will be helpful? Yeah...hopefully!

Note: I completed the game (twice) on the original Xbox. I haven't played the PC version but from what I can tell, there are zero differences.

Gun aimed to be a classic Western tale, it's got a nice open world, some coarse time appropriate language and a few of the best tropes of the genre...but it's much more of a budget made for TV movie western than a top notch episode of Gunsmoke.

It features an open world, but the world itself is more comparable sizewise to one island in Vice City than anything else. Once you've discovered all of the routes, you can traverse one end of the map to the other in one handful (missing a digit or two at that) of minutes. Outside of quests there is very little of the way of stuff to find or do, unless you're just very into riding your horse in elaborate circles.

The gameplay is fairly standard but satisfying 3rd person shooting, shootin' and making your boomstick go...well...boom. There is a "slow time" feature (which auto recharges) and it gives more than enough time for you to take out an entire gang with ease. There is no cover mechanic outside of being able to crouch. There is a slight melee element, in that you can press a button to do a quick slash with whatever blade you have with you.

Enemies are generally stupid and of no REAL threat to the player, even when you're outnumbered. Most simply serve as a punching bag for the player's pistols, to be honest. That said, this game delves into Postal 2 levels of gore, allowing you to dismember enemies and even scalp them. If you injure an enemy enough to knock 'em down they can often to be seen crawling slowly away while begging for mercy.

Weaponwise you have your generic western output. There are four or five revolvers, including some that can be dual wielded, shotguns, a few rifles too and stuff that makes a big bang like dynamite. A bit different, there are also bows that you can use in lieu of a rifle. Most weapons can be upgraded (you buy upgrades from merchants and occasionally via missions) but you unlock most new weapons via working missions.

There are horses to be found, and they serve as your vehicle...well it IS a western. You can ride wild horses or you can use the ones you find in towns, all of the horses (save for one you unlock after beating the game) are the same, just with a different coat of paint.

Storywise it's really predictable, stereotypical and all around mediocre and the main character seemed bland at best to me, I never felt attached to him in any way. A few characters (such as a companion named Soapy) have their bright spots but they're ingrained in the game in a "blink and you'll miss 'em" way. There is however one line alone that makes most of the game worth playing, you'll know it when you hear it.

It's a short easy game, you can beat it in just a few hour-ish long sessions. The main quest itself is just laughably short with TERRIBLE pacing and the sidequests are of the "Go here and kill X" variety, and those are limited and do not respawn. You can play after finishing the main quest but outside of the limited (and not very exciting) sidequests, there really is no reason to touch it again after the credits roll.

Music wise...eh...not a single bit worth remembering. It's generic "Now That's What I Call Western TV Show Background Music Volume 12!" stuff.

Graphically it looks pretty decent for its time, not amazing but very solid all around.

All in all, it's a very limited game but one worth a playthrough if you're a fan of westerns. It tries to bite off more than it could chew and it's obvious. I can't and won't recommend it at $20, but it's worth a five dollar bill when/if it goes on sale.

If you have any questions just ask away, I'll answer if my memory allows :P