GUN

Written by Tom Clare in PS2 Game Reviews, Thursday 18 January, 2007

Released: 2005
Developer: Neversoft
Publisher: Activision
Genre: Sandbox
Platform: PS2

With the massive success of the Grand Theft Auto series on the PlayStation2, came an inevitable influx of similarly-vast, open-ended action games. The Getaway, Scarface and True Crime were all examples of this, though all followed the blueprint of gangsters/criminals/urban surroundings that have come to be something of trademark of the genre. However, Gun proves to be a rip-off with a twist - it's set in the Wild West.

First released in 2005, Gun was developed by the versatile Neversoft - best known for their Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series and some well-received Spiderman platformer's. Touted as "GTA in the Wild West" by the gaming press, Gun is more or less exactly that - though it also has a host of notable touches that mean it stands above most of the other imitators.

The player controls one Colton White; a chap whom, at the beginning of the adventure, is out hunting with his father Ned and all appears to be fine. But when a deal goes wrong aboard a ship, Colt and Ned are ambushed, with the resulting mayhem costing Ned his life. Colt is devastated, and to get the answers he seeks surrounding the murder, he sets out on a journey to find what shady business his father was dealing in, and what could be so important that so many merciless figures are after it. On your adventure, you'll fight for and against Native American tribes; town sheriffs; outlaws and resistance movements.

On first impressions, Gun will seem familiar to fans of sandbox gaming, but there are many elements that quickly distinguish it from its peers. Firstly, given that it's set in the late 1800s in the Wild West, you are understandably not pursued by a hoard of police cars (!) if you go on the rampage. There are only two populous areas - the cities of Dodge and Empire - where the player can carry out a range of tasks, though vast expanses elsewhere consisting of canyons, badlands, railroads, mines and hills make up the vast majority of the playing environment.

Picturesque as these area maybe, they can feel a little uneventful at times, especially on foot. To help matters somewhat, you can ride horses and mine for gold (Gun's equivalent to GTA's 'hidden packages'), hunt specific animals and face the occasional bandit attack. The basic design of the outlands is highly impressive, though there isn't as much depth to them as the cityscapes of rival games.

Despite this, Gun establishes its inherent quality more or less from the off. The orthodox third-person perspective is aided by an excellent 360 degree rotating camera that is assigned to the right analogue stick and allows you to easily survey your surroundings. Movement is very smooth and the combat enjoyable; particularly thanks to the inclusion of the 'quick-draw', which switches the action to a first-person perspective and slows everything down, allowing you to pick off several enemies in a matter of seconds. Though this attribute can only be used for a limited duration, it can be topped up by achieving combination kills, headshots or by shooting enemies off their horses. Yee-haw!

The story missions will naturally get the most attention as they move the plot forward and usually grant you new quests and weapons. However, the side-missions are also just as enjoyable and all the more inspired as, though not compulsory, the completion of each bolsters Colt's attributes and abilities. You can claim bounties by killing or capturing outlaws; help the sheriff's keep order in Dodge and Empire and make delivery journeys on horseback against the clock. My personal favourite however is the tournaments of Texas Hold 'Em Poker, where things are slightly stacked in Colt's favour as he has the option of cheating by swapping one of his two cards for third he has held back from the deck. Almost all the side-missions are fun to tackle with few requiring you to do more than one or two objectives and the generous use of checkpoints cuts out much potential frustration, though in doing so, the game also sacrifices a great deal of depth and you may find many of the tasks to be more of a diversion than a real challenge.

Completing these tasks will also earn Colt some money, allowing him to choose from a selection of thirty upgrades from various merchants - these range from bigger clips and more power for your weapons, to medicine that increases the duration of the 'quick-draw' technique, as well as the more conventional health-capacity upgrades. There are also twenty superb and varied weapons, which range from the usual pistols and rifles, to bows and (rather worryingly) scalpels.

Gun is great fun, and though some of the missions are a touch shallow, the gameplay generally holds up well. The firefights are action-packed and, through a range of clever mission objectives, take full advantage of the unusual surroundings - you can use high-points in the landscape to snipe; throw and then target explosive barrels; or use scenery as cover. The on-foot controls are stronger than that of Grand Theft Auto and the combat has more depth, though it is harder to start an impromptu gunfight due to the large regions of emptiness - with the only diversions coming in the form of the odd very short-lived bandit attack. Plus, losing your horse in the middle of the badlands can be a real pain.

The level of interaction in the towns is also moderately disappointing. Though you can walk into many buildings, the only people you can actually talk to are the shopkeeps and those with a role in your missions or side-quests. Still, the night scenarios provide a nice change - the darkened landscapes and beautiful starry sky present a lovely contrast to the dusty-brown daytimes, but for some reason you can only play the night sections in specific missions and circumstances. It's not a major failing, but considering how many games employ the use of a time-cycle these days, it has to be seen as a missed opportunity.

Exploration on horseback is wisely encouraged, and the map you are given acts more as a guideline than a path-plotter, allowing the player to find short-cuts and secrets for themselves. Travelling around, it's hard not to be impressed by Gun's pure aesthetic quality. The towns are detailed and have a really authentic feel - as if they have be plucked straight from a spaghetti-western - whilst the outland areas are awash with beautifully organic touches; trees are surrounded by swirling blossoms; buffalo's and wolves roam the fields; streams, waterfalls and the occasionally-epic view from atop canyons and ridges complete what is, in gaming terms, an unconventional and yet highly convincing visual display.

The presentation is further helped by some excellent, cinematic cut-scenes. Shockingly, the voices are more or less in sync with the character animations. Colt is a cool character and looks great, though there are a host of other figures who put in some memorable performances. The voice-acting is occasionally a tad eccentric, though given the subject matter, this can be overlooked. The relaxed musical twangs provide further evidence of how well most elements of the package fit.

So what stops this very good game from attaining greatness? Well, it mainly concerns the games lack of lifespan, but also a poor last boss. Prior to the ending, the games difficulty level is fairly tame; allowing for comfortable, enjoyable progression. It also rewards you if you take the time to tackle the sub-quests in order to improve your stats, whilst showing a credible level of realism as you can dispatch enemies with a single well-placed shot. This fine logic goes entirely out of the window however for the final encounter, which sees Colt dealing no damage even when blasting the villain's seemingly unprotected head. It is immensely frustrating given that said villain has a rapid-firing shotgun and throws dynamite at you like it grows on trees. And most bafflingly of all, he's susceptible to fire. But not bullets to the head.

You'll be able to plow through the majority of the game in no time. I reached 88% completion in less than a week, though there are four difficulty settings for those who wish to glean as much as possible from the game. You'll enjoy almost every minute of what there is, but next to its rivals, Gun is undeniably short-lived.

Gun carries an 18 certificate. It's not necessarily darker than Grand Theft Auto, but it doesn't have as pronounced a humorous side either - there are a couple of moderately graphic cut-scenes, though these may unsettle certain players more due to the manner of violence employed rather than it being visually grotesque.

Ultimately, Gun is one of the better sandbox games to have graced the PS2 in recent years. It takes an interesting gimmick in the use of a Wild West setting and, but for some slightly sparse environments, puts it to very good use. The controls, graphics, storyline and combat are all very good, but it won't provide seasoned or prolific gamers with any lasting challenge. Definitely worth a look though.

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