Lost Potential - The Good, The Bad, and the downright Ugly

User Rating: 6.5 | Gun X360
In order to get an idea of where I'm coming from, I'll let you know that I bought GUN about a week before the 360 launch. I anticipated being able to get a 360 on launch day (I know, I know), but I ended up staring at the box for well over a month ... just eager to play it. It is not a genre that is touched upon very often in gaming, and I had high hopes for this game.

My first impressions were good, however, we all know that first impressions don't count for everything in the gaming world.

The Good:
- I thought aiming with the analog controller would prove annoying, but it was suprisingly well tuned. The quickdraw mode was a good addition.
- I like western movies and scenery, and the game is able to add nice backgrounds to add to the overall effect (however, see below).
- You have a horse to get you around, and they can be fun as well (also see below).

The Bad:
-There were about three different character models for the typical enemy, and after the 100th kill, you feel like you're killing resurrected zombies of the same person.
- The music was promising ... but it loops about every five minutes ... and it dramatically detracts from the drama of it.
- Annoying messages that won't go away telling you to go do a certain mission, even though there are quite a few side missions.

The Downright Ugly:
- I got 100% completion of the game in under a week with normal gameplay time.
- The game has almost 0 replay value. I ended up entertaining myself by blowing up horses (Best Part of the Game!) :-p
- Empty environment. As pretty as the backgrounds are, it is nowhere close to being the "wide open country" it appears to be. There are boundaries and it is indeed a small map.

I think the game just had bursting potential. It was unable to capture the desired feel of a true western. RENT IT! You will be satisfied, as it can be beaten in a week's time and you will pat yourself on the back for not investing $60 into the game.