Created by the same people behind Tony Hawk, Gun nevertheless comes off as a fun experience.
Gun is all in all, a sandbox game much in the vain of Grand Theft Auto. You start the game as Colton White, a hunter, who is traveling with his father on a steamer. But of course, it wouldn't be much of an action game without trouble appearing. Soon, the steamer is attacked by a group of men. Colton and his father help repel the initial attacks, but are forced to jump ship when it comes under cannon range. Colton then finds himself ashore, not really sure what happened, but knows that his father knows. His trek to find his father and the truth as to the sudden attack aboard the steamer brings him to a nefarious plot to find the lost treasure of Coronado. He then becomes a gunslinger.
You have to hand it to Neversoft, they really crafted a compelling and dark story for this game. There is no other mode in Gun aside from the single player experience, and Neversoft pulls out all the strings to create a fantastic experience. The world of Gun is what you would expect from the Southwest in the late 1800s. There are two towns that you can travel to and from, with a train that makes its way every so often. There are also a couple of other settlements, like that of Indian trading posts and ranches to keep you busy. The only real problem comes in the form that you learn quickly that there's no one in the Old West. Neversoft did a fantastic job with the towns and the countryside, but they forgot to create some sort of life in between. It's a somewhat desolate world outside the towns. Even though this is the West, it would have been nice to see some sort of life. Maybe a cattle rancher running among his stock or a coach that runs every so often. Something to make it seem less dead. That aside, Gun is fun to look at. The graphics are top notch and you'll have to stop yourself from staring every so often.
Of course, the game is called Gun, and graphics and location aside, the action is what'll keep most people hooked. Neversoft did another great job here with creating a fun and easy system. You start off with only a rifle, pistol, and knife, but soon your arsenal can include a shotgun and plenty of explosives. The action system is relatively easy to grasp. The cross hairs for each gun is shown clearly on screen. The only problem, and this is for those who want a tougher experience, is that the cross hairs are rather large, and you don't have to be aiming directly in the center to hit a target. As long as your target is somewhere in your aim, you'll hit them. It may seem a little ridiculous, but the game is easy to get into for everyone making the action fun and fast. As for the action itself, Neversoft gives you something neat. It's called Quickdraw. How it works is that you have a meter near the bottom of the screen. As it fills up, through kills, you can press the B button and watch the world slow down. As long as Quickdraw is engaged, you can quickly dispatch a large number of outlaws or anyone else that seems to hold your health in low regard.
The gun play out of the way, Gun is really only hampered by the amount of time it takes to complete the game. It takes a good 7-9 hours to complete the game, and this is with completing all the side missions as well. This really hampers the game as there could be so much more to it. But sadly, we're going to have to wait for a potential sequel to play some more Gun. As to any extras, Neversoft added in a plethora of side missions. While most would think these wouldn't be a necessity to complete, aside from just fully completing the game, each side mission helps improve your character's stats. Need help horseback riding? Then take on a few missions from the rancher. Need help in gun power? Take on a few missions from the federal marshal and protect a coach or two. Sadly, like the story, there aren't too many side missions to get the experience beyond that tenth hour. As for other extras, there are a couple of unlockables depending on how many side missions you've completed. There are also a lot to find in the West. Neversoft hid tons a gold deposits that you can dig for money. But despite all this, the shortness of the game ends up hurting it in the long run.
Overall, Gun is a fantastic game to play. It has great visuals, there are no gripes about its control scheme, and the action is fast and furious, like what you'd expect from the Old West. The story mode and side missions will keep you enthralled for the entire game, but sadly the shortness, 7-9 hours of gameplay, keeps the game from reaching greatness. Nevertheles, Neversoft created a gem of a game.