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Wednesday 23 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY:
The more I played GUN, I was compelled to increase my skills by completing side missions. These are scattered throughout the map and are played outside of the initial storyline. I had a great time exploring the landscapes on horseback and the combat sequences got more and more interesting as the game progressed. The game has a very genuine feel to it, it was more like a movie than a video game. By the time I finished it and had no more side missions, it really was lonely to roam around in such a desolate landscape! Thats really how emotionally engaging the game was!
DESIGN:
GUN is, in my opinion, a near perfect game. Describing it simply as a "Third Person Shooter" does not give its incredibly innovative design enough credit. It has the free-roaming environment of the Grand Theft Auto series and the level-up system of an RPG, all wrapped up in a gritty Western shooter. There is even a money system in which the player is rewarded for preforming such tasks as the hunting down of outlaws, delivering goods from town to town, and working as a rancher and herding cattle. In addition to a cash reward, each of these builds one of three player attributes: Gunhand, Horse, or Health. Its even possible to mine gold. The money is used to purchase weapon and ability upgrades from shopkeeps and traders posted throughout the map.
As the story progresses, the missions get more and more complex in their design. The developers made an attempt to implement nearly every aspect of the Old West into each mission - one level has the player defending Chinese railroad workers from a tribe of Apaches, another involves escaping from a prison before being hung at noon the next day. The cinematics between each mission allow for massive character development and the voice acting is very engaging. More than once I found myself rooting for the main character as he blew the smoke from the barrel of his Peacemaker after blowing a corrupted mayor out of the third story window of his office. Truly badass.
The combat sequences are amazing, but theres just one problem with gun, and I'm sad to say its a big one - it gets too easy! As the game progresses, you've completed so many tasks and side missions, your Gunhand and Health rating are soaring. At this point, every pull of the trigger is an instant kill and the badguys cant even touch you. If you're outnumbered, a simple usage of the Quickdraw picks off the highwaymen one by one, and in a matter of seconds you're the only man standing. If I could change any one thing, it would provide a balance between the AI and the increase of stats.
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