Video Game Review: Gun on the Xbox 360

Though shooters aren't normally my cup of tea, GUN on the Xbox 360 consitently keeps me enthralled. From it's opening cinematic (which looks as good as most movies if you have an HD capable television) to the conclusion of it's all-too-short narrative, GUN truly makes you feel like you are a gun-slining cowboy.

The game, like most nowadays, is generally plot driven. You are told where to go and when in order to advance the story through in-game cinematics detailing the story which follows your character, Colton, after his father is murdered. The plot has twists and turns, though they can all generally be anticipated. The storyline, though, is just icing on the cake. The gameplay is really what shines in this title.

The side-missions are a majority of this game. You can play a Pony Express rider, delivering important packages. You get to be a federal agent saving the town from bandits. You can even be a deputy in Dodge City where you get a mission called "Save the Whore," and what isn't to love about that? There are Texas Hold-Em tournaments and mining for gold and hunting for the Indians. In the end, once you finish the story of the game, you'll keep playing just to keep doing the side missions. You will also want to do side missions as you go along because they increase your stats including Gunhand, Quickdraw, and other stats that could prove useful against more difficult opponents.

There are multiple weapons for you to choose from, including rifles, sharpshooters, shotguns, and bows (with arrows strapped with dynamite later on!), but very rarely will you choose to use one of these if your quick-draw meter is full. Quickdraw is a concept that makes GUN truly engrossing. It makes you feel IN the game and invincible. (I personally felt like Roland from Stephen King's Dark Tower series). There are times when you HAVE to snipe people and times when you HAVE to use that rifle/shotgun for more power, but as a rule, the infinite-ammo'd pistol/pair of pistols will be your weapon of choice.

The graphics are great on the Xbox 360. In High-Definition, you can see every wrinkle and piece of dust on your characters face. Though, if you don't have HD, don't fret. You will still enjoy a very clear, crisp game. You won't be WOWing at this game with or without HD, but you won't be disappointed in the visuals either.

The sound was adequate, though, honestly, if you turn the sound off, you won't be missing much. The only reason I kept it on was to hear the gunshots as my quickdraw meter depleted, thus engaging me more and more in my role as a gunslinger.

Overall, GUN on the Xbox 360 is one of the few games that has really made me sit in front of my TV in the last few months all the way to the end. That's a mean feat with my current fickleness toward video-games. I don't even really like westerns, but GUN is just so well-made all the way around, that I simply cannot regret spending any of the time on it that I did or any that I will in the future. I haven't played any of the other ports of GUN but that on the Xbox 360, but I can only assume they are as well-crafted, and if you don't have a 360 yet, then go pick up whichever platform you do happen to own's version. You will NOT be disappointed.