Gun (video game)
Gun | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Christopher Lennertz | | |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Xbox GameCube Xbox 360 PlayStation Portable | |
Release | Windows, PS2, Xbox
GameCube
Xbox 360
|
Gun is a
During its first month, the game sold 225,000 copies across the four console systems for which it was initially released. The game had sold over 1.4 million units in the United States as of October 2008. It was well received by game critics and won several awards, including GameSpy's Xbox 360 Action Game of the Year.
Gameplay
Gun features an action role-playing game environment, including side-missions that add to the story. Players control the protagonist, Colton White, from a third-person perspective. Side-missions improve the player stats. Players can purchase upgrades using money obtained from these optional activities and by mining gold veins.[citation needed]
While traveling from town to town, bandit attacks are frequent and players must either escape or defend themselves. Players can hunt and kill various animals like
Several minigames are included in Gun. As the player progresses through the game, they can choose to complete side missions, including poker tournaments, cattle herding, law enforcement, time trials and bounty hunting.
Combat
Players can wield a revolver and switch between rifles, shotguns, various explosives, and bows. There are a variety of types of arrows to choose from, including ordinary, flaming, and, if unlocked, explosive arrows. Throwing knives are available in Gun Showdown. Attacking and killing enemies fills up a Quickdraw gauge which, when activated, slows down time like bullet time, switches the game to a first-person perspective and gives the player unlimited ammunition for a short duration, allowing the player to take on a significant number of enemies.
The player can switch from first person to third person overhead camera with certain weapons. There are two handheld explosives available in the game: dynamite and whiskey bombs. Dynamite explodes after a short delay, while whiskey bombs instantly ignite when they hit the ground. Enemies may roll to attempt to avoid explosives. Barrels of TNT are scattered around the environment and during missions, encouraging players to use barrels to set traps or throw and use the Quickdraw mode to shoot them and detonate the TNT. Land mines are available on the PSP version.
Melee combat is also emphasized, with enemies randomly charging at the player throughout the game. Players can use a Bowie knife, tomahawk, and cavalry saber. They can use enemies as a human shield, and dispatch them by slitting their throats or knocking them out if the enemy has a bounty. Players can also scalp a dying enemy with a scalping knife. Stealth plays a part in many missions as well, and players are encouraged to use bows, melee and, on the PSP version, throwing knives, in such situations. Horseback combat is also featured, and is an important aspect of the game. Fast-paced chases are featured, and players can shoot while riding. Both the player's and the enemies' horses can be killed. While riding a horse players can do close-quarter combat with any melee weapon they possess. Trampling or running over enemies is also a way of dispatching them while on horseback.
Synopsis
Setting
Gun is set in the
Characters
The game features a number of characters whose names are taken from real Old West figures, including
- Colton "Cole" White (Thomas Jane) – The Apache protagonist and player character of the story. He learned the ways of the outdoors from his adoptive father, Ned White. Cole meets many characters during his adventure; some become his allies while others turn out to be the utmost of enemies. He is a skilled marksman, and is always willing to stand up for what he believes is right.
- Soapy Jennings (safe crackerand a friend of Colton. Soapy's two specialties are cracking safes and cheating at poker, two major moral strikes against him in the Old West. During the ride to Piper Lake from the Badlands, he confides to Cole the origin of his nickname: he was cornered in a lady friend's bedroom by her husband, and was forced to hide inside the shaft of her water closet – after which he had to scrub for three days before he could get the smell off of him.
- Major Tom Magruder (Lance Henriksen) – The main antagonist of the story. He is the unofficial boss of the West, in charge of the railroads being installed through Apache Indian territory. Magruder was a Confederate major during the Civil War and led a group of soldiers, which included Clay Allison, to find the mythical city of gold, Quivira. The war ended, but Magruder's mission did not. He has made it his ultimate goal in life to find the lost city of gold and is willing to do anything to accomplish it. Magruder meets his end when he is crushed to death during a cave-in at his mine.
- Ned White (outdoorsman and makes his living selling animal skins and carcasses to the local riverboats sailing down the Missouri River.
- "Reverend" Josiah Reed (Brad Dourif) – A misogynistic and bloodthirsty priest who works for Magruder as a hired killer to take control of the area. He is eventually killed by Cole in revenge for the death of Jenny.
- Mayor Hoodoo Brown (Ron Perlman) – The fast-talking mayor of Empire City. Hoodoo takes orders from Thomas Magruder, although his true goal is to make his city great rather than simply earn money. Due to his dirty practices, Hoodoo has many enemies and therefore has hired two professional gunslingers, J.J. Webb and Dave Rudabaugh, as personal bodyguards. He himself is a skilled gunfighter. The mayor pretends to hire Colton as another bodyguard, but in fact intends to set him up and is killed in a firefight with Cole.
- Clay Allison (Tom Skerritt) – A former Corporal for the Confederate Army and friend of Ned White and Tom Magruder. He is the leader of the resistance group fighting against Hoodoo Brown's corrupt reign over Empire City. He and his followers work closely with the Apaches, dedicated to keeping Magruder and his men out of the frontier and restore some dignity to the Old West.
- Fights-At-Dawn (Eric Schweig) – The Blackfoot chief and a proud warrior. He is deeply concerned for the future of his tribe and saddened by the white man's arbitrary murder and theft. He befriends Colton, and recalls a time when Cole was younger, when he was attacked by a cougar.
- Many Wounds (Eric Schweig) – An Apache Indian who gave Colton to Ned when he was a baby. Later in the story, Many Wounds becomes a trusted ally of Colton and helps him out with Cole's fight against Magruder.
- Jenny (Kath Soucie) – A prostitute and the main attraction of the Alhambra Saloon in Dodge City. Jenny is tired of the small-town life and is anxiously waiting the completion of the bridge in town so she can travel south to New Mexico to Empire City. She proves to be a valuable ally to Colton, but is killed by Reed.
Plot
In 1880, Colton White and his father Ned are hunting game along the
Upon arriving in Empire City, Colton is made a deputy by Hoodoo and promises to help him find Reed. During a gunfight at the local cattle ranch between the Resistance and the Deputies, Cole is appalled to see Hoodoo's other deputies kill an unarmed couple. Cole then attempts to arrest the deputies but is forced to kill them both when they resist. When Cole confronts the Mayor in his Casino back in Empire City, Hoodoo tells Cole that Reed has captured Jenny and is holding her in his office. Rushing to save her, Cole witnesses Reed murdering Jenny and is then knocked unconscious by Hoodoo. Colton is then brought before Thomas Magruder, Reed and Hoodoo's boss, who had also ordered the Steamboat Massacre and Jenny's murder. After Cole learns Magruder and Ned have history, Magruder orders Colton to be hanged the next morning for Jenny's murder.
Cole is thrown into the Empire jail before his scheduled execution the next day. Here he meets Port, a member of the Resistance, and Soapy Jennings, a
Clay takes Cole on a mission to destroy one of Magruder's trains, which they execute successfully. They also discover the boxcar of the train is full of captured Apaches, who Magruder had been using as slaves. The
With Hollister dead, Cole and Soapy make their way to the riverboat, only to be ambushed by Magruder's riders. Cole defeats them, then they are attacked by Reed. After a long gunfight with the bloodthirsty preacher, Cole kills Reed in retribution for killing Jenny and he and Soapy discover that the item Magruder had been hunting for is a part of the golden
However, Magruder's militia discover their location, and attack them. Soapy is captured and tortured by Magruder, and is forced to reveal Quivira was above him all along. Magruder returns to his mine to find the City of Gold, while Cole fights his way down the mountain to save Soapy. Cole then kills Magruder's henchman Dutchie and his men, and captures Magruder's armored train. Clay and Cole then use the train to break into Magruder's Mine, which is then attacked by a joint force of Resistance fighters and Apache warriors. Fighting their way into the mines, Cole finally confronts Magruder inside Quivira. The two then furiously battle inside the Lost City, with Cole eventually overcoming the ruthless tyrant and causing the mountain to begin to collapse. Cole leaves Magruder with his leg trapped under a rock to be crushed by the crumbing mountain while he escapes the Lost City with the help of Many Wounds. Then, with Magruder dead and Quivira lost for good, Cole tells Many Wounds that their fathers can finally rest in peace.
Development and marketing
Gun was marketed through the use of "Last Call Poker" — an alternate reality game from 42 Entertainment.[7]
Reception and sales
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
X-Play | [19] |
Gun received mostly positive reviews from critics, although the Xbox 360 version met positive to mediocre ratings. It holds aggregate scores of 79% and 79/100 at
Awards
The game was highly acclaimed by many, and has scored high ratings and awards. GameSpy awarded it "Editor's Choice"[22] and "Xbox 360 Action Game of the Year", saying that it "needs a sequel and fast".[23] The game's protagonist was placed #7 on Game Informer's "Top 10 Heroes of 2005" list.[24] At the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Gun was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Musical Composition", "Outstanding Character Performance – Male", "Outstanding Character Performance – Female", and "Outstanding Achievement in Story and Character Development".[25]
The editors of
Boycott by American Indians
The Association for American Indian Development declared a boycott of the game, claiming that it contains "derogatory, harmful, and inaccurate depictions of American Indians". Featured on the Association's boycott-specific website was a petition demanding that Activision clean up various aspects of the game before re-releasing it to retailers; the group called for a worldwide recall of the game if the revision was not completed.[28] The site suggested that a game in which players were required to kill members of specific ethnic groups, like African Americans, Irish, Mexicans, or Jews would never be tolerated, "but apparently, killing Indians is still fair game".[29] The site also mentioned events and revelations that take place later in the game's story, but assert that they do not address the problematic portions from earlier sections of the game.
On the now-defunct GamerGod.com website, contributor, Beth Dillon, concluded on January 31, 2006, that:
Even though the historical period portrayed in Gun was fraught with racism, Activision's decision to publish a racially stereotyped video game represents a serious misstep in social responsibility. Like Custer's Revenge, Gun provokes wonder. In this case, the industry has unfortunately bought into the popular misconception that games are frivolous because they are made for fun.[30]
The game's publisher issued this brief statement:
Activision does not condone or advocate any of the atrocities that occurred in the American West during the 1800s. Gun was designed to reflect the harshness of life on the American frontier at that time. It was not Activision's intention to offend any race or ethnic group with Gun, and we apologize to any who might have been offended by the game's depiction of historical events which have been conveyed not only through video games but through films, television programming, books and other media.
References
- ^ a b Van Leuveren, Luke (October 21, 2005). "Updated Australian Release List - 31/10/05". PALGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ^ a b "Activision draws Gun". GameSpot. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Gun". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ "Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 Day One Launch Lineup — Strongest Launch in the History of Video Game Consoles". Microsoft. November 14, 2005. Retrieved November 14, 2005.
- ^ Staff (August 8, 2005). "Gun Developer Interview" (Video). Gamespot Asia. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ Greg Kasavin (November 8, 2005). "Gun Video Review". Gamespot Asia. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original (Video) on January 11, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "Gun Setting". Associate Publisher. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011.
- ^ a b "Aggregate score". GameRankings. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "Aggregate score". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Gun". Eurogamer.net. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Gun Xbox 360 review from GamePro". GamePro.com. May 7, 2010. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ^ a b "Xbox 360 review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Xbox 360 review". GameSpy. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Gun Review". GameTrailers. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ^ a b "Xbox review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 24, 2005. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Gun". oxmonline.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ "Gun Score". Xbox Magazine. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ "Review: Gun". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- G4TV. Archived from the originalon November 24, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Xbox 360 review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ "Activision warns of "significantly lower" earnings". GameSpot.
- ^ "Action Game of the Year". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009.
- ^ "Action Game of the Year". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ "Top ten Heroes". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011.
- Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.
- ^ Staff (March 2006). "The Best (and Worst) of 2005; The 15th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (184): 42–47.
- PC Gamer US. 13 (3): 33–36, 38, 40–42, 44.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (November 18, 2008). "Gun controversies". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ Chris Leigh (February 3, 2006). "GUN is "derogatory, harmful and inaccurate"". PALGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ Beth Dillon (May 30, 2012). "Stereotype of the Month Entry (12/30/05) – Review of Gun From GamerGod.com: GUN Misfires". Blue Corn Comics. Robert Schmidt. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
External links
- Gun at MobyGames
- Gun: Showdown at MobyGames