Gun Hands-On

Neversoft's upcoming Activision-published Gun has shown quite a bit of promise since the Southern California-based developer took the wraps off the third-person Western-themed action game earlier this year. The game blends elements and technology from Neversoft's own Tony Hawk franchise, as well as a smattering of GTA-inspired bits. We've been anxious to see just how this Western romp--which promises much shooting, female interaction, and mystery-solving--will handle, ever since we got our first look at it this past June. Our subsequent looks have done little to diminish that positive impression, so we were naturally anxious to take the reins in the game and get some hands-on time. We were finally able to do that recently when we tried out work-in-progress versions of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games, which featured a sampling of levels taken from the start of the adventure.

The first levels we tried started us at the outset of the game, which we'd seen in a demo previously, but which now featured a bit more context. Before you dive into the game, you're treated to a brief cinematic of travelers being massacred by surly natives who clearly have issues with the white men traipsing through their lands. Following that quick intro, you take control of Colton White, Gun's antihero, as he's roused by his father Ned. The pair head out to do some early morning hunting, which serves as one of the many tutorials you'll go through at the beginning of the game. Following a spot of hunting that offers your pick of fowl, wolves, and bucks, Ned will be taken unawares by a large bear, and you'll have to save him by grabbing his rifle and plugging Yogi with lead until the beast drops.

Colton and Ned then set out on a riverboat, which is attacked. During the assault, Ned drops the now well-known bomb on Colton about his lineage, namely that Ned isn't Cole's father. He then shoves the young lad off the boat before it blows up. Cole wakes up three days later, just in time for some horseback-riding lessons from an eccentric mountain man. He then heads out to Dodge City with a coin given to him by Ned and the name of the local promiscuous woman, Jenny. They meet in the local bar, and she gives Cole information on the secret past that Ned had remained silent about.

But then, conveniently, the young lady is kidnapped by overly enthusiastic patrons. Once you rescue her, she directs you to the nearby city of Empire, which promises to hold more information on your family tree. As luck would have it, Jenny is set to go to the fine city herself to ply her trade to the deprived locals. Upon arriving to the rough town, you'll meet one of Jenny's acquaintances, Hoodoo Brown, Empire's handlebar mustache-bearing, stovepipe hat-wearing mayor. Though it seems like Colton's la vida loca might finally be settling down as he begins his quest, he's then deputized by Hoodoo and charged with helping bring order to Empire. While we don't want to spoil the game's twists, suffice it to say you shouldn't trust anyone…ever.

All of the above unfolds via a mix of in-game cinematics and playable segments where the dialogue fills you in on what's up. The game's structure is a pretty standard mix of linear story segments that move you along through Colton's story, as well as open-ended exploration and adventuring via optional side missions you'll pick up in the various towns you'll come upon. The towns will serve as hubs for both types of gameplay. The best part about the story and side missions is that they both reward you in some meaningful way. The story obviously moves things along, but you'll also score on some nice firearms, as the boss fights will yield some sweet new weapons. However, you won't be missing out on the side missions, as they'll yield precious cash you can use to upgrade Colton's skills and weapons, which comes in handy.

The gameplay we've seen so far is good and varied. Yes, shooting the bejesus out of anything that moves is still very much at the game's center, but it's given different context as you go, which keeps the action fresh. For example, when you're on the riverboat during the attack, you'll man a turret and take the enemies out. When you escort Jenny to Empire you'll be mixing standard shooting on horseback with traditional rail-shooting gameplay and even some melee. Later on you'll even find some puzzle-solving in the level as you poke around on foot to find explosives to clear the way for Jenny's coach. In fact, we hit quite a few multipart levels as we played. The last part of the playable levels we tried found us hunting down some wanted felons. We set a booby trap with explosives in the town center, and as they rode through after completing their crime spree, we chased them down. Once the felons were sorted, the action spilled over into a boss fight against two armed foes, one on foot and one mounted. The variety we've seen so far is welcome and certainly keeps the action interesting.

Control in both versions of the game is an interesting conundrum. Theoretically, given the Xbox 360 controller's similarity to the PS2's Dual Shock, the game should handle roughly the same on both systems. However, the control doesn't feel quite as precise on the 360 at the moment. We expect this is because the 360 version is trailing a few steps behind the PS2 game. Hopefully the control can be tightened up, because Gun's control scheme is a well-thought-out and flexible system that lets you shoot people up or melee like a champ. The best part is how this system lends itself to riding a horse, which lets you shoot while riding or stomp the crap out of your foes with your faithful steed.

Gun's visuals are an impressive showcase for Neversoft's art teams, especially because Colton's world is a far cry from the urban environs of the Tony Hawk series. The characters all sport some nice motion-captured animation that extends to their faces. The horses look just as good, but their charm comes from well-blended, hand-drawn animation. The models we've seen are all detailed and look very sharp. The towns and surrounding environments have a lot of personality thanks to fine details, such as the paint inside of buildings or simple environmental touches, such as dirt being displaced as you move. Dramatic effects, like explosions, are impressive and made all the more jarring as they disrupt the nicely done locales in spectacular fashion.

The hitch to the visuals is that, while all of the above looks good and runs well on the PlayStation 2, the game isn't quite the jaw-dropper on the Xbox 360 at the moment. Everything has been given a hi-res makeover and normal mapping is in full effect, but, at the end of the day, the game's current-gen roots are showing a bit too clearly at the moment. To be fair, there's a hefty amount of work left to be done on the visual side, so we expect the final version to look better.

The audio is one of the highlights. The character voice acting is top-notch. The core cast of previously announced celebs acquit themselves commendably with nicely done period readings. The supporting cast appears to match their celebrity coworkers quite well, and Hoodoo Brown's authoritative yet smarmy drawl is a standout example of this excellent work. Besides the core speakers, we're digging the ambient chatter, which invariably offers some useful tips if you're paying attention.

Of course, one of the most important aspects of Gun's audio are the sound effects, namely the gunfire, which will have a significant impact on your experience in the game since you'll be hearing it an awful lot. Thankfully, it appears that Neversoft's penchant for research has paid off if the gunfire we've heard so far is any indication. The roar of the pistols and rifles at your disposal are extremely satisfying, as are the death shrieks of your targets. The audio experience is rounded out by an effective score that works well with the Western feel of the game.

Based on what we played, Gun is looking like a unique critter that should have a considerable amount of appeal. The gameplay is solid and the presentation offers a unique atmosphere that puts a cool postmodern twist on the standard Western game. The story, crafted from familiar elements drawn from a number of archetypal Western tales, is an interesting one and does a good job of stringing you along with its twists and turns. Though the 360 version isn't as visually impressive as we'd like to see, and even though it feels awkward in the control department, the core experience still appears to be an admirable one. Gun is slated to ship early next month for the GameCube, PlayStation, and Xbox. The Xbox 360 version should be available at the system's launch on November 11.