Had the graphics been a bit more sophisticated, and the plot more deep, this could have been a perfect game.
Dodge City wowed me at first glance until I realized the only place I can really walk into was the Alhambra which audibly maintains the ambiance of a crowded saloon, whether it's empty or filled with guests (The piano always plays whether or not the pianist does). Empire City felt more like a desert than the desert in the game (metaphorically speaking) because there was nothing to do there but play cards, take on a few side quests, and buy some more goods. Once you buy all the goods, the salesman just stands there for the rest of his life.
Some cool aspects that the developers brought into the world were the random events. Occasionally, bandits will try to rob you while you ride along in the wilderness, often near a railroad. I thought this was important in that even though the bandits are always the same identical twins, they didn't need to be activated by the player pressing a button. That realism kept me on my toes and reminded me that I was in a world where my actions mattered and I wasn't surrounded by careless NPCs.
Another random event happens in town, when a crazy gunslinger yells "There he is!" and starts shooting another townsman. It turns into a brawl that you're best avoiding unless you wish to go up against the townsmen. They grow impatient when you shoot or slice any of them and when they're irritated enough, the town goes after you in what's called a "showdown." Once you gun down those that were after you, everything is back to its normal, boring self.
The main problem I had with Gun was that it felt half-naked (whereas Viva Pinata: Party Animals felt mostly naked). I say "half" naked rather than full on nude because it had a lot of innovative elements, but ignored essentials like a constant score to accompany you while on horseback, or at the very least while you're playing cards. Playing poker in Dodge and Empire is quieter than a sleeping tick.
There are some big names in Gun including Ron Perlman, Kris Kristofferson, Thomas Jane, Tom Skerritt, and Kath Soucie. I only wish they had more time to develop their characters than the length of the game offered them. It's longer than a movie, but much shorter than a modern game. Gun had the potential to be an epic, but it settled for less. If you can get it for under ten dollars, do it (or just pay the full price for Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead's using a lot of these elements plus a whole lot more).