Activision draws Gun

Activision broke out some heavy artillery today with the release of Gun, a Wild-West-themed action game for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and PC. The game was developed by Neversoft Entertainment, which previously explored lawlessness with the skate punks of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series.

Players saddle up as Colton White, a gunslinging drifter on the trail of his father's killer. His quest will put him in showdowns with all types of varmints, including sheriffs who don't keep their stars shiny, preachers who don't abide by the Ten Commandments, and Indians who aren't sitting but are rather bullish. The life of an outlaw will involve bounty hunting, train jumping, and, of course, lots of pistol play.

Activision wrangled up some Hollywood talent for the game's story and characters. Screenwriter Randall Jahnson (Mask of Zorro) penned the game's script, and its features voice-acting veterans Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), and Thomas Jane (The Punisher). Kris Kristofferson (Blade) and Brad Dourif (Deadwood) round out Gun's cast.

Activision also confirmed Gun's release on the Xbox 360 "the week of November 15," making it one of the console's launch games. On the handheld front, Activision earlier this month confirmed the game for the PSP during its second-quarter earnings report, but Gun won't make its initially projected release date of the first quarter of 2006.

"We had a stretch objective to bring it into the year based on the enthusiasm of the Gun franchise," Activision executives said on a call with analysts. "We made the call to [delay] just to make sure we have a game that we feel very good about."

Gun is rated M for Mature and will retail for $49.99 on the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube and will retail for $39.99 on the PC. To see if Gun hits its target, check back later today for a full review.