“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
-- Author: Gilbert K. Chesterton
With this, my first review for Adventure Lantern, I do hereby embark upon a long, perilous quest of epic proportions. Having spent the better part of my youth and adulthood enjoying role-playing and adventure games on paper, console and computer; I now find myself seeking an elusive digital prey – adventure. The overwhelming flood of first person shooters, military combat simulations, RPG knock-offs and cop vs. crook racer games leave little room for the true puzzle-solving mysteries that challenge me logically. That being said, I have changed my tactics and will endeavor to find adventure within the multitude of other genres that now reign over the world of PC, handheld, and console gaming. No game shall be too old, no platform too outdated. I am convinced that the worthwhile combination of action, strategy and adventure does exist, and I shall not falter in my quest to find it.
The first leg of the journey brings us not to the world of medieval fantasy but instead to the archives of the American expansion into the wild-western frontier. In Activision’s rather graphic and risqué release, GUN, you assume the role of Colton White, a weathered yet charismatic young wilderness man. In classic tutorial style, you start by learning the ropes (quite literally) from your father, Ned White, who both looks and sounds like famed actor Kris Kristofferson, who actually recorded the voice-over.
After a few horseback riding, hunting and marksmanship lessons, Ned brings you to a riverboat and a clandestine meeting with a rather sultry parlor-girl. It is here that you start getting the not-so-subtle hints that your father has a few secrets he’s been keeping from you. Unfortunately, Ned’s past comes back to haunt him and the riverboat is waylaid by hordes of gun slinging villains. Ned has something to hide, and these cutthroats are after it, at any cost. Both Ned and the parlor-girl perish in rather graphic, lawless, vicious fashion. So begins the all-too-common western story of a lone man seeking revenge and answers.
Let’s start this rodeo…
The setting for GUN is the seedy, lawless, greed-driven world of 1880’s Montana, starting off in the age-old town of Dodge City. As the sun settles lazily in the dry western sky, buzzards fly in circles overhead, and a lonely tumbleweed stumbles silently across the desert plain. This is a place and time when not even the clergy or the so-called lawmen can be trusted.
This game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. The producers didn’t hold back at all with regards to the raw grit, unbridled violence and hardcore language. Even with this warning, I dare say a few of the cut scenes will take you by surprise. I can hear my wife yelling at me now, “Paul, our daughter can hear that filth!” So, be prepared, be warned, and turn down the volume if kids are nearby.
GUN is played primarily from the 3rd person perspective allowing you to roam freely through the seemingly vast western landscapes. You can either follow the colorfully written, yet linear storyline or you can venture off on a variety of side missions such as gambling, cattle wrangling, hunting expeditions, bounty hunting, deputy marshalling, and the pony express. It may seem nice to freely go sightseeing through the richly detailed Montana backdrop in search of game trails, little-known paths, hidden ravines and gold deposits. But the only true excitement to be found is the occasional bandit attack, which is over in a few seconds. How refreshingly rewarding it would have been to happen upon random sideline encounters or secret missions by exploring the panorama. Alas, the only real challenges are the main storyline and side missions, which are clearly marked on your map, and your compass won’t let you go astray.
As you complete various storyline and sideline missions you earn the cash, skill, and opportunity necessary to upgrade your revolvers, rifles, bow, and blade. The upgrades greatly improve your chances against the really tough villains (bosses) that must be defeated at key points during the story. As it turns out, you only utilize the 1st person perspective when taking delicate aim or performing a quick draw, which is the GUN rendition of bullet-time (where the action slows down and our hero can aim and spit lead with unnatural speed). While you must carefully manage the ammo for everything else, you never run out of bullets for your trusty revolvers, which are handy in nearly every scenario. And for those occasions when you do get a flesh wound, just resort to the ole’ trusty whisky bottle for a quick pick-me-up.
Git along little doggies
The controls are a bit different than what you may be accustomed to, but so is the setting. The horse is by far the most difficult to master. A little practice goes a long way, so if you fall out of the saddle, jump up, dust off, and try again. There’s plenty of free time between missions to mosey about the range, to plink at coyotes and to get settled into the stirrups.
As I’ve already alluded to, the graphics are above average with attention to detail, and remarkable picturesque backdrops. The music is noteworthy as well. The western ambiance helps complete the visual scene, giving you the true sense of just how vast the western expanse is. For that matter, you’ll have to search for the invisible “boundaries” of the game.
The Pros
It was very invigorating to find a shoot’em up with a western setting since they are hard to come across. The controls are easy to learn, which is especially important in an action-oriented game. Players should quickly become comfortable with the control schema of GUN. The missions were both fun and challenging. The AI was neither too dumb nor too alert. The story was well written and the acting was pleasant. Voiceovers tones and lip-synch matched the characters and the background, making the entire yarn believable.
The Cons
In the quest for greater glory and adventure within the western action genre, this journey and this game fail miserably. Strategy comes into play rarely, and there are no puzzles to solve whatsoever. There’s no satisfaction from finding something while wandering about the free range. GUN is not an adventure, nor an action-adventure. It can’t even be considered close to either genre.
Unforgettable Game Moment
A classic western image, when Colton blew away the bad guy, causing the cold-hearted thug to fly backward through a plate glass window.
Conclusion
All in all, I’d have to classify this game in the “must rent” category. There’s no replay value whatsoever; therefore, don’t shell out the cash to buy it. Still, there is little opportunity to play anything else quite like this, and it can be finished during a routine rental period. I have high hopes for GUN 2, if there ever is one.
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