I received Gun as a Christmas gift on Sunday, Christmas Day, and played it for a few hours that evening, maybe three. I did not play it Monday. I played it a few hours late Tuesday night, most of Wednesday night, and about 2 hours Thursday night, if that.
I have now beaten Gun.
If fact, not only did I complete the game, but I did so at a 100% completion rate. I did every single side mission. The only thing I did not finish was getting all the gold. I finished 5 stacks shy because when I found my 40th, it refused to be mined. I tried leaving the area and coming back to it, rebooting my PC, etc. and nothing worked, so I didn't bother to look for the last 4.
Now don't let the short time fool you into thiking Gun isn't worth your time as it isn't a bad game. In fact, it's a must buy if you're into Westerns. Picture Grand Theft Auto set in the wild west and you have Gun.
The game starts off as you go hunting with your father in what is actually a pretty weak tutorial and ends with you seeking to avenge the murder of your father.
The storyline is the real strength here as it is definitely better written and voiced than most games' storylines. However, as stated before, it's very short. The missions within the storyline vary pretty well and involve sneaking around, huge gun fights, trains, travel, defending people, etc. The only gripe I have about the main storyline is the end boss. I hate games that play up realism and then make the end boss some unstoppable killing machine.
The game is also filled with side missions from hunting fugitives to riding the Pony Express to being a ranch hand to playing poker. The side missions are a fun disraction, but can get a bit repetitive. The poker is a huge disappointment and is merely here for flavor. The hunting, meanwhile, is pretty much the same no matter what you're hunting.
There is a nice assortment of weapons, but you honestly only need the best of each category, and I'm not sure why you get rewarded with stuff after you finish the game as there's really nothing to do after that.
The sounds in Gun are nothing special and the graphics are its weak point. Not only does the game look 5 years old, but there are bugs and glitches everywhere. During one battle my frame rates were ridiculous. Ditto for one Pony Express mission. The other big problem is disppearing textures and other odd things like that. Nothing here is a deal breaker though.
Gun is a must buy for Western fans and a good buy for fans of third person games (Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto, etc.).
Again, extra kudos for actually telling a story that wasn't cliche.
8 out of 10. (-1 for graphics, -1 for short gameplay)