GUN
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| Developer(s) | Neversoft |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Release date(s) | November 8, 2005 (GC, PS2, Xbox) November 9, 2005 (PC) November 16, 2005 (Xbox 360) October 13, 2006 (Steam) |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 18+ |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, Windows, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP |
| Media | CD, DVD, or Steam download |
| System requirements | for PC OS:Windows 2000/XP CPU: 1.8 GHz or Athlon XP 1800+ or higher processor or equivalent RAM: 256 MB HDD: 2.8 GB Resolution: 480p DirectX v9.0c Graphics card: 100% percent DirectX 9.0c compliant 32 MB Hardware T&L capable and latest gfx drivers CD-ROM: 100% Windows 2000/XP compatible 4x CD-ROM drive (600 kbit/s sustained transfer rate) with latest drivers |
GUN is a video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision for the Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube, PC, PSP and PlayStation 2. It is set in the American Old West in the early 1880s. The protagonist, Colton White, is a hunter who turns into a gunslinger when his murdered father, Ned, instructs him to go to Dodge City. GUN features a free-roaming environment, including side-missions and other such touches. It was released in North America on November 8, 2005 and in mid-to late November in Europe. Since October 13, 2006, the game has also been available to buy on Valve's content delivery platform, Steam.
A port of the game for PlayStation Portable, titled GUN Showdown, was released on October 10th, 2006. It features new side-missions, a multiplayer mode, and other additions to the console versions. According to Joystiq.com, publisher Activision has apparently hinted during a financial conference that a sequel may be in production. Taking note that sales were less than originally predicted, GUN sold the best among new game property leading some to believe that Activision will turn the title into a franchise.
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[edit] Storyline
The story begins with our hero, Colton "Mono" White, hunting game with his father Ned along the Missouri River. After hunting elk, the two come across a steamer called the Morning Star. Upon boarding the steamer, Ned meets up with a prostitute named Sadie, who leads him to a safe and shows him an item, hidden from view. Colton is then approached by a mysterious preacher named Reed, who follows the prostitute after Ned approaches. Colton, suspicious of Reed, follows him and oversees him arguing with Sadie. Reed says "Give me the item and you will spare the lives of everyone on this ship!" The prostitute instead slaps Reed, and Reed responds by exclaiming "Thy will be done" and then throwing a hatchet into Sadie's head. Suddenly, a group of soldiers attack the Morning Star, killing most of the passengers on board. Ned and Colton, with the few remaining passengers, hold off the attack until the boilers become unstable. Ned then gives Colton a token to a whorehouse in Dodge City and tells him to look for Jenny. Ned then tosses Colton off the ship, but not before revealing that he is not his birth father. The ship explodes, taking Ned, the soldiers Ned held off and the rest of the passengers with it.
After Colton wakes up, he heads to Dodge City where he meets up with Jenny. After a brief kidnapping episode, the two head for Empire, a bustling new city in the New Mexico Territory. After they arrive, they meet up with Mayor "Hoodoo" Brown, who says that he can help find Reed. Brown deputizes Colton and sends him off to clean up the local resistance with two deputies, Rudabaugh & Webb. After following a resistance member by the name of Chavez y Chavez to a local barn, Colton and the two deputies find an unarmed couple cowering in the barn. Rudabaugh and Webb kill the two, and Colton threatens to take them to Hoodoo. They retort saying "Who do you think we take orders from?" and says that Hoodoo has been playing Colton and Jenny "like a fiddle." He kills them afterwards. Colton heads back to Empire and confronts Hoodoo, but Hoodoo states that Reed is upstairs and he was just coming to get Colton. Colton dosen't believe him, but then he hears Jenny scream and runs upstairs to witness Reed slit Jenny's throat. Hoodoo then sneaks up behind Cole and knocks him unconscious. When Cole awakens, he is face to face with a one-eyed man named Thomas Magruder, who claims he knows Ned White. He orders that Cole be hanged in the morning for the murder of Jenny. Cole is then tossed in jail overnight.
In jail, Cole meets Port, a wounded member of the resistance, and Soapy Jennings, an expert safecracker. After escaping Empire, Soapy parts ways and Port and Cole head to the resistance's base camp in the mountains. It is there Cole meets the head of the resistance, Clay Allison, and Cole resolves to kill Magruder and anyone working for him. After ambushing one of Hoodoo's trains, the group steals a gatling gun. In the celebration afterwards, Allison reveals several things to Cole. He says that he knew Ned White, and that Magruder was their commanding officer during the Civil War. Allison says that Magruder tried to convince the Confederate hierarchy that the war could be won if they found Quivira, an ancient city of gold. A group of Magruder's men, Ned and Clay among them, descend on a small Apache village looking for a cross that could lead them to Quivira. After an Indian confronts Magruder, Magruder shoots him in the face. Ned takes exception, but Magruder responds by shooting Ned, though not killing him. Magruder then decapitates a white doctor. Allison finds the cross and tosses it to Magruder, and afterwards, an Apache woman fires a rifle at Magruder, shooting his eye out and blowing the cross apart in the process. The rest of the soldiers proceed to execute the Apaches. After Clay finishes the story, a group of Hoodoo's men attack the base. The resistance manages to hold them off, and capture a Howitzer in the process but Clay is captured by Hoodoo's men and taken back to Empire. The resistance stages a daring rescue, and Cole manages to free Clay, but only after he had been tortured by Hoodoo. After an extended gunfight, Cole shoots Hoodoo, sending him through a second story window.
Cole heads for Dodge to get Soapy to help him recover the piece of the cross stowed in the ship's safe. When he arrives, he finds out that Soapy is about to be lynched for cheating in a card game. With the help of Sheriff Denton, Cole frees Soapy and the two head for the ship, but find it guarded by the same soldiers who attacked the Morning Star. The two are captured and introduced to Sergeant Hollister, who runs the camp. Cole, Soapy, and several Indians escape the fort and return later with a band of Blackfeet to take the fort. They succeed and kill all the soldiers, but Hollister manages to escape. Soapy, Cole and the Blackfeet chief head for the shore holding the steamboat and are confronted by Hollister, who wounds the Indian Chief. Colton and Hollister proceed to engage in an extended gunfight, in which Colton gains the upper hand. Nearing death, Hollister hides behind a rock and shoves several sticks of dynamite into his uniform and lights them. He makes a suicide run for Cole, but fails and blows up. Cole recovers Ned's rifle that Hollister stole and, after parting with the Blackfoot Chief after his saying that his father's spirit is now free, he and Soapy head for the steamer. Soapy opens the safe, and they find half of the cross, but they are confronted by Reed, who thanks them for saving him the trouble. Instead, Cole tosses the cross back into the safe and slams it shut. Cole battles Reed, and, after shooting him in the leg, jams Ned's rifle into his mouth, ignores his pleas for mercy, and kills him, saying "This is for Jenny."
Soapy and Cole then head for the Apache camp to reunite the pieces of the cross, only to find a gruesome ward made of men who had been skinned and hung upside down. They are captured by the Apaches and taken to their chief, Many Wounds. The Apache leader shows Cole some things and the story continues from where the village massacre left off. An Indian woman gives young Many Wounds a baby and tells him to hide. Meanwhile, the baby's father, Dr. Campbell, is decapitated and the rest of the village slaughtered. When everyone is dead, Many Wounds finds his dead father and states he will take revenge. Ned then shambles up and begs forgiveness. Many Wounds says that Ned will be forgiven if he takes the baby into his care. The baby is Colton.
Soapy, Cole, Many Wounds, and some other Apaches head to the spot where the cross can be placed to find Quivira. Cole notices that while Magruder did get the spot right, he was digging down when Quivira was right above his head. Magruder's bodyguard Dutchie sees the light shine off the cross and fires a cannon at the hillside. Soapy falls down the cliff and is captured by Dutchie. Cole fights his way down the mountain. He finds Soapy in the middle of the traintracks at the bottom of the hill, with two of his fingers shot off. He says he told Magruder where the mine was. Cole leaves Soapy behind and tells him to tell Allison and Many Wounds to meet him at the mine. He stops Magruder's train and kills Dutchie. After stealing the train, he and Allison begin stoking the fire in the engine and ram the steel doors of Magruder's mine. After a long battle penetrating deep into the mine, the roof starts caving in as a result of shoddy, quick mining. Cole tells Clay to pull back while he follows Magruder. Cole finds Magruder in the middle of Quivira, amazed by the beauty. However, they fight, and eventually Magruder retreats to higher ground, throwing packs of dynamite at Cole. Cole shoots the dynamite, causing a rock to collapse and crush Magruder's leg. Instead of torturing Magruder, the cave starts to collapse and Cole makes it out with Many Wounds' help. A large rock dislodges, crushing Magruder. Many Wounds and Cole barely make it out and as they watch Quivira collapse within the mountain, Cole says to Many Wounds, "Now our fathers can rest in peace."
[edit] Characters
Protagonists
Colton White- The main protagonist and character the player controls throughout the game. Colton has spent all his life hunting game upriver with his father Ned, when one day a tragic accident leaves Ned dead and Colton questioning his own past. He sets out on a quest to find out what really happened many years ago, which puts him up against numerous challenges and swarms of enemies. Through several alliances, various partners, and his trusty gun, Colton gets vengeful justice on those who did him wrong. Voiced by Thomas Jane
Ned White- The man who raised Colton and who also isn't Colton's father. During a Confederate campaign, a double-cross left Ned wounded, and many people dead, including Colton's real father. Ned was given care of Colton as means of forgiveness, and raised him to be a skilled marksman and hunter. While travelling down the river, the duo's boat is ambushed, and subsequently explodes, killing Ned, but not before he reveals that he is not Colton's real father, and sending his 'son' off on a journey unlike any other. Voiced by Kris Kristofferson
Jenny- An attractive young woman who works as the 'hostess' of the Alahambra saloon in Dodge City. She first meets Colton when he shows up with a token that Ned gave him to take to the Alahambra and asks for her by Ned's request. Colton rescues her from a rowdy cowboy and his gang. She proves to be skilled not only with her charm, but also with a shotgun. She is tragically murdered partway through the game by Reverend Josiah Reed. Voiced by Kath Soucie
Clay Allison - The leader of the resistance in the territory, Clay is a former soldier from the Confederate army who served under then Major Thomas Magruder's Texas Mounted Rifles, and was also present during the death of Colton's father. Deeply regretting that he had not stood up like Ned, he takes it upon himself to bring down all corrupt men following his former commanding officer. While he initially clashes with Colton over his alleged loyalties, he eventually realizes Cole's true cause and forms a close alliance with him, which is strengthened when Colton leads the resistance into an extremely hostile Empire City to rescue him from the corrupt mayor. Voiced by Tom Skerritt
Soapy Jennings- An expert safecracker, who is probably loosely based on the real Soapy Smith, first encountes Colton in Empire City's jail. The two quickly become allies when Colton busts Soapy out of a solid concrete cell. Later on, Colton rescues Soapy from being lynched in Dodge City for a questionable card game, and brings him to a safe which requires his work. He is subsequently captured and tortured(two of his fingers were shot off)until he reveals the location of an ancient city of gold, but Colton leads him to safety. Voiced by Dave Wittenberg.
Many Wounds- The Apache Chief, Many Wounds' unknown history with Colton goes back a long way. His father was killed at the same massacre that killed Colton's father, and Many Wounds vows to avenge him, giving the baby Colton to Ned as a form of forgiveness. His revived relationship with Colton is initially strained by Colton's early killing of his people, but the two eventually become close allies, to the point where Many Wounds saves Colton's life by helping him out of a collapsing mine, and where Colton claims that both their fathers have been avenged. Voiced by Eric Schweig.
Antagonists
Thomas Magruder- A former major in the Confederate army, Magruder led his regiment, The Texas Mounted Rifles, to a camp to discover the location of an ancient city of gold which he believed could have turned the tide of the war. The mission ended in a bloodbath where Magruder killed both Colton's and Many Wounds' fathers, and wounded Ned, though losing an eye in the process. After the war ended, he took over most of the territory and resumed his mission, vowing to stop at nothing to get what he wanted. His limitless greed led to the slaughter of countless lives, mostly innocent people who got in his way. He eventually pays for his acts at the end of the game when Colton causes a mountain to collapse on him. He fights with metal armour that makes him bullet proof, dynamite, and a seven barreled shotgun (The Nock Gun). Voiced by Lance Henriksen.
Reverend Josiah Reed- Reed is a jack preacher who encounters Colton early in the game on a steamship. He fails to recover an item from a prostitute per Magruder's orders, and kills her. He then calls on an attack on the ship which leads to the death of Ned and the remaining passengers. Colton's hatred of the man increases when Reed slits Jenny's throat, killing her right in front of him. Reed is sent by Magruder to retrieve the item he failed to recover earlier, but Colton beats him to it. He subsequently battles Reed, defeating him. Afterwards Colton cripples Reed's leg, then jams his rifle into his mouth. Despite Reed's protests, Cole declares that it's for Jenny and pulls the trigger. He fights from atop an armoured horse, unlockable by the player. Voiced by Brad Dourif.
Mayor Hoodoo Brown- The corrupt mayor of Empire City, Hoodoo runs the town as he sees fit, using his two righthand men, Webb and Rudabaugh among others, to enforce the law. He appears at first to be an ally of Colton's, but it's eventually revealed he's working with Thomas Magruder to find Quivira, the ancient city of gold. He subsequently captures the resistance leader Clay Allison and tortures him before Colton shows up. Colton wounds Hoodoo and forces him to explain the attack on the steamship. Colton then shoots him out of a second story window, killing him. He fights with dual Peacemakers. Voiced by Ron Perlman.
Sergeant Hollister- More beast than man in appearance, Hollister is a former Union soldier whose methods were allegedly so brutal that even his own generals feared him. He first encounters Colton when he catches him and Soapy trying to sneak into a camp guarding the attacked ship. It's revealed that he was the one who commanded the attack on the ship that killed Ned. When Colton and Soapy approach the ship, Hollister, armed with Ned's rifle he took from Ned's body, attacks them. Colton manages to get the upper hand, and a wounded Hollister sticks dynamite into his own bullet wounds. He attempts a suicide run to take Colton with him, but fails and blows himself up. In the aftermath, Colton retrieves Ned's rifle. Voiced by Marc Graue.
Dutchie- Thomas Maguder's bodyguard. Dutchie is a big hulking man who doesn't speak at all throughout the game, and is rarely seen away from Magruder's side. He survives the longest of Magruder's main henchmen, but eventually also succumbs to their shared fate; the train he's on is halted and Dutchie mounts a cannon, but gets killed in his effort to stop Colton.
J.J. Webb and Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh - Hoodoo Brown's righthand men. They are loosely based around 2 members of 'The Dodge City gang' John Joshua Webb and 'Dirty' Dave Rudabaugh. They are sent with Colton after a key member of the resistance in Empire City, and their search leads them to a barn with an unarmed couple inside. Colton starts to walk away, but Rudabaugh kills them, explaining that Hoodoo's been playing Cole for a fool. The two try to take out Colton but fail, and Colton kills them both. Webb uses a Volcanic 10 pistol, while Rudabaugh wields a double barrled shotgun. Webb is voiced by John Getz and Rudabaugh is voiced by Wade Williams.
[edit] Gameplay
GUN is played by controlling Colton from a third person perspective, playing much like a generic third-person shooter. Similar to elements from Max Payne and F.E.A.R, the player can engage a "Quickdraw" feature, which slows down the action going for a limited amount of time, aiding the player in shooting (technically, this is called bullet-time). Another feature is that Colton recovers health by drinking out of his flask. The player is also free to roam the game world on foot or riding a horse, taking optional missions as one pleases. Colton cannot swim via gameplay, but in the cutscene after Ned gives him the Alhambra Token, he is seen swimming in the water before the boat explodes.
The gameplay is not limited to head-on action, however. Colton is able to upgrade the time he gets to use Quickdraw, the reload speed of his weapons, the speed of his horse, and so on (very much like a role-playing game) by buying items from stores. Money is obtained by playing Texas hold em, completing missions, side-missions, and finding gold.
[edit] Weapons
Weapons in the game are obtained merely by making progress in the main storyline. There are a total of 20.
[edit] Pistols
[edit] Rifles
[edit] Shotguns
- Colt Double Barrel
- Shotgun Model 1887
- Nock Gun (Secret Weapon - Bonus when you killed the Final Boss)
- Cannon Nock Gun (Secret Weapon - Bonus when you finished all the missions, principal and secondary)
[edit] Sharpshooters
[edit] Melee
- Bowie knife
- Quick Killer's Tomahawk
- Cavalry Sword/Sabre
[edit] Thrown
[edit] Bow
- Apache Bow
- Blackfoot Fire Bow
- Loco Dynamite Bow
[edit] Sales
The game sold a relatively disappointing 225,000 units across the four systems it was initially released for.[1] Though these sales were prior of Dec 14, 2005, a total of current (dec 2006) sold copies is unknown. While this was less than expected, Activision has noted that GUN did sell the best among new video game properties and has hinted at the possibility of a sequel, which remains unconfirmed as of October 2006. Much information regarding the title should be taken as speculation.
[edit] Controversy & Content
Activision has responded to The Association for American Indian Development's petition, which demands a recall (and edit) of GUN on the grounds that the game inaccurately depicts the Apache people using degrading and harmful content. The publisher issued this brief statement:
"Activision does not condone or advocate any of the atrocities that occurred in the American West during the 1800s. GUN was designed to reflect the harshness of life on the American frontier at that time. It was not Activision’s intention to offend any race or ethnic group with GUN, and we apologize to any who might have been offended by the game’s depiction of historical events which have been conveyed not only through video games but through films, television programming, books and other media."
The content throughout GUN contains Graphic Violence, Strong Language, Sexual Themes/Humor, and Alcohol Usage.
[edit] Trivia
- The game features a cast full of notable actors, including Ron Perlman, Lance Henriksen, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Skerritt, Brad Dourif and the lead played by Thomas Jane. Dwight Schultz is among those who provided "additional voices", also.
- The game features a number of characters whose names are taken from real-life Old West figures, including Clay Allison, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Hoodoo Brown, Dave Rudabaugh, John Joshua "J.J" Webb, Luke Short as well as Major Thomas Magruder who may have been based off of John B. Magruder, Soapy Jennings who was probably loosely based on Soapy Smith, and Magruder's hulking personal bodyguard, Dutchie, who was possibly based on "Dutchy" Schunderberger, a member of the real-life Hoodoo Brown's Dodge City Gang.
- The saloon the Alhambra was owned by Dog Kelly, Mayor of Dodge City.
- An Alternate Reality Game called "Last Call Poker" was used to promote GUN.
- Although stated as happening in 1880, that would make Colton only sixteen years old at that time (since he was just a baby during the end of the Civil War). Also, appearance of Winchester Model 1887/1901 and other weapons from later years as one of the characters weapons further puts this date into doubt. Similar problems appear throughout the game, including references by Clay, who saw Ned die 'ten years ago' when in fact the end of the civil war would have been 16 years ago by that time. And even if it were so, that would make Colton about ten years old.
- Though there was an attempt made to make this game realistic to the old west, it draws more on old west tales and western folklore. One notable example of this is that wolves are portrayed as vicious animals that attack people (in reality, there is no historical evidence of a healthy wolf ever attacking a human). Another notable example is that one Native American hires Cole to kill wolves and a white buffalo (these animals are held sacred in most Native American cultures and killing them was [and often still is] considered a crime carrying the penalty of banishment from the tribe or death).
