Come 'n' Get It

There are many reasons GUN™, an epic Wild Western adventure from Neversoft, creators of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, is one of the most noteworthy games in recent memory.

Some would say that it's the open-ended setup—you can freely roam sprawling plains, skuzzy border towns and verdant valleys which teem with wildlife pursuing story or side missions. Others would argue that it's the tale's cuss-laden dialogue or unflinchingly brutal depictions of violence (such as scalping enemies) that make it such a standout. Still more may cite the intuitive horseback riding system.

Me? I say the best part of GUN is just that—the guns. Or, more to the point, the entire combat model, which also includes provisions for hand-to-hand melee weapons and projectile attacks. Given how ornery a place the frontier can be, never forget: Whatever the situation, always go in armed. Observe just a few of the many ways in which you can defend yourself.

Guns and Ammo
Pistols, semi-automatics, shotguns, sniper rifles. These are but a sampling of the weapons you can lay hands on. Examples even include authentic, era-specific arms like the Schofield or Winchester 1866. All sport different attack ranges, damage capabilities and reloading speeds. Given to you by allies or scavenged from the corpses of dead bosses, you'll use them to blow corrupt deputies and common outlaws out of your way.

Reload fast, shoot often.

You can fire without aiming first, or employ auto-targeting options against foes. Should you need to kill an enemy standing far off in the distance, just click the right joystick to immediately zoom in on their position. Wherever your slugs strike, they're guaranteed to cause a reaction—realistic damage modeling ensures that much. Stagger rivals by popping them in the leg, shoot revolvers right out of rustlers' hands, or make bandits' heads explode. The options are as endless as they are delightfully grotesque.

Stop to talk with a shopkeeper or Indian trader, and you can further beef up your arsenal by buying upgrades. Shotgun barrel chokes lend your attacks greater impact. Hatchet sharpeners let you do more damage. Speed loaders prove a real blessing in battle, allowing you to rearm that much faster.

While each improvement costs cold, hard cash (earned by completing various assignments or bringing wanted men in dead or alive), it's worth picking them up. The more missions you successfully finish, the bigger your reputation grows, and the tougher enemies you'll face.

If you'd like to see what sort of firepower you're currently packing and just how effective different types of munitions are, simply access your Saddlebag by pressing start and checking the Weapons menu.

Close-Quarters Kills
Sometimes, a more personal touch is called for, like when you're defending bridge workers from attacking natives or caught in the middle of saloon brawls. That's where weapons such as knives and tomahawks come in. Press X to quickly slash opponents. You'll know you've struck gold if a splash of blood accompanies the swing. Likewise, you can also reach out and grab human shields (Y button) and, once finished with your hostage, kick them away, or cut their throat.

This virtual town ain't big enough for the both of us.

The Quick and the Dead
Thanks to slow-motion Quick Draw mechanics, cowboy hero Colton White is guaranteed to sail through showdowns at high noon and ambushes on speeding trains alike. Merely tap the B button to react at much faster speeds than normal. Once this feature's been activated, instantly jump between targets by toggling the left thumbstick, and pump round after round into enemies.

Best used against large groups of opponents, it's a great way to increase your accuracy when aiming at small targets (e.g. carefully placed TNT barrels) or kill multiple baddies before they even lift their guns. Powerful as Quick Draw attacks are, you can only access them for a limited time. But so long as you've got some juice left on the meter—which slowly builds back up as seconds pass—you can turn the function on and off at will.

Distance Throwing
No, whiskey bombs aren't something you sloppily chug down with friends on their twenty-first birthday. Try tossing combustible cocktails to set buildings or assailants on fire instead. They're just one of many tools at your disposal in terms of trigger-free ranged attacks.

Another little item you'll get a blast out of is dynamite. Light and toss it to cause massive area damage or douse the wick and place the explosive where it can be deliberately detonated later with a single shot. And who could forget the Apache Bow? Aim for unsuspecting enemy's heads to score a silent kill.

A Horse of a Different Color
It's good to be in the saddle—and not just because it makes traveling between towns and trading posts that much easier. Hop onto a horse, and in addition to faster movement and better mobility, you'll be able to run baddies down and execute trampling attacks. Charge on-foot adversaries, then press X … they'll get stomped in more ways than one.

Ambushed! Good thing you've got a horse.

Mounting a Resistance
I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention mounted weapons. Grab a Gatling gun and mow enemies down by the dozen. Man a the cannons of a churning steamboat and blow gunboats out of the water. Whatever your death-dealing device of choice, count on seeing some major fireworks once you squeeze the trigger.

Now stop reading, and start doing your best Clint Eastwood impression. Before you get to ride off into the sunset here, there's a whole lot of ass-whooping to be done …

Article by Steve Richter