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GUN - First Look Preview
Jon Wilcox
13/09/2005
TVG rides to the frontier to take a first look at Neversoft`s gritty Wild West title...
So-called 'Sandbox' titles led of course by Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto franchise seem to be increasingly developed by a range of development firms all vying for a piece of the GTA pie, but so far no-one has managed to come close - until now.
Set on the Western Frontier of the US in 1870, GUN follows the story of the somewhat aptly named Colton White, a man brought up in the mountains of the frontier land by his father Ned (voiced by veteran actor Kris Kristofferson.) GUN is shaping up to be a brutal portrayal of the 19th Wild West with Activision already admitting that the violent gore depicted in the game will render it an 18 certificate by PEGI/BBFC. The ability to scalp downed enemies was never going to make it acceptable for seven year olds to play, but GUN does manage to paint a certain picture of the 'Old West' - slitting the throats of 'human shields' is gory and certainly contributes to the age rating expected by Activision. On more than one occasion Activision representatives drew comparisons between GUN and TV drama series Deadwood in terms of creating a 'realistic' portrayal of the Wild West. Forget our comparison with John Wayne at the top; this is the dirty, dusty land of Wyatt Earp and the badlands that triggered the gold rush.
It's worth pointing out at this stage that the demonstration focussed around the PlayStation2 version, which easily is shaping up to be one of the most impressive looking titles for the platform in its five-year lifespan. Vistas that define the very word 'epic' appear throughout the game include the Montana mountain ranges populated with mountain lions and bears, and towns iconic with the West (including Dodge City) will feature. But just because itâs the Old West, donât expect to able to roll into town and terrorise the local populace â“ going overboard and emptying gun barrels within town boundaries will leave players facing a mob of armed civilians âWeâre gonna run you outta townâ style⦠you have been warned. With such an expansive landscape itâs also worth pointing out that GUN will also follow in the footsteps of Rockstar's GTA: San Andreas since players of the game will be able to travel across the land without ever encountering a break for loading times; something that becomes increasingly important to retain the immersion of the game into the circumstances of the title.
With a tight narrative written by Hollywood scriptwriter Randall Jahnson (The Mask of Zorro), the story of Colton White does appear to have enough weight behind it to keep players interested, something that other open-ended titles have failed to satisfactorily achieve in the past. Thanks to a professional line-up of vocal talent that includes the aforementioned Kristofferson, Lance "Bishop" Henrikson, Ron "Hellboy" Perlman, and Thomas "The Punisher" Jane as White himself, the high production values and slick presentation of the game should continue into the audio development too. Activision also confirmed that GUN will contain over an hour of cut-scenes that will help to progress the narrative as it develops through the course of the twenty or so primary missions. Besides the main thread of the story, GUN will also feature a range of side-missions for players to follow allowing White to take a range of vocations from huntsman, pony express rider, gold digger, even sheriff deputy and bounty hunter! The one single concern that we have about GUN at this stage is its longevity; with no multiplayer modes and a somewhat limited number of objectives the level of interest will therefore have to be sustained by the side-missions. Hopefully if the game is as open-ended as Activision insinuates then these options will hopefully expand the lifespan of the game beyond the main missions, after all playing Texas Hold âem in the saloons of the game world will only sustain interest for so long (talk for yourself â“ Ed).
Rather neatly, there seems to be a pattern in the game with Activision explaining that as well as 'approximately' twenty missions and twenty side-missions, players will be able to use 'approximately' twenty different weapons ranging from axes through to mounted cannons, even dynamite laden bow and arrows! All of the munitions in the game have been modelled on contemporary weapons - yes, even the dynamite mounted arrows - so don't expect any rocket-propelled grenades. Though a majority of the game takes place in the third person perspective, GUN switches over to the first-person when Colton uses âQuickdrawâ (the Wild West equivalent of bullet-time), which enables players to take their time to pull off fatal shots and take down an increased number of enemies and build up a series of combos.
During the course of the presentation Activision demonstrated three action sequences that helped to convey the sort of gameplay that we can expect when GUN is released on Xbox, PlayStation2, PSP, GameCube and Xbox 360 later in the year. During the course of the game White and his âPopâ travel on a steamboat on their way to Dodge City when a group of men open fire. This was the first real opportunity to see some of the action elements described above play out. Besides the âQuickdrawâ slow-mo, the sheer amount of blood sprayed from bodies hit by bullets, and the dozen impact points causing those same bodies to flail certainly brings a brutality to the game - that same brutality is perhaps enhanced further when slow-mo is used, proof once again that the game will be heading towards an 18 certificate. Later in Dodge, White takes part in the sort of saloon shoot-out that epitomises the myth of the Wild West â“ it was also the place where the Activision representative showed some mercy and didnât kill a whore he used as a human shieldâ¦
Besides the impressive environments the quality of the character models in GUN is also up to a high standard; and though evident to see throughout the course of the presentation, Activision seemed to place greater significance on the detail paid to the horses of Gun â“ one of the key elements in the game. Neversoft has managed to create a remarkable level of realism into the movement of the animals from galloping, cantering, and even falling to the ground; there seems to be fluidity in their movement uncannily accurate to the real animals. This was perhaps best expressed by a final gameplay demonstration of horse-ridden combat in the plains of Montana; meeting up with the local tribe of Native Americans, Colton finds himself up against a stampede of enemies â“ cue an intensive display of horseback riding and careful aiming. Like the other two main gameplay demos, this really helped to show the sort of gameplay that we can expect in coming weeks: raw, wild, and brutal.
Although the Activision spokesperson took a step back from giving an answer about GUN becoming a franchise, it's inevitable that GUN2 (and 3 for that matter) will be developed - not only that, but also with an increased range of features including possible Multiplayer/online modes. At this stage Activision aren't saying anything about a sequelâ¦but we'd be more surprised if there wasn't a follow-up in the next couple of years.
When the presentation was complete, and the applause had finished, there was and continues to be one lingering thought - if that was what could be done on PlayStation2, then what of GUN on Xbox 360?
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