Way of the Gun

I've disappeared into a new PSP game. It has the pithy title of Gun: Showdown. I bought it on the title alone. And also that it's in a wild west setting.

With nary a gay cowboy in sight, Colton White blasts his way around the territory bringing six-gun-, double barrel-, rifle-, dynamite-, tomahawk- etc.-justice to those who killed his father. A fair few good ol' boys who just happen to be causing mischief at the time get blown away, too.

But it also has many missions that aren't shooting. There's Texas Hold'em poker in the salon, runaway steers to be corralled, and even emergency medical supplies to be delivered by pony express. All in all it's been keeping me captivated.


The feature I really like is Colton's quick-draw ability. When he goes into quick-draw mode time slows down, allowing him to blast away at numerous bad guys. But it's limited by a meter which rapidly decreases. However the meter can be refilled by performing "Head Shots" (in the head, natch) or "Weapon Shots" (shooting a weapon out of the baddies hand). How wild west is that? I love watching the bad guys staggering around when they're shot. Teehee, look at 'em flail.

Gun reminds me a lot of From Russia with Love. I really enjoy shoot-em-ups that have a storyline. That was what eventually got me a little bored with Star Wars: Battlefront II. You could play endless battles, or even play a conquer the galaxy game, which is basically the same battles but with the added "thrill" of taking over the galaxy one battle at a time. However it leads to nothing. After conquering the galaxy, you receive a screen with the one word "Victory" printed in blue. What a let down.