FIFA 12: Tales From A Terrible Player

Okay... so you know I said I was going to do a LittleBigPlanet 2 review? Well, it's coming. I just can't get round to it amongst other things. Okay? Good. So, I went to CEX today, buying Crackdown, Prey, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (I love Halo),  and Gears of War. And then what did I see for £2? Fifa 12. Sighing, I picked it up. Did it look bad? No, of course not, and I'm sure it's a great game for those who know what the hell to do. But I don't. So here is what I thought when first playing it for 1-2 hours.

"Okay, FIFA 12. This intro is kinda longish though... and it's still going... uh... *eats crisps whilst waiting*... OKAY, I'LL SKIP IT, IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS."

"Yay, training! And slide... no. And slide... nearly. And slide... OH COME ON! And slide... gotcha! Wait, what? TWO MORE TIMES? FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

"And pass the ball! Wait, no, that's kick. What about the opposite button? And that's kick. Oh, there we go. And it went off field. Well done me."

"I got this! I'll tackle him - GODDAMN IT YOU SWITCHED PLAYERS YOU SON OF A BI-"

"And sliding! And switch player and accidentally sliding! STOP SLIDING!"

"Wait, I'm the goalie now? No... and who? Wait what?! WAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"How do I start a game? What's a pro match? Why am I shooting goals at a random guy? AND CAN I PLAY YET?!"

"STOP COMMENTATING!"

"STOP SLIDING!"

"And tackle... WAIT WHERE'S THE BALL GOING?"

"Trading cards? Wat? Is this FIFA or a Windows game?"

"Time to play online... and codes? Lolno."

"DAMMIT!"

"SHIZA!"

"I HAD THAT!"

"STOP... SWITCHING... PLAYERS!"

"Why do footballers act so weird when the score?"

"Why is Rooney so p*ssed on the cover?"

"HERMAGERD, RUNNING LOOKS WEIRD."

"LAAAAAAAG."

"And I got a useless trading pack!"

"Menu sucks."

"Can I start yet?"

"I don't want a replay!"

"You know, I was gonna do a longplay of Halo 3 tonight... BUT I NEED TO SCORE A GOAL FIRST."

"I CAN'T SCORE."

"I CAN'T SCORE!"

"No... no... I CAN'T SCORE FOR SH*T!"

Yeah, those were my rants I had. Okay, FIFA seems great, but I dunno what I'm doing. A quote from AVGN to finish:

"Why so much football? Football on thanksgiving, football on birthdays, football on Christmas! Everywhere you go, football football football! Madden 98, Madden 92, Madden 25, Madden 14 WHO THE F*CK IS JOHN MADDEN?"

Can't blog today!

Because my pinky feels weird as shiza. So wait until tomorrow, and I'll review a PS3 game. ;)

Fable II Review

Fable II is one of my favorite RPGs around. Why it isn't talked about more, I don't know. It has the same sort of mechanics as Mass Effect but with it's own, new mechanics, and the amount of detail is outstanding here. So here's my review.

The story is simple, minor spoilers here. You play as Sparrow, and your goal is to save Albion from evil, 5 centuries after the defeat of Jack of Blades. You buy a magic music box for 5 gold from a merchant and your sister makes a wish; you are then woken at night to visit the castle. You both get shot and your sister killed, but you survive, to avenge your sister's death. Hell, that makes for a short game, but Fable II is actually around a good 15 hours, trusting you don't rush it.

Characters are good. You can even care about the unimportant villagers, as you have the option to either love them, hate them, or become friends. It's a really good system. The main characters are also good, your sister is likeable, so is the woman who helps you defeat the Lord. They are all great and you get to develop how much you like them. It's a great system.

For those that care, the graphics and sound are good for 2008. Graphics are about as good as those in Bioshock 2, and sound is good. SFX is pretty suiting for the game, and voice acting is also nicely done. I like it.

One thing I should mention is that your dog is one of the best video game companions ever. It can find places to dig, and treasure, as well as bark to get your attention. He also follows you everywhere, and looks cute. They way you get the dog is also sweet too.

Combat is fun. Whilst X for sword, Y for gun and B for magic may seem ideal for a button masher, it actually turns out to be a blast of fun. You can combine each to get powerful self-made combos, or just spam them and yet get a satisfactory result from it. I am really surprised a basic-looking combat system is so great.

Enemies and bosses are good. From the final boss which is an amazing challenge to the speedy bandit boss near the start of the game, they all have build up, and even if the death is simple of them it's forgivable because of that buildup. Bandits, midget monsters and so on will be a challenge, so get out your sword and crossbow and blow them away.

Fable II is my FAVORITE RPG. It has good graphics, a fun combat system, the story is great, and I just love Fable.

Story: 8. Great and simple.
Characters: 8.
Fun: 9. A ton of fun.
Sound and Graphics: 8. Good voice acting and graphics like Bioshock 2 (not as in dark, but similar).
Controls: 9. A 9 because it throws button mashing expectations out the window.
Writing: 9. I like the writing because it flows with the story smoothly.
Level Design: 8. Good for an RPG.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10, aka 4.5 stars.

Duke Nukem Forever Review

Hail to the king of ego, baby.

After 15 years, and much hype, with the game looking EPIC in 2001's trailer... it was met with hatred from the fans. And guess what? I agree it sucks... but is also fun at some points. The comedy is bad, but sometimes it's fun.

What do you think the best video game opening is? Bioshock? Max Payne 3 (even though I fell asleep during it)? HELL NO! It's this game with Duke taking a p*ss in a urinal, first person. I thought I had bought the thing second hand and accidentally pressed continue, but no, the guy is taking a p*ss, first thing in the game. Hell, at least you can grab 5G by stealing a turd out of a toilet. And what can you do with that turd, you may ask?

TO THE WINDOW
TO THE WALL
STICK THAT TURD ON UNTIL IT FALLS.

Level design is sometimes bad, sometimes good. When it's bad though, it's REALLY bad (just like in Mirror's Edge when it messes up there, but I still love that game). Minor spoiler here, but at one point, there is an awkward RC car section when Duke Nukem is shrunk, and it's one of those "where the hell do I go" type of places. However, I don't usually like survival missions, but the maps for survival missions in Duke Nukem Forever are great. And turret sections... ignoring the first one, they're good.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think I'll point it out. IT THROWS G AT YOU. 5G for playing with poop, 5G for drinking a beer, 5G for beating a mini boss, 5G for drawing balls or whatever on a whiteboard, give me all the G in the world! Seriously though, achievements should be awarded for things that were challenging to achieve, not for drinking beer you found on the floor or starting the game past an easy boss.

Humor in the writing is average. Not as good as in Duke Nukem 3D, but it's alright. I mean, hell, some are rolling-your-eyes bad, yet there's some that make me laugh such as the hidden South Park reference the two soldiers say. Duke Nukem himself though isn't that funny. Swearing, references and wordplay is the only things he can do, and is executed poorly. :(

And for the first part of the game... Duke is just f*cking around. You get hit by invisible wall after invisible wall instead of having a much better cutscene, being forced to watch or listen to STUPID STUFF. 15 years it took you to develop this, and 3 different great game companies working on it, ay? HOW DID YOU MESS IT UP? Drinking beer, downing steroids, punching aliens, playing pinball, skyping Obama, getting shrunk, playing your own game, throwing pool balls around, punching whiners in the face, signing kids' autographs and playing in their RC cars, WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON? And Duke has gone reeeeeeeaaaaaaallllly soft in his old age. Instead of punching a douche on his throne, he takes his picture. C'mon Duke! What happened to you?

Enemies are easy. There is NOTHING you can't kill with 3-bullet-burst machine guns and the power of steroids. Sure, beer helps defend you from damage, but you get it back in like 5 seconds despite a stupid amount of damage. Weapons are fun though, as you can hollow out enemies with a shotgun or shrink and stamp on them. Yet, there's nothing here you can't do in Duke Nukem 3D.

The story is weak. You're Duke, and aliens are stealing Earth's women. That's it. I would ignore it if it was funny due to it, but it isn't so it's ignorable, yet constantly shoved down your throat by invisible walls every 2 seconds. Do we really care Duke's show has been cancelled? Not really, no, so don't freeze us without a cutscene to tell us.

For those that care, graphics and sound are good and bad. Graphics are good, looking like a  shooter like BRINK, but sound is rare. Mostly, when platforming or shooting, the game is eerily quiet except for the dull over-generic music and the basic sfx.

Duke Nukem Forever is not a bad game, but it's nothing good. 15 years and we get this? Come on. That's lazy. If you really wanted to play a good Duke Nukem forever game just buy and play Duke Nukem 3D. The only difference is the graphics.

Story: 6. A weak story, but it seemed forgivable.
Characters: 6. Good characters, bad writing, and Duke is now soft.
Fun: 7. It is fun, but takes forever to start.
Sound and Graphics: 6.5. Good graphics, bad sound. And I hate the writing for Duke.
Controls: 6. Why the d-pad to interact with certain things instead of just the usual button?
Writing: 4. Barely funny, sadly.
Level Design: 6. Hit or miss, really.

OVERALL SCORE: 6/10, aka 3/5 stars.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

I love Sci-Fi games. Ones such as Red Faction: Guerrilla,  Mass Effect 2, and this one are my personal picks. So, with a one that has balls-breakingly hard bosses and intense hacking, does it live up to all of it's hype?

First of all, though, a minor complaint. There are minor spoilers here, so if you don't want the first part spoilt, skip this paragraph. Now that those people have went, onto the complaint. During the start of the game, whilst your lab is being attacked by terrorists, you have no health, ammo, or radar HUD at all. It looks cool, sure, and it doesn't confuse me, but let's say I was a casual. I would be confused as hell. Not a huge thing, but I could see it causing confusion for some.

Moving onto the actual review now. The story I actually UNDERSTAND ALL OF IT. Set off the fireworks. You play as a man called Adam, a security guard at Sarif Industries in Detroit. Then it, as mentioned, gets attacked by terrorists, and you get shot. Your body gets rebuilt however, and you're called back into action. Simple, but an awesome idea.

Guns are awesome. You have assault rifles like your Combat Rifle (the one you first get), close range revolvers and shotguns, smgs like your machine pistol, snipers, and everything a terrorist-killing badass would need. They're good, and ammo isn't short, you just gotta know where to look... or just look on desks if you're a lazy moron.

Level design is brilliant. You'll be having so much fun shooting gas tanks and gassing rooms, afterwards crawling through an air vent hidden behind some crates to escape. As well as that, enemy placement is sweet. They're positioned perfectly for both stealthy and un-stealthy methods, just like in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas.

Now, enemies. You have the terrorists, each with smart AI and a variety of guns. They're pretty useful for loot and ammo. Then you have the robotic enemies, which can be hacked in an intense way. Sweet and smart AI for them too, and a challenging fight. Just lob a grenade though and you'll be A-OK.

Hacking is a great system and a great idea. You will be sweating onto the controller as you try to sneak around and fortify buildings to get the main part. If you're detected though, you better hurry up, and snag all the extra things you can for more rewards. If you fail though, try harder next time, you only have so many tries (and sometimes only one). It's intense and rewarding.

Characters are good also. Adam is likeable but also tough, as well as characters that await such as Megan. Hell, even some of the antagonists are likeable, such as the Adam-face-shooting Lawrence Barrett. You'd be more likely to become president than you are to find a bad character in this game. So start running for it.

For those that care, graphics and sounds are AWESOME. Graphics give a futuristic style that is chocolate for your eyes, that just looks awesome. Can't describe it any other way. Sound is also really good, with amazingly well-done voice acting and sfx sounding great. It's also not too hard but is definatley challenging at the right moments... for the most part. If you're not careful, as little as 5 shots can kill you.

Controls are smooth too. They're simple for any common FPS player, and they're taught to you well (either that or you figure it out for yourself). And thank LORD GABEN that the tutorials are optional. It's like Just Cause 2's and Far Cry 3's tutorials, and I like that way.

I've never played any other Deus Ex games, but this one has made me want to. It's fast paced, great, and has a simple story with awesome controls and graphics. Buy it, it's cheap at CEX, as it's only around £8.00 at the most. And it's worth more.

Story: 10. Praise Notch, I understand a full story in the game. And it's a great story too.
Characters: 9. They're iconic and stand out.
Fun: 8. Intense hacking and shootouts will enthrall you, but the difficulty may make you run off.
Sound and Graphics: 8. I like them and the voice acting is great.
Controls: 8. Simple and little time is needed to adjust to them.
Writing: 8. Good.
Level Design: 7.5. I like it.

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10, aka 4/5 stars.

Borderlands 2 Review

B*nerfart. That's right, we're calling it B*nerfart.

Now, I'm pretty damn excited for Borderlands: The Pre Sequel. Playing as a mech called Fragtrap, set on the moon with no gravity? Sounds awesome. So, because that's coming out, now is a good time to look at the previous game, Borderlands 2.

The story of Borderlands isn't as complex as other series' stories, but it's far from bad. You're a vault hunter on the planet Pandora in 5252, searching for minerals. But you gotta fight things like a guy with a mask on named Handsome Jack (Borderlands, stop complementing me). I don't know it that well since I haven't played the first, but I will soon.

Characters are one of the best parts of Borderlands 2. They're funny, memorable, and each unique. My favorites are Tiny Tina, the fat woman, and Claptrap. All have great voice acting and look awesome. Claptrap is one of my favorite robot video game companions, since his lines are funny as hell.

Weapons are the best part. There's like, 87 bazillion guns (and a similar number of brilliant puns), and all of them stand out. From Flame SMGs, to snipers, to rocket launchers, to pistols, to goddamn shotguns of electricity. They're all great and you can do sh*t any style you want. A lot of guns, a lot of puns, a lot a lot and a lot of fun. Yes, I made that joke. Deal with it.

As well as NPCs, though, there's also some great playable characters. Go as the stealthy assassin like me, or go as guns-blazing Arnold Schwarzenegger with turrets galore. As well as this, there's notably the Gunzerker, Siren, Physco and Mechromancer.

Enemies are well designed. You have the weak psychos and midgets, who either run at you with swords and fire or shoot you with a shotgun. Bandits are everywhere, shooting with guns you can pick up and forts you can raid, as well as the wildlife of Pandora, from angry birds swooping down to the beasts that roam everywhere, freely. They're all great, but lets not forget heavy hitters like Three Balls or Normad Pyros.

As well as these, there's also "badass" versions of enemies; more health, better guns, do more damage, bigger, look awesome. They're cool, and a great challenge for players.

Multiplayer is great in this game. You work with other players, fighting, continuing the game from where you finished off in singleplayer (or the other person, whatever). You level up, get loot, and fight bosses with friends. It's goddamn cool and enjoyable. Only problem is the guns. The trade system is cool as hell, but usually you have to grab what you can. It... can be annoying.

For those that care, graphics and sound is great here. You have an epic, cell-shading cartoon style game, with funny as hell lines that are voiced great by some talented actors. And sfx is good too. I like this style of graphics a lot.

I haven't played any DLC yet, so I can't judge it yet. But, currently, it is an outstandingly good game. I reccomend you get the Game of The Year edition, since it's only £10 and has over £75 in content. Pick it up asap.

Story: 9. Simple, and a great one.
Characters: 8.5. Hilarious, unique, and memorable.
Fun: 10. Multiplayer and singleplayer is sooooooo fun, and I love playing it with friends.
Sound and Graphics: 9. I love the cell shading style, and voice acting is brill.
Controls: 9. Any first person shooter player instantly adapts to them.
Writing: 9.
Level Design: 9. I love open worlds.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10, aka 4.5 stars.

Turok Review

Turok is an underrated game, since not much people talk about it. But, I was looking around in CEX one time a few weeks back, and saw the steelbook version of this. And it seems awesome, since you play as a guy who fights dinosaurs and soldiers with lots of weapons. So, here's my review.

First of all, characters. They're not a strongpoint of Turok. Whilst Turok himself is likeable, his allies die way too fast and it's funny more than emerging. I get it, Halo did the same sort of thing, as well as other games, but it isn't done too well here. Yet, the villain is pretty good, as when you get your bow you get a... flashback (I dunno what it is) to him. Kinda weird, but cool and well-executed.

Cutscenes show off the game. One minute, you're running through a burning ship, the next you're running from the giant T-rex. It's really good, and builds up suspense right before the first T-rex. Really good cutscenes here.

Multiplayer... sadly, I've never got a chance to play it. One of these two things have happened: either there's no one else in the UK playing it, or everyone is playing the awesome singleplayer. It's a real shame, though, as the multiplayer looks freakin' sweet. So if anyone ever wants to play it with me, my gamertag is Jerrika12. Would love to play it.

Weapons are cool. You can go silent or guns blazing; a bit like a less-intense Far Cry 3 or a jungle Splinter Cell depending on your style. SMGs can be dual wielded; only problem is that then you can't aim that way, since it has the same dual-controls as my favorite franchise, Halo. Bows are super-powerful and excellent, as you can kill an enemy soldier in one (full) shot. And I find the knife strangely useful for  for small dinosaurs.

The story is also pretty good. You play as, obviously, Turok, a soldier in space who crashlands onto an unknown planet with soldiers and dinosaurs. Minor spoiler here, but your friend dies as he is pulled through spiky plants by a dinosaur and then eaten. After that, you search for the crashland site and find a new friend (yay!) who leads you through. He hasn't died yet, but since Turok likes to kill off characters, he's gonna die. I know he is.

For those that care, sound and graphics are good. Morons might turn away from Turok due to it's nothing-special graphics, but hey, Half Life 2 graphics were similar and you guys LOVED them, don't lie. Sound is good, as music is cool, but I found myself with the occasional snigger at some voice acting. Not at all to say it's bad, just cheesy sometimes.

Trailer:

Now, I can't compare it to the originals, because I LITERALLY JUST TOOK A YOUTUBE BREAK AND SAW COMMENTS SAYING THERE WERE ORIGINALS. When I get them, expect a review. Until then, Turok is freakin' awesome, and you should buy it for a cheap steelbook costing £5.

Story: 8. It's kinda cliched, but still sweet.

Characters: 6.5. They're not a strongpoint for sure, but they're good.

Fun: 8.5. You aren't forced to play in any way, and there's no STAY IN THE MISSION AREA bullcrap like CoD has. Yes, deal with it, I hate CoD.

Sounds and Graphics: 7. Nothing special, but nice graphics and sound here.

Controls: 8. Simple and nice.

Writing: 7. Good, but not always acted well.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10, aka 4 stars.

Left 4 Dead 2 Review

I love Valve. They're generally a PC gaming company, but games for the Xbox 360 like Portal or Team Fortress 2 that they made are amazing. Here is one of their good games, aka Left 4 Dead 2. I like Left 4 Dead (first one) better though.

First of all, the characters. They are, disappointingly, not as good as the L4D ones. Ellis is a redneck, who has pretty funny lines, but he is sometimes annoying. Nick is a gambler, and a "bad-guy" character, but he's my favorite. Coach meets stereotypes and is funny. And Rochelle...

...no one likes Rochelle.

Maps are good, with ones like The Parish or Dark Carnival being my favorite. But what really, really, REALLY is just stupid is you have to buy all the maps with L4D characters. What?! Did Valve swap places with EA? What? THAT'S STUPID! And they cost about £5 each, so for ten of them it would be fifty pounds, add the twenty pounds you spent on the game... SIXTY POUND. That is just unacceptable. Valve, you're getting greedy. Stop it.

Enemies are awesome. There are normal zombies, but also extra ones. Unique zombies like the Riot Zombie have special ways to kill them, and with CEDA zombies they're fireproof and drop Boomer Bile. Then there's the special zombies. Hunters and Jockeys are annoying but are easy to kill, whilst Smokers and Spitters will try to stealthily harm you. Boomers will get in the way, and Tanks will make you want to get out of their way. It all works out well in a balanced, fun way.

Projectiles next. Molotovs will set them on fire, Pipe Bombs will lead all zombies (expect special zombies) astray to be blown up, and Boomer Bile will turn a hoard against whoever it lands on. Things that help are Medkits, helpful and common, adrenaline, which is like speedy pain pills, and pain pills, which will heal you temporarily. It's great.

Weapons are also pretty cool, with shotguns doing huge damage, SCARs being accurate and awesome, auto shotguns being BADASS, machine guns mowing down enemies, pistols destroying weak zombies or going rambo, M60s, destroying EVERYTHING, smgs, which are like mini AK47s, and meele weapons, which are so helpful.

As for the AI... well, take a look.

Music, graphics and sound is also well done. You may find some bugs or the rare hole in the map, but graphics are good. Graphics fit the apocalypse, and there is some great music.

L4D2 is great. Whilst L4D may be superior, buy this one too. You won't regret it.
Characters: 8.
Story: 6. Sorry, but it's weak, as it's told only through dialogue that's missable.
Fun: 8. Awesome, especially with friends.
Sounds and Graphics: 8.5. They fit the game well.
Writing: 7. Funny at times, but it tries to tell the story through it.
Control: 8. You gotta get used to it, but it's good when you do.
Level Design: 7.5. Great, but in the village on the Parish, WHERE DO I GO?
Co-op: OVER 9000.

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10, aka 4/5 stars.

DmC: Devil May Cry Review

Why does everyone hate this game? Sure, it's not as good as Devil May Cry 3 or 4, but it's still a hella lot of fun. So, here's a review of the reboot of DmC. Keep in mind that if you hate this game, then sucks for you. This is my review so it's my opinion.

First of all, the new Dante. He SUCKS. All his is is some egotistic douchebag emo teenager, who just doesn't care about anything. And any gamer knows that an unlikeable character is the worst type of character. But there's worse characters. Kat is an alright character, I guess, but she isn't a strong character. Virgil is now a douchebag. That's right, they RUINED VIRGIL. He sees a demon, shoots her baby, lets it sink in, and then shoots her in the head. Because, y'know, screw honor! Even though his dad was a demon! And Dante is half demon!

What they really perfected, though, was combat. You throw your fingers all around the controller, slamming A Y RT Y Y Y HOLD A B X X X X X X Y Y UP UP Y and all kinds of crazy mixes to delightfully murder your enemies with a giant demon axe, an angel sychthe, Ebony and Ivory, and one awesome sword. We can all learn one thing - don't be a demon with a chainsaw. Combat is also EXTREMELY rewarding, as you get achievements with plenty of G for defeating a bunch of enemies or a boss. Nice.

For those that care, graphics are really amazing. It's artsy and feels good to look at, with graphics that actually make you wanna play more. They're that good. Voice acting, however, is bad, so is writing. Does anyone else remember this?
"I am... Mundus (I DUNNO HIS NAME)..."
"You're an a**hole!"
That was a classic so bad it's good.

Boss fights are fun. If you liked the bosses in Castle Crashers, then you'll love them here. You catch onto their attack patterns after fun trial-on-error, and they take a beating from your awesome moves. Gotta love dat.

DmC: Devil May Cry is a fun game. So why the hate? God knows. I reccomend you buy it, and if you don't like it, give it to a friend. It's a good game hiding underneath minor flaws.

Story: 6.
Fun: 10. Damn. DmC 5 is the most fun I've had. EVER.
Level Design: 7. Definatley fits with your weapons, and feels artsy.
Sounds and Graphics: 7. Bad sound, good graphics.
Writing: 3. Good? AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. HA.
Control: 7. If you don't let it be lazy button mashing, then it's great.
New Dante: 5. Hit or miss.

OVERALL SCORE: 7/10, aka 3.5 stars.

GUN for Gamecube Review

I love western games, I won't lie. Red Dead Redemption, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, and now that I've got a gamecube my second favorite is GUN. It's fast paced, action-packed, and challenges your skill every second of every mission in a fun way.

This may contain minor spoilers, but here's the story. It's set in 1880, where you and Ned first hunt some animals and then fight a boss. Whilst on a boat to sell their meat, it gets attacked by an insane preacher, who calls in a group of renegade soldiers on boats. You escape and kill some soldiers, but Ned dies as the boat explodes. Several days later, you wake up from a knockout and are then attempted to be robbed by a thief called Honest Tom. After racing him, killing wolves with him, and he teaches you to fight, you're ambushed by him. And then... the west!

You know what I love about old games? Maybe they're short, but hell, the guns feel like guns. The revolver is sadly a little underpowered, but it still kills. Quickdraw, a feature that allows slowmotion, lets you switch targets as much as you want and shoot everyone. It's a really epic feature that I hope developers put in newer games.

The rifle is, arguably, the best weapon. It takes a short time to load a bullet after it's shot, has a decent sized magazine, and does a lot of damage. Your best use for it is on bosses, as fighting Indians with it will give them a chance to run up to you and attack as your gun loads the next bullet. It has an aim too! Your knife can do some damage, but it isn't recommended to be used constantly, as the stronger revolver has infinite ammo. But if enemies get close then let it rip.

The shotgun is the best to use on meele enemies. It has a large bullet spread, instakill, and will satisfyingly throw the enemies back on kill. It also takes a shorter time to load than the rifle, and is like a buffed version of it. Definatley use it whilst fighting the boss on the bridge.

Missions are fun, but the friendly AI is hit or miss. Jenny is the worst. She does next to no damage whilst just getting in the way, forcing you to restart the mission if she dies. Ned is useful in the boat mission, and so is the bartender in the missions where you save Jenny, but some AI really shouldn't be there at all.

Surprisingly, the escort/protect missions are really sweet. The thing you have to defend is given a ton of health, you get to checkpoints commonly, they're kinda short, and you don't get enemies shoved down your throat every 2 seconds. Ah, the good ol' days when Activision wasn't cheap...

The money system is balanced and fair. Not too much nor too little amounts are given out after a mission, which you can spend on weapon upgrades, or a pickaxe. But that pickaxe when you can, it's really useful.

Characters are memorable. Despite being stupid in combat, Jenny is a great character, and even enemies are likeable. They're just that well designed. Minor characters like the bartender are actually great, as he helps you and fills a lot of the cutscene INSTEAD OF RUNNING AROUND.

For those that care, graphics and sound are good for 2005. They're your general western graphics, but the sound is awesome. I didn't honestly expect the voice acting to be so good in an old game, but I enjoyed it obviously. Cutscenes show off the limits of graphics, but when you headshot someone in quicktime it is AWESOME.

Health is nailed. Enemies don't do too much damage, even bosses don't, and even when they do get you low health, a simple tap on the top of the d-pad will make you take a swig of your flask. You can only do it 4 times, but it restores full health without taking ages.

GUN is one of Activision's great, older games. If you want to shoot cowboys, have fun, and blow the heads off people with a revolver then pick it up.

Story: 7. A little confusing, but good.
Fun: 9.5. Nearly the most fun I've had on Gamecube.
Level Design: 8. Cover in suited places, and checkpoints common.
Sounds and Graphics: 8. What you would expect from a western game in 2005, but the heads exploding is sweeeeeeeeeeeet.
Writing: 7.5. Good script with amazing voice acting for a sixth-generation game.
Control: 8. It surprisingly masters the controls for the Gamecube.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10, aka 4/5 stars.