Neversoft, the creators of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, have developed a very impressive video game. Not only is this a solid title, but it also sheds some light on a sub-genre of games we hardly ever see.

Gun is the reason Western-themed games will be respected from here on out. Neversoft knew exactly what they were doing. Gun is a full-blown, gritty Western experience. There's no sugarcoating here at all. The western times were pretty hard and brutal, so Neversoft made plenty sure they could capture that with this game.

The game follows a young man named Colton White, who seeks revenge on the person who was responsible for killing his father (or the person Colton thought was his true father), Ned, in a riverboat shootout caused by a mysterious preacher.

Colton's only clue to why the shootout went down is a medallion that Ned has given him, which has the name of a saloon in Dodge City. Colton travels to Dodge City, to seek a woman named Jenny, who may reveal many answers to what happened with Ned, and why the preacher caused the shootout.

Although the storyline is a very good one, it all goes by way too fast. The story is very fast-paced, and seems to resolve major conflicts very quickly. You have no time to have any feelings about any of the characters except for Colton.

With such a huge environment to freely roam around in, it's very disappointing that it ends all too soon. If you choose to not do any side missions in the game, you can most likely beat this in three sittings.

Even though the story is a short one, it is all worthwhile, thanks to voice-acting by Kris Kristofferson (Blade), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), and Brad Dourif (Child's Play). In fact, all audio in this game is excellent. The music, filled with the violins and wind instruments, fits the mood perfectly. The blasting of each gun, as well as the sound effects of horses galloping on the ground, sound great.

The game play is very gory. Some of the effects are just over the top. Grabbing an enemy and slitting his/her throat causes an eruption of blood to spew out all over the surrounding environment. You'll also get a kick out of blasting off the head of another character, as they will sometimes actually blow off of their shoulders. Of course you also have the option of swiping others with your knife/hatchet, or trampling over them with your horse. This game is the definition of an "M" rated game.

Over time, you'll get better weapons to use in Gun, but keep in mind that this is a Western third-person shooter, so you won't see any rocket-launchers or plasma rifles. You can use weapons such as a bow and arrow, a shotgun, a rifle, the standard pistol, dynamite, and a knife.

Those weapons will become better as you progress through the game. For instance, the bow and arrow you receive will eventually have the ability to shoot fire arrows, and then upgrade even more into a crossbow later on.