Video games were invented in 1958 by John Videogame. They first became commercially available in 1971 with the arcade machine, Computer Space. Despite this vast and rich history, it took until 2005 for someone to have the courage and creative brilliance to title a video game, Gun.
We’re not here to discuss the nuances of titling, especially something that was released before SEO became more important than artistic intent or just general catchiness. Gun would never be approved as a title today because it’s almost impossible to quickly look up on the internet. In a world where From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a real movie title and not a 30 Rock joke, Gun is a reminder of simpler, slightly less silly times.
That was my prevailing thought during my entire playthrough. This game is a relic from a bygone era, but it’s a good relic. Some relics remind you of how bad things were. And trust me, no matter how blinded you may be by the nostalgia that fills the empty hole in your soul, things were bad back then too, just for different reasons. Gun is a reminder of the good things; it’s the kind of game that validates your thinking that things were better back then.
The Good Old Days
Putting aside the fact that I hate that I’m old enough to have “good old days” I can look back upon, let’s talk about the good old days. Specifically, the mid-2000s. Why were these the good old days? Because that’s when I was a kid, and therefore the last time I was ever truly happy. Well, other than losing my virginity, but that’s a story for a different blog. We’re here to talk about video games, and everyone knows gamers don’t have sex.
Back to the good old days. Gun was on the shelf of every game store I went into. In the PS2 section, the GameCube, the Xbox, and the Xbox 360. For years. No matter what I was browsing for, I would see that yellow cover. Probably from the time it released until they stopped selling PS2 games, and even after that, I would still see it in the 360 section.
I never knew what kind of game Gun was. I never looked into it. Perhaps on some level, I never wanted to know. I only knew that it was a cool cover with a simple, attention-grabbing name. Gun. You use guns in so many games so what kind of shit happens in a game just titled Gun? I read the back of the case, so I knew it was a western, but that’s it.
Young me didn’t care much for westerns, so I never bought it. To me it was always just that game with the cool yellow cover.
Fast forward to 2010. I’m sure you see where this is going. Red Dead Redemption was released and took the gaming world by storm. A side effect of Red Dead Redemption is that I got into westerns, and once you get into westerns and play Red Dead, a creeping thought enters your mind.
“What was that other western game? With the cool yellow cover?” At least that’s what went through my mind. A lot. Did I act on those thoughts? Absolutely not. Which, in my defense, wasn’t because of laziness or chronic backlog disease. By that point in my life, I no longer had a PS2, and I didn’t have an Xbox 360. All I could do was go online and search “western video games”, Gun was always the second result, and that was it. I’d go “That’s it” and go back to Red Dead Redemption.
Time went on, and I eventually just forgot about it. You see where this is going.
Cut to 2018, and Red Dead Redemption 2 took the gaming world by storm. You can probably already guess what playing Red Dead 2 caused me to do. That’s right, I began thinking of the game with the yellow cover. You’d think with a name so simple, I would have remembered it, but off to Google I went. Except this time, I had an Xbox 360 on account of me becoming a retro gaming enthusiast in between Red Dead games. So naturally, I went back to playing Red Dead and never thought about Gun again.
Cut to 2025, and Red Dead Redemption 3 took the gaming world by storm. Just kidding. Rockstar release, 2 games in a single generation? Yeah right. No, somehow in conversation, Gun came up. I don’t remember how, I don’t remember when, I don’t remember what we were talking about, and frankly, I don’t even remember who I was talking to. (Just kidding, you know who you are)
I simply decided in that conversation that I was going to finally get it and play it for this column, and by my luck, the retro store near me had a copy.
Quick Draw
If Red Dead Redemption is Unforgiven, then Gun is The Quick and the Dead.
This is a rip-roaring western action game that moves as fast as the Waco Kid can shoot. Red Dead is a grand epic tale full of dramatic heft. Gun is an adventure serial. It’s fast-paced and fun, even when it gets violent. You are on a quest for vengeance that involves cartoonishly evil villains like a corrupt mayor and a creepy priest. There’s a resistance group, a prison break, and lost treasure involved. Everything you could think to put in a pulpy western is here.
All of it is bolstered by an absolutely stacked cast. I couldn’t believe that a game could have this stacked of a cast. Gun includes the voice talents of Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Kris Kristofferson, Brad Dourif, Tom Skerritt, and Lance Henriksen. If this were a film, it would be a beloved cult classic. Perhaps as a game, it is a beloved cult classic, but I certainly don’t hear many people discussing it.
The gameplay is of its time, but in a good way. It’s so 2005 in the best way possible. There's no bullshit here. Remember how I said this is the kind of game that validates your thinking that games were better back then. It’s because, whether or not that’s actually true, this game never wastes your time, it never tries to be more than what it is. It’s simple. Games were simple back then. They didn’t try to be everything at once to chase impossible profits to recoup ridiculous budgets. They were one thing, and that’s it. Gun is one thing, it’s a western where you run around and shoot bad guys.
Neversoft (the developers) wanted to make sure you spent 90% of your time playing Gun, running around, and shooting bad guys. The other 10% spent traveling to go run around and shoot bad guys.
It’s an open world game with side quests, but since it was made before that meant a map filled with play time padding checklists, it feels quaint. Comfy almost. There are 2 towns and the surrounding canyons, that’s it. The open world acts more like one big level than it does a place to immersive yourself in. It exists to get you around and provide enough space for side missions and horse riding. Even the side missions don’t feel like they’re pulling you away from the main story because they last about five minutes each. They’re there if you want them and to get money for upgrades, and that’s it because, like I said, this game doesn’t want you spending hours taking in the world, it wants you running around shooting bad guys. And run around shooting bad guys, you will.
Made before Gears of War changed third-person shooters forever, there's no cover system to speak of here beyond crouching. You run around and shoot. Some weapons let you go into a first-person view to zoom, and you also have a first-person slow motion quick draw with your pistols, but you will be spending most of your time running around shooting. It's simple, it's arcadey, and it's fun.
It doesn't get old because missions end before it can, and eventually so does the game. It's 100% a game from its era in the best way. It's not interested in padding out its run time or piling on systems upon systems; it just wants you to run around and shoot bad guys in the Old West.
I finished this game in a few days, playing about 2 hours per session, and that’s with doing enough side missions to buy almost every upgrade. It probably took me about 7 hours. Some gamers today would complain about that length, but it’s perfect. When the game ended, I felt satisfied. We need more games like this. Just no nonsense, straight to the point games that don’t overstay their welcome.
Gun rules so much that despite 2025 having some of the best games ever made, it had me thinking that 2005 was better.