Gun: Showdown review

Gamepad gunslingers meet their match with Gun's PSP port

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Dealing death, riding horses and dealing death while riding horses(did we mention Showdown 's sweet mounted combat?) will keep you riveted through much of the main story. There's plenty of other stuff to do - ride for the Pony Express, play Texas Hold ‘Em, mine for gold - in the form of side quests, but none of these activities deliver the same rootin' tootin' good time you'll experience within the main story. You'll want to tackle some of these anyway to up your RPG-inspired stats, but you'll long for the meatier story missions.

The original Gun was criticized for its short length, and Showdown does an admirable job of addressing this, padding the package with additional content that's not just tacked-on filler. Six, PSP-friendly "Quickplay" games offer a variety of shooting and hunting challenges that provide perfect pick-up-and-play sessions. And three ad-hoc multiplayer modes - Deathmatch, Golden Cross and Poker - are welcome additions, despite not being infrastructure/online compatible.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionWhether you've saddled up with a previous version of Gun or this is your first time strapping on the six-shooters, this title is not-to-be-missed, as it captures this under-represented genre like no other game.
Platform"PSP"
US censor rating"Mature"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Matt Cabral
A full-time freelance writer based in Lizzie Borden's hometown, Matt Cabral has covered film, television, and video games for over a decade. You can follow him on Twitter @gamegoat, friend him on Facebook, or find him in the basement of an abandoned building hoarding all the canned goods, med-kits, and shotgun shells.