Cheap Gunstringer - Xbox 360

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I was playing The Gunstringer when a friend of mine came over and brought his son. His son was mesmerized by what was going on and kept asking me what exactly I was playing. I had to stop and ponder that question, as it dawned on me that I couldn't properly tell him, he just had to watch. Gunstringer is definitely the most unique and pleasant game I have played in years. There is literally no game out that even closely resembles what the Gunstringer is. I say 'pleasant' because it is one of those wholesome, fun games that keeps a smile on your face throughout with its amazing presentation.

You take the title role as The Gunstringer, an undead cowboy out for revenge on his old posse that betrayed him. The thing is, you aren't exactly playing a game, but actually performing in a play in front of a live-action crowd. It sounds totally screwy and I understand anyone's qualms as to this concept being pulled off effectively. I am proudly here to say that it all has paid off, this is a thrilling game that completely wraps you into the role of operating an undead-cowboy marionette. You use your left hand as if you were holding the strings for the marionette and hold your right arm out and make a 'invisible-gun' hand shape(you don't have to make the gun shape, but why wouldn't you?). So the left hand controls walking, moving and jumping of the Gunstringer and your right arm is for shooting. You accomplish shooting by aiming at a target and recoiling your hand as if you just fired a real gun. you can even paint up to 6 targets and then pop back your hand for multi-kills. It all works effortlessly and is a joy. It just feels natural for what you are playing and my hat goes off to Twisted Pixel for making such a responsive and working control system. Certain areas of the game can turn into what boils down to a simple platformer, where you don't shoot and are meant to control the Gunstringer through obstacles, over ledges, etc. So you will literally just be bowing your left arm up and down or left and right. These parts are few and don't overall hamper the experience at all.

The humor in the game is unmatched. The presentation, commentator that narrates the game in real time, and countless cameos from the developers at Twisted Pixel all combine to give a package that is not lacking on charm and humor. To finish off a boss, you literally smash your hand towards the ground and a giant Monty Python-like arm will rain down in game and smash your opponents. Your real-life crowd will laugh, cry and gasp along with your entire adventure, keeping the atmosphere very light-hearted during the entire game.

The game is budget priced for a reason, it is short. I beat it in maybe 4 hours at the most with my first run through. However, if you have ever owned a Twisted Pixel game, you know how much extra content they pack into them. You can unlock game modifiers, music, pictures, audio commentary tracks that will play over the game like Mystery Science Theater 3000. Plus I unlocked like 10 avatar items and a theme for my Xbox. On top of that, the very first piece of DLC, "The Wavy Tubeman Chronicles" is completely free and available to download in game. This DLC is brillient as it is entirely Full Motion Video, like those old western games on the Sega CD and arcade where you would shoot at the video of real people and they would horribly act out their death. It really is amazing and a great homage to early 90's gaming. Fruit Ninja Kinect is also included in the package, so you can add that to the value of this game as well.

Frankly, even though it was short, the only fault I can find is that I wanted more. this is one of the few games I have played were I beat it and actually wanted to go back for round 2 immediately. With all the unlockables available to purchase with in-game money earned by playing, it entices you to come back for more and more. I am a 28-year old male who played it with on-lookers ranging in age from 3, to 13, to 40 and everybody really enjoyed and got into the game. It is Core game that can appeal to multiple generations while not sitting under the housing of a 'casual, family-friendly' game.

If you own a Kinect then you owe it to yourself to have The Gunstringer in your collection; a truly amazing, unique and humorous experience.

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Make no mistake about it, The Gunstringer is one of the greatest titles on the Kinect. This isn't a game that will have you doing jumping jacks or posing like Madonna, but it will definitely have you rolling on the ground in laughter and sheer enjoyment. If you haven't played this already, you may want to start downloading the free demo to your Xbox 360 now, so it is ready to play by the time you are done reading this review.

In the days of overcharging and under delivering in video games, it is a breath of fresh air to play a game that you just know is worth the money spent. Sometimes I wonder if game developers enjoy their job, especially if they make us suffer through certain misery of their games. Twisted Pixel has no such problem. It is evident from the opening credits that they love their job.

What is The Gunstringer? This is a game about a skeleton cowboy marionette, making his way through the wild west with vengeance on his mind. Remember how Shakespeare said something about the world being a stage? Well, in this game, you are literally on a stage in front of a human audience. Ever since their hilarious use of the green screen in Comic Jumper, Twisted Pixel has found clever ways to jump into their games and blur the line between fourth walls and immersion. The end result is a video game experience unlike any other.

The controls are flawless. Whether you are shooting down dynamite being thrown at you, jumping over canyons, dodging giant balls of Capt'n Crunch, or fist pounding some ugly croc bastard, you will be in total and effortless control. Controls work sitting down or standing up. I'm almost convinced they would even work hanging upside down from my ceiling.

The story is spread across several acts in several stories. Each act can be replayed to try and obtain higher scores or earn more money. There are online leaderboards to compare yourself with others on your friends list. Money is used to buy extras, such as difficulty levels, cameo appearances, or making of videos, etc.

Twisted Pixel has always been generous in what they include in their games. Besides a good amount of gamer pics and avatar items, they are also including a free downloadable copy of Fruit Ninja and their first downloadable content, The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles. Speaking of which, is almost worth buying the game just to try. The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles reminds me of the days where I put a quarter in at the fair and can shoot various silly targets in a booth.

Going back to the controls, that is essentially what makes this game shine. This isn't your typical Kinect game, where the Kinect is reading your whole body. Most of the game, one hand holds the marionette wand and the other hand holds the gun. One hand moves the Gunstringer and the other hand kills every bad guy or gal that fills the screen. Shooting is a breeze with a lock-on ability and a flick of the wrist. Sometimes you'll be granted other scenarios and abilities, but that is the gist of it.

The game has local two player support, where the second player can drop in and out as they please. As mentioned earlier, there are also online leaderboards for bragging rights.

While the game is friendly for controls and laughter, it is not so friendly in front of children. There are a lot of adult themes throughout the game that should be considered before letting a younger having a go at this.

Overall, with the level of production value, humor and love, this game is an instant masterpiece. Very rarely do I get the opportunity to play a game that charms within minutes of playing. This game tells a story, has a lot of fun, and is an excellent display of Kinect controls. I can't think of any reason not to recommend this fully to every Kinect owner out there.

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I really liked the game at first, so did my kids, but at level 3, we had to stop it. I don't mind blowing up cartoon images and such at all, BUT the sexual content was beyond Teen. The reviews I read were not accurate nor were the ratings. Should not be rated Mature instead of Teen. If you are an adult, it is a lot of fun to play.

Honest reviews on Gunstringer - Xbox 360

Bless the development team at Twisted Pixel for a brilliant use of the Kinect system and a wholly original story and game that injects the most humor and silliness into The Wild West since Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. This game is great fun and one of the most enjoyable Kinect experiences we've had to date.

I purchased downloadable versions of "The Gunstringer" and "Fruit Ninja Kinect" for my sons, ages 9 and 7. I had already read several reviews, so I knew going in that the game campaign is relatively short. Some reviewers describe it as a `weekend game' because all of the levels can be completed in less than 4-8 hours. There's replay value here, especially if you swap controls in the two-player mode.

While the campaign is short, it is grueling nonetheless. Controls require you to use your left hand to control the marionette's strings. Your right hand controls the Gunstringer's pistol, wave your hand over targets and recoiling back to your shoulder to fire as many as six shots at a time. In two-player mode, the second player controls the Gunstringer's other pistol. You might not think all that waving about would get tiring, yet the game offers players the option of pulling up a few chairs if players grow tired standing.

You advance the Gunstringer through 2D and 3D environments, jumping over traps while you sight and shoot targets along the path. Timing some of the jumps is tricky since it requires you to flick your left hand higher in the air as if you were lifting the marionette into the air. That said, the controls are simple, intuitive and (most importantly) responsive.

One caveat is that the "T" rating is for bawdy humor, i.e. sexually suggestive themes. The review from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides these details:

"The game also contains some suggestive dialogue and depictions: a female character is depicted with exaggerated-sized breasts and protruding cleavage; a character appears to be straddling an alligator in a sexual manner (e.g., "[T]he lumberjack would later claim that he was only wrasslin' the gator . . . but the Gunstringer had seen the truth of it in their eyes."); the dialogue contains some sexual jokes and innuendo (e.g., "[T]he brothel Madame, whose magnificent yabbos notwithstanding, he had marked for death" and "The train was about to make its last and final stop at the bottom of Dry Hump Canyon."). A reference to peyote is also contained in dialogue."

The suggestive jokes went over my sons' heads. Older children and teenagers will no doubt catch and understand the underlying humor.

In summary, I highly recommend Gunstringer over the ubiquitous sports titles flooding the Kinect market. Twisted Pixel brings a fresh and funny approach to the Kinect. I can't wait to see what they produce next.

Rating: Five stars.

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Some games are meant to be serious, others do not take themselves very seriously. Gunstringer is definitely in the latter category. The game is wrapped in a meta-narrative about a marionette puppet seeking vengeance. You are the puppeteer.

Gunstringer is the first non-sports game I have really enjoyed for Kinect. It works because it is funny and because the controls have a beautiful simplicity to them. As many people have observed it is hard to "get into" a game when you're worried about kicking the coffee table or crushing your chihuahua when you trip. As a puppeteer your hands and arms form the basis of the controls (for those who want to, you can even sit to play). Your left arm controls the puppets movements: raise your arm and he jumps, move your left arm right or left and the gunstringer moves across the screen. The right arm aims and fires your gun (though there are several rounds where you use both arms to shoot rushing enemies with six-shooters in both hands).

If this sounds easy, in some ways you're right. The controls work because they are not overly complex. However, dodging with the left arm and aiming with right requires a bit of coordination (think patting your head while rubbing your belly at the same time). So there is a learning curve that makes the game have a fun level of challenge.

Mechanics aside the level of styling makes Gunstringer a hilarious game to play. You're fighting highly stylized western bandits, over-sized toy obstacles (with the occasional hand of an enemy pupetteer reaching down to set boulders rolling at you). And of course, the enemy wavy-tube man that is a staple of used car lots across the mid-west. These stylistic features create a fun environment to play in.

The main detractor for Gunstringer, for me, is that you can never really escape the "on rails" experience for kinect. Only during scripted fight scenes can you duck and cover and fully take the time to fight. The rest of the time you're barrelling through the scenerey trying to catch as many bad guys with your right hand as you can before you run past them. But this is a small factor me (if you generally dislike "on rails" gameplay you won't like Gunstringer). So a 4-star game: I liked it.

As a small plus (that probably could add a full star to the overall package) is that you get Fruit Ninja for free (DLC Code). I hadn't bought fruit ninja when it was released on xbox live, figuring it was an 'eh' game. I won't pretend that Fruit Ninja is deeper than it is: but if you play it, I would be willing to put money on it that you'll play more than one round. It is fun to chop flying fruit... if you let yourself get into it, you can practice all your taekwondo that you learned as a kid (chihuahuas beware). Fruit Ninja is, I promise, more fun than you think it is.