Gunman Chronicles

by Vivendi Universal

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004ZBO4
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 22, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,400 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Gunman Chronicles is quite an achievement when you consider it was a grass-roots add-on created by a talented group of Half-Life fans. Unfortunately, we aren't used to paying for such user-created mods, and this game just doesn't have the legs or production values to warrant a full retail release.

The game's "Wild West in deep space" tone is established in the opening cinematic, which shows a rescue mission on a hostile planet gone awry. Five years later you must return to the scene of the disaster and use your skills as the last of the vaunted Gunmen to save the galaxy from aliens, mutants, and maybe even your brothers-in-arms.

The graphics aren't bad, and the character models look terrific, but their quality is offset by the game's mediocre audio. The gameplay rarely rises above average. There are numerous scripted events that sometimes add to the game's tension but more often seem gratuitous. Events meant to surprise--like an enemy popping out of the darkness behind you--are usually more annoying than scary, especially when they result in a cheap hit. Your foes aren't smart at all and rely on blind rushes as their chief tactic. It is a lot of fun managing your arsenal, however, as each weapon offers many customization options. See something particularly scary up ahead? Duck behind some cover and tweak your shotgun so it shoots eight shells at once instead of two. It adds a little more depth to an otherwise derivative game, and Half-Life fans looking for something similar to that title's decidedly better single-player action should certainly give Gunman Chronicles a go. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Customizable weapons are fun to mess with
• The many scripted events make the game surprisingly cinematic
• The game is much more impressive when you consider it wasn't created by professionals

Cons:

• Configurable guns and drivable vehicles don't add as much to the gameplay as promised
• Although the production values are great for a fan-created add-on, they are relatively low for a full retail release

Product Description

Trouble is brewing in this sleepy western spiral of the galaxy. It's been five years since the alien infestation started - five years since The General, leader of the Gunmen, fell in battle driving back the silicon-based hordes and you took command.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Its Half-Life but in the future, December 16, 2000

By 

John Ingle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gunman Chronicles (CD-ROM)

... This is a great game in the tradition of Half-Life but still falls short of the greatness which Half-Life attained. I guess then I should start off with why I gave it 4 stars instead of five.

First the game is still based on the HL engine. While still being a good engine to use it is starting to show its age. HL came out about 2-3 years ago and FPS engines have had a drastic over haul in that time. The game still looks great and plays great though.

Secondly the levels are a little too short for me. I played it for a couple hours last night and I am already on the 3rd planet. The box says that there are 4 immense worlds to explore and well I haven't done much exploring to say the least and the worlds are not immense at that. Hopefully the 4th world will be a little bigger. Ya the story line is a little hokey but its better than many I have seen.

Well other than those two gripes the game shines. Each of the weapons has several functions with situations calling on your use of those various functions sometime throughout each level. The enemies are quite varied and fit in with the planet and its surroundings and their AI is pretty good.

I should say that I haven't played online yet with it so I am not going to comment on its multiplayer functions yet so this review may seem a little premature but I was here and what the hey...I wrote it.

Overall this is a fun game and if you like HL and Unreal then you will enjoy this game....

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where is the rest of it?, December 10, 2000

By 

"meltdowna4w" (Charleston, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gunman Chronicles (CD-ROM)

I became a big fan of Valve's work when I played Half-Life, which had an involved story-line that seamlessly blended the action with the plot. Although Gunman Chronicles has a pretty weak story line, it still managed to keep me interested. The graphics are what you would expect from Half-Life, with a few new features, like cutomizable weapons and a tank you can drive. The down side is, the game is VERY short. I beat the game in less than fifteen hours of game time. I'm quite disappointed. This would get a stronger rating if it weren't for the length.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gunman, November 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gunman Chronicles (CD-ROM)

To start off, the game uses the Half-Life engine and the HL AI. Which is not a bad thing since HL put the gaming community on it's ear a few years back, with it's great game. So pretty much this is HL just with different story and setting, like I said that is the good thing. There are some points about the game that no one else has pointed out. The biggest to me is the game is just to short. HL took me 3 weeks to complete, Gunman 8 hours. This has happened to me twice now with add ons to HL, and that is pretty much what Gunman is, an add on. The other problem with the game is a texture problem. This does not affect the game, but do expect a patch in the near future. The last complaint is the fact that the story seems a little weak. You really never get to know who you are in the game, or who the Gunman really are. Once again this does not affect the game play, but does affect the way you feel about the character. What I did like about the game was the gun layout. You have a good array of weapons that can be configured to your liking. This is a good idea because of the fact of only being able to carry so many things. This way your laser gun can become a sniper riffle with the right model add on. Now you can use the right weapon for the right job and do it on the fly with just the click of the mouse. I also like the fact of being able to drive a tank from time to time in the game. This gives you a nice brake from running and shooting all the time. Okay so I gave it 3 stars, will mostly because it was so short. I do not like the thought of game companies throwing a few levels into a game and just not taking the time to make a fun experience, just to make money. If you have not played Half Life, GO now and buy it and see for yourself what Gunman should have been. Also if you want a great game try Deus Ex, loads and loads of fun and game play there.