Remember back in 1998 when a little title called Half-Life hit the market? This game has been dubbed as the best FPS ever to grace the PC and it's impossible to disagree. The game combined excellent graphics, a huge single player experience, tons of weapons, and a killer story just to mention a few of the highlights. But one of the things I remember most about the game were the scares. Yes, they were a plenty in Half-Life, there was rarely ever a moment when you wouldn't jump out of your chair when the lights went dim and a creature jumped at you from out of a dark corner. Half-Life broke new ground and was the first FPS that fully immersed the player by simply scaring the living #%@! out of them.

Now roughly 2 years after the massive success of Half-Life comes the second game to ever have the privilege of taking advantage of the Half-Life engine, and it's called Gunman Chronicles. I must say that Gunman has some pretty big shoes to fill, gamers will be expecting a game that can at least compare to everything that Half-Life has set for us so long ago. Sit back, dim the lights, and crank the volume because Gunman not only looks and feels like Half-Life, but also adds some interesting new concepts into the mix to make this title another one to be remembered for a long time to come.

It's been five years since the infestation of the alien Xenomes started - five years since the General, leader of the Gunmen, fell in battle leaving you to take command. Now, a mysterious presence has tinkered with the DNA of these Xenomes, making them bigger and stronger than before, and the scourge is spreading once again. As leader of the Gunmen, the only law in this area of the galaxy, you must set things right. Find the source of this hostile invasion, and clear these alien scum from the rim of the galaxy! You take on the role of Major Archer, he's a lot like Gordan Freeman from Half-Life, one man up against incredible odds who must survive or die trying. The story itself doesn't really break new ground, it's basically an alien invasion that must be stopped, and similar to Half-Life there is one man behind it all. It's not that the alien invasion story is a bad thing, it's just that it's the same thing we've seen countless times in the past, nothing really new here.

The biggest change that Gunman offers over Half-Life is the ability to make modifications to the weapons you pick up during the game. Here is a run down of the basic weapons and configurations that are available in Gunman:

Standard Issue Pistol
Configurations
Pulse
Charge
Rapid

Modifications
Sniper Kit adds Sniper Rifle to the Pistol

Shotgun
Configurations
Shells - the amount of shells loaded can be 2, 3, or 4
Spread - Shotgun, Riotgun, Rifle

Mecha-Gun
Configurations
This weapon can be set for single or rapid fire
It also has a temperature gauge and will overheat if used for too long... this wastes ammo but does more damage

Multiple Unit Launch Engine (M.U.L.E.)
Configurations
Launch - When Fired, When Targetted
Flightpath - Guided, Homing, Spiral
Detonate - On Impact, In Proximity, Timed, When Tripped
Payload - Explosive, Cluster

Ammunition Pack Grenade
Configurations
Detonate - Timed, When Tripped, On Impact
Payload - Explosive, Cluster

There are more weapons in the game then I have listed here but I decided to stick with the basic weapons and let the rest be a surprise as you go. There are some powerful weapons later in the game. This whole concept of being able to configure the way your weapons fire goes well beyond the secondary fire key that you see in virtually every FPS. Each weapon you have is essentially more than just one weapon. Your pistol alone can act as three unique weapons, and four if you include the Sniper Kit modification. Then you have the M.U.L.E., perhaps the coolest weapon I've seen in any FPS to date. It can be used as a rocket launcher, grenade launcher, and can even set trip mines. And that is only a few of the things you can do with it by configuring exactly how it's used. The configurable weapon idea is one that will surely be copied in future FPS titles and it's an addition to Gunman that will certainly make it stand out against the crowd. There was one bad thing I've found with the weapon configuration, however. There are so many options that it's hard to set the weapon up properly on the fly when you are being attacked. You pretty much have to plan ahead of time and configure before you run in with guns blazing. The next change that you'll notice early in the game is the ability to drive a tank. This is another unique idea that works out quite well in Gunman. The tank is moved along with the forward and back keys, and the turret itself can be turned independently which allows you to fire in any direction while you are moving. The strafe keys are used to turn the tank to the left or right.

I found the controls for the tank were a little awkward at first, it does take some practice to get used to the way it moves. But the thing about the tank is that it's unstoppable once you're in it so controls really aren't that big of an issue here. When you're in the tank you take advantage of some major firepower though, it's great to shoot choppers out of the sky and blow up buildings with the powerful rockets. The levels with the tank are varied enough so that you're not always using it, this would make the level pretty boring because like I mentioned, it's unstoppable. Instead the levels have lots of barracades that force you to get out of the tank and try to find a way around them while not getting yourself killed at the same time.

As you make your way through Gunman you'll come across a lot of different creatures. The amount of different enemy types is staggering. You have dinosaurs, crocodiles, scorpions, robots, xenomes, and soldiers, just to name a few of the main types. AI is excellent, you have the dinosaurs that will basically run at whatever they see and then the soldiers who will roll away, and take cover when they see shots coming towards them. And just like in Half-Life, there are some huge creatures in Gunman and saying they look frightening just isn't saying enough. Level design is also a plus in this game, though there is usually only one main path to take there are enough levels and areas throughout the single player game to keep anyone satisfied. Most times you clear a path by blowing something up or activating a switch, typical stuff that any FPS fan is used to by now.

I appreciated the visuals in this game as well. Although the Half-Life engine is looking a little dated now, the amount of detail in the textures still looks impressive. The enemies all look great as well, everything has great detail and if anyone says they don't get scared looking at some of the bigger creatures I'd find that hard to believe. Gunman has the same frightening atmosphere that made Half-Life such a hit in the first place. Getting scared is what this game is all about, if you don't darken the room and raise the volume on your speakers you're simply not going to get the same effect. Remember those little crab creatures in Half-Life? They'd jump at you from out of a dark corner with that creepy squel and would always make you leap out of your skin. Well in Gunman there are little xenome creatures that do the same thing, I think their main role is to frighten more than anything else and they certainly do it well. Though a lot of the game isn't in total darkness there are lots of dark little corners that have enemies lurking about ready to leap head on. Then there's the environment itself, things explode, glass shatters, and floors break when you walk on them so you can never expect what's going to happen next. You're guarenteed at least a few good scares while you play through this game. So as you might have already figured out, sound is a major plus. You are able to use either EAX or A3D which is great, it seems that some FPS titles don't always take advantage of these sound setups. I can't figure out why because they truly give the atmosphere of being surrounded and with a game like Gunman you need that kind of immersive feeling.

Simply put, Gunman Chronicles is great and I really enjoyed my time playing through it. Fans of Half-Life especially will definitely want to pick up this title because there is no other FPS that can be compared except Half-Life itself. There are only a few games that can truly scare you while you play... Gunman is definitely one of those games. And with the extremely long single player game there is enough variety found within to satisfy any FPS fan. When you tire of the single player action there's always the solid multiplayer experience to fall back on. Since the game is using the Half-Life engine it will also appeal to gamers with older machines that aren't capable of running some of the newest titles. With a minimal requirement of a P233 and any old SVGA video card Gunman is a solid FPS that everyone can enjoy. Well with all of that said just rush out and buy it, you won't be disappointed.

The good points: long single player game, great immersive sound effects, detailed graphics, configurable weapons, lots of enemies

The bad points: configuring weapons is hard to do on the fly when being attacked, controlling the tank takes some getting used to

Sound	9.5/10
Graphics	9.0/10
Controls	9.0/10
Fun Factor	9.5/10

Review by Mark Dillon
Video Gamer Guy