The Gunstringer

 Xbox 360
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 60
  3. Negative: 2 out of 60
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  1. GameTrailers
    Sep 16, 2011
    73
    The Gunstringer is short, has some control issues, and isn't especially deep in modes and options, but if you're looking for something substantial to play with your Kinect there aren't many better options.
  2. Gamereactor Sweden
    Dec 2, 2011
    70
    Lovely story-telling and some great characters, but the controls will sometimes let you down.
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 26, 2011
    70
    The Gunstringer is a cool game with all the crazy madness typical of the Twisted Pixel's productions. It works quite good for a Kinect game and offers a decent amount of fun. Despite the great number of extra, anyway, the overall experience is quite short.
  5. games(TM)
    Sep 16, 2011
    70
    It might not be the most robust or laugh-out-loud funny game in Twisted Pixel's catalogue but based on entertainment value, ingenuity and the way the game works around Kinect's foibles rather than pushing its luck and falling down, it'd be downright criminal to deny the talented studio those few dollars more.
  6. Telegraph
    Sep 14, 2011
    70
    This sensibly-priced curio is one of the best and most original Kinect games to date, and enormously entertaining in the short bursts of play the device is designed for. Perhaps most refreshingly of all, it can be played while seated; couch potatoes discouraged by the activity demanded by most motion-based titles may have just found their ideal Kinect game.
  7. GamesRadar+
    Sep 13, 2011
    70
    The Gunstringer has a few hang ups, but it's fun nonetheless.The presentation, narration, and humorous world coupled with the simple, intuitive controls make it a game to consider for your Kinect collection. However, the shortness and laggy controls could be a deal breaker for the hardcore audience.
  8. VideoGamer
    Sep 13, 2011
    70
    The Gunstringer is the best 'proper' game I've played on Kinect and stands as a decent title regardless of platform or peripheral used, but it's a little shallow and is asking for a lot retailing at £29.99.
  9. Digital Spy
    Sep 20, 2011
    60
    Another strong Kinect title let down by a lack of longevity and a few minor issues. Certainly, the short play time is offset by the inclusion of Fruit Ninja Kinect and the budget price, while occasional control issues are easily overlooked with a little patience. For the most part, Twisted Pixel has crafted another wonderfully outrageous video game, which plays well and offers a great deal of entertainment, however short-lived that may be.
  10. Gameblog.fr
    Sep 19, 2011
    60
    The Gunstringer only lacks a deeper formula to truly shine. Indeed, the almost non-existent difficulty will probably render the experience quite dull for any core gamer, but the fun of the shooting sequences and the originality of the whole formula, and especially its presentation, will charm more casual gamers.
  11. Gamekult
    Sep 16, 2011
    60
    Quotation forthcoming.
  12. Games Master UK
    Oct 23, 2011
    57
    A magical menagerie of neat ideas, totally and utterly bamboozled by horrid execution. [Dec 2011, p.92]
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  13. Edge Magazine
    Sep 14, 2011
    50
    The Gunstringer's biggest problem, however, is that it's a score-based shooter with little incentive to return. With only one weapon type available at any given time, there's none of the tactical interplay between attacks that makes aiming for high scores in Child Of Eden so tempting.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
83
#83 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 47
  3. Negative: 5 out of 47
  1. sergio11
    Sep 14, 2011
    10
    by far the best game for kinect, its fun innovative and really seems like the way kinect should be going. and the fact that its only 40by far the best game for kinect, its fun innovative and really seems like the way kinect should be going. and the fact that its only 40 dollars and includes a 10 dollar game its a great buy if u own a kinect.… Full Review »
  2. FabioSooner
    Sep 13, 2011
    3
    Take a collection of Wii minigames - not the Wii Sports fun variety, but of the shovelware 'tradition' - give it a coat of paint of 'weird'Take a collection of Wii minigames - not the Wii Sports fun variety, but of the shovelware 'tradition' - give it a coat of paint of 'weird' humor, release it as an independent company and you have The Gunstringer: a game that's idiotic in all levels possible but critics and 'core' gamers will praise because they want to 'support the small guy' - not to mention justify the fact they did bought Kinect but are too lazy to use it to play what it's generally best for, dancing and sports/exercise games.

    Don't believe the hype: this game no different from what most 'core' gamers have come to expect from Wii/Kinect/Move shovelware minigame collections. It's totally on rails, it's gimmicky, it tries to rely on the idea of 'making gaming fun' by removing any kind of challenge or depth - just an example, wherever else you would get to play platform sections *on-rails*, just flicking your arm up to jump? Even 8-bit games had more depth than this. Worse yet, it doesn't do anything with Kinect that better games, such as Child of Eden or Rise of Nightmares, haven't done before. It just hides it in a uncensored humor sheen and the promise that you can play it sitting on the couch.

    Oh, and it's by an indie company, which makes people *way* more forgiving. The only real upsides to the game are the controls, which work very well, but even then it's hard to give it much credit since they're absurdly simple - that is, the game doesn't really go the distance to use Kinect such as Rise of Nightmares or even Kinect Sports did.

    What's even more annoying is that the game tries so hard to be funny that just ends up being silly. There's a difference between crazy, out-there humor such as in Shadows of the Damned ,and what Gunstringer tries to do when it shows a grown cowboy stickin' it into a giant alligator; it's not toilet/dick humor, it's 10-year-old-giggling-at-porno-magazines humor. Which says a lot about how the industry, even its indie side, views 'core' gamers: as complete idiots who will never grow up. And in part they're right, given how this trainwreck of a 'game' is being received by so-called 'trusted' sources such as Joystiq and Game Informer.It's sad to notice how platform wars and political ideologies have trumpled people's best judgements. But time will show how Gunstringer is forgettable, I hope.    … Full Review »
  3. beavermatic
    Sep 24, 2011
    10
    game was tons of fun, insane & action packed, just the right length of time, and very well done. Couldn't stop playing once i started, and thegame was tons of fun, insane & action packed, just the right length of time, and very well done. Couldn't stop playing once i started, and the humor is just as admirable. The controls work amazingly well, and the game could the inspiration for a new IP for Microsoft... they should really buy up this development group.

    Let's put it this way... if this isn't convincing enough for you: I was knee-deep in Gear of War 3 [and enjoying it], and a friend told me to goto pickup this game just on a whim... I wasn't expectiong much, and alone and behold, here I sit at midnight replaying through Gunstringer while GoW 3 sits on the shelf... it was that much fun!

    I want to see alot more of The Gunstringer in the future!!!

    definetely worth buying, with boatloads of extra content too! easily the coolest Kinect title, and great game for the xbox 360! oh, you also get fruit ninja for free :)

    PS: im not sure how anyone could have given this game any less than a 9/10... either they are just that ignorant, or they are kinect trolls who have some sort of odd grudge against a pretty slick piece of technology.    … Full Review »
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