Red Dead Revolver (PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox)

From the makers of the Grand Theft Auto series comes RED DEAD REVOLVER, set in the Wild West. The story focuses on Red, a bounty hunter who has sworn revenge on the man who murdered his parents. To complete his quest, Red, travels through several familiar western settings, gets into gunfights, overcomes an out-of-control locomotive on horseback, and wins a no-holds-barred saloon brawl.

You can play as several different characters, completing missions as all of the friendly characters that Red meets, as well as a few villains. Annie Stokes is a single woman who, instead of working at the saloon, is very handy with a shotgun and owns and operates her own cattle ranch. Red also meets up with a buffalo soldier who becomes invaluable to his quest, and a Native American who instead of being cast as an enemy is one of Red's only real friends.

Gameplay is often clumsy and hard to deal with. Players rely mostly on manually aiming Red's pistols with the left and right analog sticks. Red does have Dead Eye mode, but this feature is limited to only a few uses per battle, and is rarely effective. There are some creative touches, though: Unusual characters break genre stereotypes.

The game merges the kitschy charm of a spaghetti western with the characteristically violent adult realism for which Rockstar games have become famous. Blood streams from gunshot wounds, and dying characters let out cries of desperation. While the violence in the game prevents it from being appropriate for kids, mature players may enjoy the unique takes on the Old West.