The Gunstringer

 Xbox 360
The Gunstringer Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Gunstringer is a Kinect game about a marionette out for revenge.
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Trailer

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The Gunstringer Announcement Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 60
  3. Negative: 2 out of 60
  1. Joystiq
    Sep 13, 2011
    100
    With all the chaff you have to swipe through on the Kinect, you can forget just how good it feels when something just works. That's exactly what The Gunstringer does: It works, and in a smart, slick way that feels simultaneously natural and fresh.
  2. Official Xbox Magazine
    Sep 13, 2011
    90
    At four hours, Gunstringer's a short ride, but it's a thrilling one you shouldn't miss.
  3. Game Over Online
    Sep 21, 2011
    85
    While I really love the game and think it's an outstanding showcase for the Kinect technology, it's also very short - it'll take you maybe six hours to beat it on normal mode, and while there is a lot of additional content in the form of the in-game store and even a free live-action FMV DLC game, I would recommend waiting for a small price drop to about $25-$30 unless you fall in love with the demo. If you love that, then you'll definitely get $40 worth of value out of the entire package.
  4. Destructoid
    Sep 13, 2011
    80
    A great example of what talented developers can do with Microsoft's Kinect technology when they think creatively...Twisted Pixel's original characters and oddball sense of humor -- married with enjoyable gameplay -- add up to a special gameplay experience worth of your time if you own Kinect.
  5. Cheat Code Central
    Sep 20, 2011
    80
    The game is entertaining enough to replay, and there are enough extras to provide even more incentive to return to The Gunstringer.
  6. 3DJuegos
    Sep 27, 2011
    77
    Quotation forthcoming.
  7. Eurogamer
    Sep 16, 2011
    40
    It's short, shallow and repetitive, and where humour might elevate the experience, the pointless and clunky motion controls drag it down again.

See all 60 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. coopers41
    Jan 17, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, i wish there were more Kinect games like this. Good control, fun gameplay and looks good too. My only complaint is that itsFantastic game, i wish there were more Kinect games like this. Good control, fun gameplay and looks good too. My only complaint is that its short, yeah you have the one free dlc and the one pay for dlc but if only the game was that little bit longer it would have ticked all the boxes.… Expand
  2. 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.    … Expand
  4. 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.… Expand
  5. Tommy758
    Sep 17, 2011
    9
    Hilarious, fun and great. If you enjoy Twisted Pixel Games or need a good Kinect game then I highly recommend this. My only complaints areHilarious, fun and great. If you enjoy Twisted Pixel Games or need a good Kinect game then I highly recommend this. My only complaints are the graphics could be a bit better, the game isn't that long and the controls can get wonky at times. But the overall product is a great Kinect game.… Expand
  6. NinthGeorgesw
    Jan 11, 2012
    8
    A genuinely great game. The controls work well, and include a left handed option. It is really fun, and including Fruit Ninja Kinect andA genuinely great game. The controls work well, and include a left handed option. It is really fun, and including Fruit Ninja Kinect and giving away the first DLC for free makes the deal even sweeter.
    The only genuine problem with the game is that playing it for more than a few hours can leave slightly sore arms, and getting out of cover can be difficult. Apart from that its brilliant.    … Expand
  7. BGRadio
    Jan 6, 2012
    8
    For all the fun moments I had with The Gunstringer, those memories are plagued with arms getting sore and a small amount of struggling toFor all the fun moments I had with The Gunstringer, those memories are plagued with arms getting sore and a small amount of struggling to translate my gesturing into the desired on-screen action. I have to hand it to Twisted Pixel for creating something entertaining, funny and a little outside-the-box. It may not be something that converts gamers into motion freaks, but this fun Western adventure kept my controller out of my hand for a little while.… Expand
  8. 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.    … Expand

See all 9 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
83
#83 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011