Gunman Chronicles: Difference between revisions
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{{more citations needed|date=October 2013}} |
{{more citations needed|date=October 2013}} |
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{{Infobox video game |
{{Infobox video game |
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|title |
| title = Gunman Chronicles |
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|image |
| image = Gc box.jpg |
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|caption |
| caption = The US box art for Gunman Chronicles. European variations mimicked the style of ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life's]]'' box art. |
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|developer |
| developer = Rewolf Software<br>[[Valve Corporation]] |
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| publisher = [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra Studios]] |
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|producer |
| producer = Jeff Pobst |
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|director |
| director = Herbert Flower |
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|designer |
| designer = Stefan Baier |
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|programmer = Brian Legge |
| programmer = Brian Legge |
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|artist |
| artist = Renier Banninga<br>Mary Allred<br>Miriam Howes |
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|composer |
| composer = Anthony Brown<br>[[Cris Velasco|Chris Liesch]] |
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|engine |
| engine = [[GoldSrc]] |
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|platforms |
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]] |
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| released = {{vgrelease|NA|November 21, 2000<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2000 |title=In stores now! |url=http://www.rewolfsoftware.com/news.shtml |website=Rewolf Software, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206201500/http://www.rewolfsoftware.com/news.shtml |archive-date=December 6, 2000 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref>|EU|December 8, 2000}} |
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|released = {{vgrelease|NA|November 19, 2000|EU|December 8, 2000}} |
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|genre |
| genre = [[First-person shooter]] |
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|modes |
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''''Gunman Chronicles''''' or '''''Half-Life: Gunman''''' (previously '''''Gunman: TC''''' and simply '''''Gunman''''') is a [[first-person shooter]] [[space |
'''''Gunman Chronicles''''' or '''''Half-Life: Gunman''''' (previously '''''Gunman: TC''''' and simply '''''Gunman''''') is a [[first-person shooter]] [[space Western]] [[video game]] originally created as a mod by the now defunct Rewolf Software. Gunman Chronicles was originally a ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' deathmatch mod named Gunmanship 101, then it was moved to [[Quake II]]'s engine before becoming a ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' mod. The game was popular at the Half-Life Mod Expo in 1999, and Sierra approached Rewolf to make a retail version. After significant work, Rewolf was given some office space, funding and a mapper (Jeff Lane) by [[Valve Corporation|Valve Software]] to help complete the project <ref>{{Cite web |title=Gunman Chronicles - Valve Developer Community |url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Gunman_Chronicles |website=Valve Developer Community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401151651/https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Gunman_Chronicles |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> and was released as a standalone game. Plans were drawn to release Gunman Chronicles on [[GameCube]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gunman Chronicles - GameCube|url=http://www.ign.com/games/gunman-chronicles/gcn-855781 |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322023425/http://www.ign.com/games/gunman-chronicles/gcn-855781 |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 9, 2019}}</ref> but it was never released. |
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== Gameplay == |
== Gameplay == |
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''Gunman Chronicles'' is a first-person shooter that requires the player to perform combat tasks and puzzle solving to advance through the game, much like its predecessor ''Half-Life''. |
''Gunman Chronicles'' is a first-person shooter that requires the player to perform combat tasks and puzzle solving to advance through the game, much like its predecessor ''Half-Life''. While gameplay is similar to ''Half-Life''{{'}}s in terms of health-and-armor systems and artificial intelligence, one major aspect of ''Gunman Chronicles'' is the ability to customize each weapon. Each weapon the player obtains has multiple alternate "modes" for various situations; for instance, the starting pistol can be turned into a sniper rifle or a rapid-fire machine-pistol while the MULE, a rocket launcher, can be configured to fire homing rockets, timed explosives, or cluster bombs. Another new aspect of ''Gunman Chronicles'' is the ability to drive vehicles. During the latter half of the game, there is a lengthy vehicle section in which the player is able to drive a tank through a system of canyons. The player occasionally comes across obstacles hindering the tank's path which will require the player to stop and figure out a puzzle or activate a switch. |
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The game features a wide variety of enemies, including rogue Gunmen-turned-bandits, giant dinosaurs, genetically-modified aliens called Xenomes, and robotic attack drones. |
The game features a wide variety of enemies, including rogue Gunmen-turned-bandits, giant dinosaurs, genetically-modified aliens called Xenomes, and robotic attack drones. Bandits will roll around to dodge fire while returning fire with dual pistols or rifles, while Xenomes will charge at the player in packs with reckless abandon and release homing projectiles upon death. Similar to ''Half-Life'', certain objects such as vases and crates can be destroyed to provide ammunition, health, and armor. Unlike ''Half-Life'' however, armor takes the form of actual vests, and can not be replenished by chargers like health can. Unlike ''Half-Life'' and its expansions, ''Gunman Chronicles'', however sparsely, uses cutscenes to tell key parts of the storyline. These usually appear only as transitions between different worlds and levels however, and thus most of the plot is seen through the eyes of the player like in ''Half-Life''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} |
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== Synopsis == |
== Synopsis == |
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=== Plot === |
=== Plot === |
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Five years later, the game places the player in direct control of Major Archer, preparing for a mission aboard the Gunman space station Aeronautica. After a training level, Archer and a small detachment of Gunmen are deployed to a dinosaur |
Five years later, the game places the player in direct control of Major Archer, preparing for a mission aboard the Gunman space station Aeronautica. After a training level, Archer and a small detachment of Gunmen are deployed to a dinosaur-inhabited jungle planet, under orders to investigate an outdated but extremely high ranking Gunman distress signal. The signal is revealed to be a trap, and the Gunmen come under heavy attack both from unidentified human forces and the indigenous fauna. The player is eventually forced to fight his way through a series of catacombs, where he encounters the General, still alive despite having been eaten alive on Banzure Prime. He reveals to Archer that the silicon-based Xenomes are incapable of digesting carbon-based humans, and that he, the scientists from the research colony, and the other Gunmen consumed by the Xenomes managed to fight their way out of the creature's gullets after Archer left them for dead. The vengeful scientists and Gunmen have now formed a rogue cell, with the General as its leader, and are engineering new Xenome breeds to use as weapons and to exact their vengeance upon Archer. The General allows Archer to leave, so as to watch him die at the hands of the planet's vicious reptiles, but he manages to infiltrate the General's cargo ship, bound for a falling moon that plays host to an outdated AI, called the Mainframe, that has been unstable for some time since the General left it. At the moon, the ship comes under fire from the now fully insane AI's drones. The General dumps the cargo module Archer is hiding in to gain speed and leaves the AI facility's science team behind to die. |
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As Archer progresses through the facility, he learns that the Mainframe's primary battle is with a major Xenome infestation that the humans brought onto the moon. Fighting both attack drones and Xenomes alike, Archer makes his way through the facility. Despite the Mainframe's best efforts, Archer manages to destroy most of the kata-space anchors that keep the moon from falling to the planet below. Archer survives the destruction of the anchors, but is stranded on the falling moon. Archer eventually finds the Mainframe and they form an uneasy alliance: the Mainframe will provide an aerial drone for Major Archer to escape in, but only if he takes the Mainframe's core with him. Major Archer agrees, and they battle through hordes of Xenome forces with the help of the Mainframe's attack drones. Major Archer and the AI successfully reach and board the aerial drone, but fail to navigate through an asteroid field on their way into kata-space and crash land on a desert planet called Icnus, encountering and fighting rogue Gunmen. Icnus turns out to be the location of the General's main Xenome facility. Archer battles his way through the facility with the help of the Mainframe, accidentally causing a captured Worm Xenome, one of the most dangerous Xenomes in existence, to break loose. |
As Archer progresses through the facility, he learns that the Mainframe's primary battle is with a major Xenome infestation that the humans brought onto the moon. Fighting both attack drones and Xenomes alike, Archer makes his way through the facility. Despite the Mainframe's best efforts, Archer manages to destroy most of the "kata-space anchors" that keep the moon from falling to the planet below. Archer survives the destruction of the anchors, but is stranded on the falling moon. Archer eventually finds the Mainframe and they form an uneasy alliance: the Mainframe will provide an aerial drone for Major Archer to escape in, but only if he takes the Mainframe's core with him. Major Archer agrees, and they battle through hordes of Xenome forces with the help of the Mainframe's attack drones. Major Archer and the AI successfully reach and board the aerial drone, but fail to navigate through an asteroid field on their way into kata-space and crash land on a desert planet called Icnus, encountering and fighting rogue Gunmen. Icnus turns out to be the location of the General's main Xenome facility. Archer battles his way through the facility with the help of the Mainframe, accidentally causing a captured Worm Xenome, one of the most dangerous Xenomes in existence, to break loose. |
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The Mainframe helps Archer to the General's location and they engage in a firefight, where the AI's newly constructed Super Drone defeats the General's Kata-Drone. The General bails out but is immediately attacked by the escaped Worm Xenome, which comes out of a crevice and consumes him once again. The Mainframe states its intention to make the Xenome facility its home as it calls for backup, and Gunman reinforcements arrive shortly after to contain the Xenome infestation and capture any remaining rogue Gunmen. |
The Mainframe helps Archer to the General's location and they engage in a firefight, where the AI's newly constructed Super Drone defeats the General's Kata-Drone. The General bails out but is immediately attacked by the escaped Worm Xenome, which comes out of a crevice and consumes him once again. The Mainframe states its intention to make the Xenome facility its home as it calls for backup, and Gunman reinforcements arrive shortly after to contain the Xenome infestation and capture any remaining rogue Gunmen. |
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== Rewolf Software == |
== Rewolf Software == |
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[[File:Rewolf-logo.gif|thumb|right|Rewolf Software logo]] |
[[File:Rewolf-logo.gif|thumb|right|Rewolf Software logo]] |
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Rewolf Software, also known as Rewolf Entertainment, was a [[Video game developer|game development]] studio established in [[Utah]] by Herbert Flower (also known as Herb Flower) in 1996.<ref name=Moby/> The development team came from the [[Mod (video gaming)|mod scene]] and was put together for the duration of one project, which was ''Gunman Chronicles''.<ref name=Moby>{{ |
Rewolf Software, also known as Rewolf Entertainment, was a [[Video game developer|game development]] studio established in [[Utah]] by Herbert Flower (also known as Herb Flower) in 1996.<ref name=Moby/> The development team came from the [[Mod (video gaming)|mod scene]] and was put together for the duration of one project, which was ''Gunman Chronicles''.<ref name=Moby>{{Cite web |title=Rewolf Entertainment |url=https://www.mobygames.com/company/1678/rewolf-entertainment/ |website=[[MobyGames]] |publisher=[[Atari SA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101174204/https://www.mobygames.com/company/1678/rewolf-entertainment/ |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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After ''Gunman Chronicles'' was shipped, Rewolf Entertainment dissolved and its team members moved on to new ventures. A couple of months later, in 2001, Herbert Flower co-founded Mythyn Interactive<ref>{{ |
After ''Gunman Chronicles'' was shipped, Rewolf Entertainment dissolved and its team members moved on to new ventures. A couple of months later, in 2001, Herbert Flower co-founded Mythyn Interactive<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mythyn Interactive, LLC |url=https://www.mobygames.com/company/15544/mythyn-interactive-llc/ |website=MobyGames |publisher=Atari SA |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101174204/https://www.mobygames.com/company/15544/mythyn-interactive-llc/ |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> together with Paul Witte, while the core team on ''Gunman'', consisting of Stefan Baier, Renier Banninga, and Adrian Banninga, moved to the [[Netherlands]], where they co-founded [[Streamline Studios]] together with Alexander L. Fernandez.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}} |
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== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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{{Video game reviews |
{{Video game reviews |
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| MC = 65/100<ref name=MC>{{ |
| MC = 65/100<ref name=MC>{{Cite web |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/gunman-chronicles/ |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom (website)|Fandom]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101174201/https://www.metacritic.com/game/gunman-chronicles/ |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| Allgame = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{ |
| Allgame = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crooks |first=Clayton |title=Gunman Chronicles - Review|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=28610&tab=review |website=[[AllGame]] |publisher=All Media Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115070206/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=28610&tab=review |archive-date=November 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| CNG = 6/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harms |first=William |date=December 12, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-5089%2C00.html |website=Gamecenter |publisher=[[CNET]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010129044500/http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-5089,00.html |archive-date=January 29, 2001 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| CGSP = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cross |first=Jason |date=December 21, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/062/gunmanchro-r.html |website=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |publisher=Strategy Plus, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030704120239/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/062/gunmanchro-r.html |archive-date=July 4, 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| CGW = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Coffey |first=Robert |title=Shooting Blanks (''Gunman Chronicles'' Review) |url=https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_199.pdf |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=199 |date=February 2001 |page=103 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315030345/https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_199.pdf |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| EPD = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLean-Foreman |first=John |date=January 16, 2001 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=5070&full=1 |website=[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]] |publisher=Greedy Productions Ltd. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030516190817/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=5070&full=1 |archive-date=May 16, 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| EuroG = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Keith "DNM" |date=December 11, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/r-gunchron |website=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010208170154/http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_gunchron |archive-date=February 8, 2001 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| GI = 8.25/10<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Reppen |first=Erik |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200102/R03.0806.1153.55819.htm |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=[[FuncoLand]] |issue=94 |date=February 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041114011051/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200102/R03.0806.1153.55819.htm |archive-date=November 14, 2004 |url-status=dead |accessdate=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| GameRev = C<ref>{{Cite web |author=Joe |date=December 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles Review |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32727-gunman-chronicles-review |website=[[GameRevolution]] |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919085332/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/gunman-chronicles |archive-date=September 19, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| GSpot = 5.8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ajami |first=Amer |date=December 1, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"] |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gunman-chronicles-review/1900-2660189/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=Fandom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010124104400/http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,2660189,00.html |archive-date=January 24, 2001 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| GSpy = 80%<ref>{{Cite web |last=Accardo |first=Sal |date=December 7, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december00/gunman/ |website=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=IGN Entertainment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208104622/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december00/gunman/ |archive-date=February 8, 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| GameZone = 7/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lafferty |first=Michael |date=December 13, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles Review |url=http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r16015.htm |website=GameZone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303221613/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r16015.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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| IGN = 7/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blevins |first=Tal |date=December 4, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/05/gunman-chronicles |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101145350/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/05/gunman-chronicles |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| NGen = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="NG"/> |
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| NGen = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name=NGen>{{Cite magazine |last=Preston |first=Jim |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=https://archive.org/details/NextGen75Mar2001/page/n93/mode/2up |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|NextGen]] |publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] |issue=75 |date=March 2001 |page=93 |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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| PCGUS = 52%<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kuo |first=Li C. |title=Gunman Chronicles |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/gunman_chronicl.html |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=Imagine Media |volume=8 |issue=2 |date=February 2001 |page=71 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315134044/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/gunman_chronicl.html |archive-date=March 15, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> |
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The game received mixed reviews according to the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name=MC/> Jim Preston of ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|NextGen]]'' called it "A respectable mod that's still no better than some of the free stuff out there."<ref name=NGen/> John Marrin of ''[[GamePro]]'' called it "a worthy title if you hanker for a reheated FPS experience. It's like day old meatloaf: still delicious, but still meatloaf."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Marrin |first=John |date=December 4, 2000 |title=Gunman Chronicles Review for PC on GamePro.com |url=http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/7518.shtml |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212163121/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/7518.shtml |archivedate=February 12, 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>{{efn|''[[GamePro]]'' gave the game 4.5/5 for graphics, 4/5 for sound, 5/5 for control, and 3.5/5 for fun factor.}} |
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Jim Preston reviewed the PC version of the game for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'', rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "A respectable mod that's still no better than some of the free stuff out there."<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|last=Preston|first=Jim|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|volume=4|issue=3|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|date=March 2001|page=93}}</ref> |
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The game received mixed reviews according to the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name=MC/> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[List of video games derived from modifications]] |
* [[List of video games derived from modifications]] |
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== Notes == |
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{{notelist}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* {{mobygames|/ |
* {{mobygames|id=/2612/gunman-chronicles/}} |
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* {{IMDb title|0280718}} |
* {{IMDb title|0280718}} |
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{{Valve}} |
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[[Category:2000 video games]] |
[[Category:2000 video games]] |
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[[Category:Cancelled GameCube games]] |
[[Category:Cancelled GameCube games]] |
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[[Category:First-person shooters]] |
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[[Category:GoldSrc games]] |
[[Category:GoldSrc games]] |
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[[Category:GoldSrc mods]] |
[[Category:GoldSrc mods]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]] |
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[[Category:Multiplayer online games]] |
[[Category:Multiplayer online games]] |
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[[Category:Dinosaurs in video games]] |
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[[Category:Space Western video games]] |
[[Category:Space Western video games]] |
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[[Category:Steampunk video games]] |
[[Category:Steampunk video games]] |
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[[Category:Video games |
[[Category:Video games about dinosaurs]] |
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[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Video games scored by Cris Velasco]] |
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[[Category:Windows games]] |
[[Category:Windows games]] |
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[[Category:Windows-only games]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:14, 10 November 2024
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2013) |
Gunman Chronicles | |
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Developer(s) | Rewolf Software Valve Corporation |
Publisher(s) | Sierra Studios |
Director(s) | Herbert Flower |
Producer(s) | Jeff Pobst |
Designer(s) | Stefan Baier |
Programmer(s) | Brian Legge |
Artist(s) | Renier Banninga Mary Allred Miriam Howes |
Composer(s) | Anthony Brown Chris Liesch |
Engine | GoldSrc |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
Release | |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gunman Chronicles or Half-Life: Gunman (previously Gunman: TC and simply Gunman) is a first-person shooter space Western video game originally created as a mod by the now defunct Rewolf Software. Gunman Chronicles was originally a Quake deathmatch mod named Gunmanship 101, then it was moved to Quake II's engine before becoming a Half-Life mod. The game was popular at the Half-Life Mod Expo in 1999, and Sierra approached Rewolf to make a retail version. After significant work, Rewolf was given some office space, funding and a mapper (Jeff Lane) by Valve Software to help complete the project [2] and was released as a standalone game. Plans were drawn to release Gunman Chronicles on GameCube,[3] but it was never released.
Gameplay
[edit]Gunman Chronicles is a first-person shooter that requires the player to perform combat tasks and puzzle solving to advance through the game, much like its predecessor Half-Life. While gameplay is similar to Half-Life's in terms of health-and-armor systems and artificial intelligence, one major aspect of Gunman Chronicles is the ability to customize each weapon. Each weapon the player obtains has multiple alternate "modes" for various situations; for instance, the starting pistol can be turned into a sniper rifle or a rapid-fire machine-pistol while the MULE, a rocket launcher, can be configured to fire homing rockets, timed explosives, or cluster bombs. Another new aspect of Gunman Chronicles is the ability to drive vehicles. During the latter half of the game, there is a lengthy vehicle section in which the player is able to drive a tank through a system of canyons. The player occasionally comes across obstacles hindering the tank's path which will require the player to stop and figure out a puzzle or activate a switch.
The game features a wide variety of enemies, including rogue Gunmen-turned-bandits, giant dinosaurs, genetically-modified aliens called Xenomes, and robotic attack drones. Bandits will roll around to dodge fire while returning fire with dual pistols or rifles, while Xenomes will charge at the player in packs with reckless abandon and release homing projectiles upon death. Similar to Half-Life, certain objects such as vases and crates can be destroyed to provide ammunition, health, and armor. Unlike Half-Life however, armor takes the form of actual vests, and can not be replenished by chargers like health can. Unlike Half-Life and its expansions, Gunman Chronicles, however sparsely, uses cutscenes to tell key parts of the storyline. These usually appear only as transitions between different worlds and levels however, and thus most of the plot is seen through the eyes of the player like in Half-Life.[citation needed]
Synopsis
[edit]Setting
[edit]According to the game's introductory cutscene, the Gunmen act as a sort of military police force for humanity's inter-galactically expanding colonial empire at an unknown time period in the distant future. During a mission five years prior to the beginning of the game, the Gunmen were dispatched to a planet called Banzure Prime to investigate a communications breakdown with a research colony there, under the command of their leader, known simply as "The General". While investigating the colony, they come under attack by massive, worm-like organisms that form one part of a larger genus of creatures known as "Xenomes". The General, seeing his men have no chance by themselves, takes command of one of the Gunmen's dropships and begins performing bombing runs on the attacking Xenomes, destroying several before being captured in the jaws of one of the larger creatures. Meanwhile, the player character, Major Archer, rallies the remaining gunmen and orders them to retreat to the remaining ships and get off-world immediately, assuming that the general is already dead. The General, still alive as his fighter is dragged underground, pleads (apparently unheard) for rescue over the radio, but the Gunmen leave before having a chance to receive the message.
Plot
[edit]Five years later, the game places the player in direct control of Major Archer, preparing for a mission aboard the Gunman space station Aeronautica. After a training level, Archer and a small detachment of Gunmen are deployed to a dinosaur-inhabited jungle planet, under orders to investigate an outdated but extremely high ranking Gunman distress signal. The signal is revealed to be a trap, and the Gunmen come under heavy attack both from unidentified human forces and the indigenous fauna. The player is eventually forced to fight his way through a series of catacombs, where he encounters the General, still alive despite having been eaten alive on Banzure Prime. He reveals to Archer that the silicon-based Xenomes are incapable of digesting carbon-based humans, and that he, the scientists from the research colony, and the other Gunmen consumed by the Xenomes managed to fight their way out of the creature's gullets after Archer left them for dead. The vengeful scientists and Gunmen have now formed a rogue cell, with the General as its leader, and are engineering new Xenome breeds to use as weapons and to exact their vengeance upon Archer. The General allows Archer to leave, so as to watch him die at the hands of the planet's vicious reptiles, but he manages to infiltrate the General's cargo ship, bound for a falling moon that plays host to an outdated AI, called the Mainframe, that has been unstable for some time since the General left it. At the moon, the ship comes under fire from the now fully insane AI's drones. The General dumps the cargo module Archer is hiding in to gain speed and leaves the AI facility's science team behind to die.
As Archer progresses through the facility, he learns that the Mainframe's primary battle is with a major Xenome infestation that the humans brought onto the moon. Fighting both attack drones and Xenomes alike, Archer makes his way through the facility. Despite the Mainframe's best efforts, Archer manages to destroy most of the "kata-space anchors" that keep the moon from falling to the planet below. Archer survives the destruction of the anchors, but is stranded on the falling moon. Archer eventually finds the Mainframe and they form an uneasy alliance: the Mainframe will provide an aerial drone for Major Archer to escape in, but only if he takes the Mainframe's core with him. Major Archer agrees, and they battle through hordes of Xenome forces with the help of the Mainframe's attack drones. Major Archer and the AI successfully reach and board the aerial drone, but fail to navigate through an asteroid field on their way into kata-space and crash land on a desert planet called Icnus, encountering and fighting rogue Gunmen. Icnus turns out to be the location of the General's main Xenome facility. Archer battles his way through the facility with the help of the Mainframe, accidentally causing a captured Worm Xenome, one of the most dangerous Xenomes in existence, to break loose.
The Mainframe helps Archer to the General's location and they engage in a firefight, where the AI's newly constructed Super Drone defeats the General's Kata-Drone. The General bails out but is immediately attacked by the escaped Worm Xenome, which comes out of a crevice and consumes him once again. The Mainframe states its intention to make the Xenome facility its home as it calls for backup, and Gunman reinforcements arrive shortly after to contain the Xenome infestation and capture any remaining rogue Gunmen.
Rewolf Software
[edit]Rewolf Software, also known as Rewolf Entertainment, was a game development studio established in Utah by Herbert Flower (also known as Herb Flower) in 1996.[4] The development team came from the mod scene and was put together for the duration of one project, which was Gunman Chronicles.[4]
After Gunman Chronicles was shipped, Rewolf Entertainment dissolved and its team members moved on to new ventures. A couple of months later, in 2001, Herbert Flower co-founded Mythyn Interactive[5] together with Paul Witte, while the core team on Gunman, consisting of Stefan Baier, Renier Banninga, and Adrian Banninga, moved to the Netherlands, where they co-founded Streamline Studios together with Alexander L. Fernandez.[citation needed]
Reception
[edit]Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 65/100[6] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | [7] |
CNET Gamecenter | 6/10[8] |
Computer Games Strategy Plus | [9] |
Computer Gaming World | [10] |
EP Daily | 8/10[11] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[12] |
Game Informer | 8.25/10[13] |
GameRevolution | C[14] |
GameSpot | 5.8/10[15] |
GameSpy | 80%[16] |
GameZone | 7/10[17] |
IGN | 7/10[18] |
Next Generation | [19] |
PC Gamer (US) | 52%[20] |
The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6] Jim Preston of NextGen called it "A respectable mod that's still no better than some of the free stuff out there."[19] John Marrin of GamePro called it "a worthy title if you hanker for a reheated FPS experience. It's like day old meatloaf: still delicious, but still meatloaf."[21][a]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "In stores now!". Rewolf Software, Inc. November 21, 2000. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ "Gunman Chronicles - Valve Developer Community". Valve Developer Community. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Gunman Chronicles - GameCube". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Rewolf Entertainment". MobyGames. Atari SA. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Mythyn Interactive, LLC". MobyGames. Atari SA. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gunman Chronicles". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Crooks, Clayton. "Gunman Chronicles - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Harms, William (December 12, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on January 29, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Cross, Jason (December 21, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Coffey, Robert (February 2001). "Shooting Blanks (Gunman Chronicles Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 199. Ziff Davis. p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ McLean-Foreman, John (January 16, 2001). "Gunman Chronicles". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on May 16, 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Ellis, Keith "DNM" (December 11, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 8, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Reppen, Erik (February 2001). "Gunman Chronicles". Game Informer. No. 94. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on November 14, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Joe (December 2000). "Gunman Chronicles Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Ajami, Amer (December 1, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Accardo, Sal (December 7, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Lafferty, Michael (December 13, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (December 4, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Preston, Jim (March 2001). "Gunman Chronicles". NextGen. No. 75. Imagine Media. p. 93. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Kuo, Li C. (February 2001). "Gunman Chronicles". PC Gamer. Vol. 8, no. 2. Imagine Media. p. 71. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Marrin, John (December 4, 2000). "Gunman Chronicles Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
External links
[edit]- 2000 video games
- Biopunk
- Cancelled GameCube games
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- Multiplayer and single-player video games
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- Space Western video games
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