When I reviewed the initial Gun for the Xbox console last week, not only did I adapt a cowboy-like approach that my mother would be proud of (she hails from Lubbock, after all), but I also applauded Neversoft for stepping away from the skateboard for a change and giving us a deep, action-packed experience that gave us a side of the West that really authenticated its material, while also giving us a story to care about. Still, I couldn't help but notice that it came up slightly short graphically, with some animation being rather stiff or glitchy when it should have been silky smooth. Well, a week later I got my hands on the Xbox 360 edition, and while it doesn't say next-gen like it should be, it's still the best version of the game out there.

Let me recap the story. It's the mid 1800's and young Colt, a cowboy who knows his way around a six-shooter, is hunting in the woods with his father, Ben. After a successful hunt, they get on board a steamboat to collect their bounty, but soon find themselves crossing path with a demented preacher looking for an artifact. Soon, the boat is ambushed by baddies aplenty, and Colt becomes separated from Ben, but not before he lets on the fact that he's not really his father. And the mystery unravels, with a beautiful girl named Jenny and a strange eye-patched old man with a knack for violence watching over it all...

The story is one of Gun's strongest suits. It's so well done, not holding anything back and yet including several scenarios we've seen from the Sergio Leone classics. Want to stop a man from being hanged? It's time to go Quick Draw and shoot the rope. Want to ambush a train? Set up the barrels and shoot 'em out to cause a rockslide. Want to do a jailbreak? Well, guess what, you can. It's these number of missions, along with side tasks such as cattle ranching, collecting bounty on wanted men, and working with Indians on hunts, that make you forget how quickly you'll blow through the main Story mode. We're talking maybe ten hours, and then it's over, with only a few things to go back for and unlock.

The game is quite the experience as you go through it, though. That's due to the numerous gameplay tricks that Neversoft has clearly defined. General combat is a lot of fun, as you can choose from a number of weapons like a trusty rifle or a malicious whiskey bomb to down your enemies. If they get in close, you can happily slash away at them with your knife, kind of like a samurai but with more efficiency and a whole lot of blood. There's also the Quick Draw mode, where everything slows down and a first-person mode kicks into play, allowing you to get in some vicious head shots or shooting incoming fire arrows or torches that are coming at you. I love this mode, as it's a nice touch for a game such as this, where enemies seem to be coming out of the blue and double-crosses are the order of the day. Fortunately, you can take a swig from your trusty canteen if health gets low. The fact new guns become available with each mission helps, too- you'll need them for the final showdown with the strange one-eyed madman. And mention should also be made of the gunning stages, where you'll take control of a cannon at times or a stationary gun and can mow down people rather easily. I love these stages- nothing says progress like short-effort destruction. Yeehaw!

But it's not all about combat. The game also includes some of the best horseback riding you'll ever experience in a game, as you can hop aboard your steed, shoot at enemies, and do small things like spur a horse to go faster and jump over objects. The controls do great work here, and don't be surprised if you just go riding around for an hour or so, just for a sake of exploring the game's beautiful terrain.

And beautiful it is. Although there's no 60 frames per second framerate and still the occasional hiccup, the game's been remastered to run on the 360 and looks the way it should have to begin with. The animation is excellent, the character design is uncanny, and there's a wide variety of cities to visit and places to explore, even high up in the mountains. There's also some fantastic shadowing and lighting effects that add to the realism. My favorite has to be when you're riding on your horse and dust kicks up to the point that all you see is a mere shadow of yourself within the cloud. Still, you have to wonder why frame rate didn't bump up as well- this would've been a killer game at 60.

Audio still blazes like a sheriff with a shiny badge. The music is absolutely true to the Western themes, and the sound effects are well done, with each gun sounding like its real counterpart and your horse letting on when you've pushed him too far. But it's the voice actors that really do their finest work here. Thomas Jane, aka the guy who played the "other" Punisher in that movie, is terrific as Colt, and Kris Kristofferson runs through his paces as Ben, giving a real draw to the character. Adding some fire to the villainy are Lance Henriksen and Brad Dourif, who do some fine work here. The other actors also chime in and add to the grand experience.

So the question that comes into play is this. Is the game worth an extra $10 for Xbox 360? Well, if you already own it, not really. The game doesn't offer anything extra to draw in upgraders, such as online play (sorely missing here) or extra shooting missions. It's merely a cosmetic upping of the current material. So, if you already got the game, enjoy it and don't worry about this version. However, if you don't yet have Gun sitting in your library, this is the version to have, as it just looks so much better than the current console versions. I think this was Neversoft's original intention in terms of vision, and they wisely brought the gameplay along to make the experience that much more complete on the 360. Sure, it may just be a gussied-up port. But at least Neversoft kept the fundamentals that made it so great to begin with. Draw!