Surprisingly Entertaining
Twisted Pixel is the guilty pleasure development company of gaming. Their games are amusing, usually solid in design, and have some really intriguing ideas. Some don't work (Comic Jumper), but most work rather well, such as The Gunstringer.
The Gunstringer is a comically fun revenge tale as you seek to exact vengeance on people who wronged you. You, of course, are a skeleton marionette and the game is quite willing to break the 4th wall relentlessly as they openly show that the game is actually a play --- and that it is a game, as you will see the developers hands in the scenes tossing obstacles at you. The game style changes more than you'd imagine, from "on rails" shooter to side scrolling platformer, to target shooter. Some things are difficult (aiming with two guns at once is brutally difficult) but none of it is impossible...OK, well outside of the whole achievement where you have to beat it on impossible without taking a hit. Seriously, forget that nonsense.
The Kinect is used well here and is thoroughly responsive. It is about as responsive as Dance Central and makes the game enjoyable to play. This shows some the real promise of the Kinect as a legitimate game device. True, MOST of the titles are pure crap on a stick, but the good ones are quite a lot of fun to play.
The free DLC that came with it is a "love it/leave it" proposition. "The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles", for me, was trashingly amusing. I know people who hated the sheer hokiness of it, but I thought it was fantastic.
I cannot recommend the game enough. TP games are always worth experiencing and this is no different. This is the best they've done and while it was originally an XBLA release, it works well as a full retail release.
