The Top 6 Western Themed Video Games Of All Time

3. GUN (PS2, XBOX, GCN, PC, PSP, XBOX 360) (ACTIVISION)

After Red Dead Revolver, Gun is perhaps the first game on this list that is unabashedly an out and out western. Published by Activision in an era when they were less evil (they still did ensure it appeared on every gaming platform known to mankind, though), Gun can perhaps, more than Red Dead Revolver, be seen as the precursor to Red Dead Redemption. It featured the same open world gameplay, and the same sidequests based structure that added significantly to the game. It also, in turn, took cues from other popular games like Max Payne, especially with its ‘Quickdraw’ gauge, that slowed time down when activated and gave the player unlimited ammo, leading to some impressive action sequences.

It’s a mystery why Activision never gave us a sequel for this game, especially considering they milk the hell out of any potential franchise game they publish. The game was certainly received well enough, and it was even involved in a ‘controversy’ that gave it free publicity. Maybe, now that Red Dead Redemption has finally made westerns mainstream, Activision will look to piggyback on its hype and euphoria by releasing the long rumored sequel for this game. While the motives for that may be less than noble, we, in any case, will be getting our hands on a potentially great game in a setting that hasn’t been explored in gaming nearly enough.

2. CALL OF JUAREZ: BOUND IN BLOOD (XBOX 360, PS3, PC) (UBISOFT)

The first Call of Juarez game set the foundation. The second game was when the series truly came into its own, and when the western genre hinted at greatness for the first time. With Bound in Blood, Ubisoft got practically everything right, from the thrilling if somewhat clichéd story to the gameplay, which can only be described as scintillatingly surreal. Following the stories of two brothers, each of whom had different paths to follow, and each of whom reacted differently to in game events, leading to two vastly differing, branching story paths, and featuring a rich, if somewhat limited in scope, world for the player to discover, and including some of the best gunfights found on the other side of Red Dead Redemption, Bound in Blood was, in a word, awesome.

It’s a pity it wasn’t received as well by players as it should have, because a sequel for this excellent game is surely in order. Maybe Ubisoft will give it one more shot, if only to cash in in the hype created by Red Dead Redemption. Speaking of which…

1. RED DEAD REDEMPTION (XBOX 360, PS3) (ROCKSTAR)

If you’re seriously telling me that you expected some other game to be at number one, then all I can say is, stop bullshitting me. Please. We all knew this was coming, there is simply no other game that can take this spot. I mean, you could say this entire list was made so that Red Dead Redemption would take the top spot.

This one is it guys, the big daddy of all westerns. Several times before in this feature, I’ve said that the western genre hinted at greatness. Well, with Red Dead Redemption, it finally realized that greatness that it had always hinted at. Everything about this game was perfect, spot on- from the emotionally moving story to the vast, rich world to explore, from the cover based gunplay to the sidequests, to the plethora of things that there are for you to do in this title, this game represents the pitch perfection of free roaming, open world games. There has never been a better one, and that is no exaggeration.

While Red Dead Redemption has often been described as GTA set in the old wild west, it is so much more that calling it that would be a gross injustice. The game actually betters the formula set in stone by GTA, outdoing even Rockstar’s own stellar GTA4. And while there are many who will argue that Red Dead Redemption was really nothing special, the majority will disagree. This game is not only the best western and best open world game of all time, it is also one of the best games ever created. It’s just that good. If you haven’t already played it (WTF?) then go out there and get it now. You simply should not go another day without experiencing Rockstar’s magnum opus.

And That Is All!

And, that’s it guys. What did you all think of the list? Agree? Disagree? Have better suggestions? Sound off in the comments below!