The Gunstringer has been released on 360 Kinect and been provided for us to preview/review by the publisher.

Believe it or not we are still playing it. Here are some extracts of what we made of it in chronological order:

"Gunstringer. You are the Sheriff. Or at least you were. Now, you are a skeleton. You are on a mission to avenge your own death. You're also a marionette..."
- Odyssey Gamer (Thu, 22 Mar 2012)

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"The Gunstringer does more than disguise its on rails shooting with theatrics, it creates an involving experience that grants genuine emotional ownership of its Pelham Puppets..."
- Dressup Gamer (Fri, 07 Oct 2011)

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"This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about Gun Swinger, Loz's imaginary take on the new Kinect game, Gears of War 2, Driver and Ico Shadow of the Colossus HD on PS3. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio..."
- Family Gamer Podcast (Wed, 14 Sep 2011)

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"The Gunstringer matches Kinect's theatrical controller with a western stage play full of character, bravado and audience participation. It revolutionises Kinect -- not just in terms of controls, but the untapped nature of the thespian experience..."
- Family Gamer (Wed, 14 Sep 2011)

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The Gunstringer 360 Kinect Release

17/03/2011 15:01

The Gunstringer is an upcoming XBLA Wild West revenge story featuring a Kinect-controlled undead sheriff marionette. With some of the most ambitious Kinect controls I've seen there is enough complexity here to challenge core gamers, and enough novelty to keep the kids enthralled.

One of the more unique offerings announced so far for Kinect, along side the Sesame Street (Kinect) game, The Gunstringer is a fully controller-free game to test your puppeteering and quick draw shooting skills. The puppet cast will act out a tale of revenge, action and romance on a theatre-style stage.

The unnamed sheriff rises from the grave to get revenge on his posse, chasing down his betrayers one by one.

Gameplay will involve a mix of on rails shooting (light gun style) and platforming sections. Your left arm controls the puppet strings, such as raising your arm quickly to jump. Shooting is controlled with your right hand, passing the cursor over enemies to target them followed by a firing gesture to shoot -- just like a childhood game of cops and robbers.

The controls look set to make the most of Kinect's strengths, and The Gunstringer can be played sitting down for a more relaxed experience than the full body movement of some other Kinect offerings.

The Gunstringer is scheduled for release on XBLA in fourth quarter 2011.