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Game
Game2014
Gun Metal
Developer Rage Software
Gun Metal is a 2002 shooting video game for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows where the player takes control of a transformable prototype combat vehicle. It was developed by the now defunct Rage Games. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
190 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 11, 2026 · last updated Oct 13, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
84
LovedLoved
150 positive · 28 negative
95% range 78–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 150 | 28 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
380 of 470 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Most players love this nostalgic mech-jet game despite dated controls.
Players overwhelmingly praise the fun of piloting a mech that transforms into a jet, with many citing childhood nostalgia. The game is described as a short, classic action game with a seamless transformation mechanic. [3][11][4]
However, many criticize the sluggish controls and camera issues, which can make the game feel clunky. Some also note the lack of story and repetitive base defense missions. [35][34][24]
Praised fun gameplay · mech-jet transformation · nostalgia
Criticised sluggish controls · camera issues · lack of story
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 9, 2026. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Gun Metal sits at 84% positive across 178 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The Xbox version received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 190 · most liked firstThe graphics are outdated and unbearable, but the game is fun. Time for a remake!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every zombie game needs a good Harpoon Gun Metal Underwater. This one's free. Transparent PNG, commercial use OK. Part of our Horror Items collection with 97+ free assets. #pixelart #gamedev #indiedev #freeassets #weapons https://freepixel.art/browse/horror-items
neutral · AI labelView post →Its unfortunate that you will need to setup the controls manually using the Xbox controller. Here is the control setup from the original Xbox. Havoc suit mode. Fire weapon: RT Launch Missiles: LT Transform: Y Toggle Auto-Aim: B Jump: X Cycle Weapons: A Havoc Jet mod. Fire Weapon: RT Launch Missiles: LT Transform: Y Manoeuvre: B Cycle Weapon: A
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is such a fun game. Fighting with this "transformer like mech" which has a wide range of weapons and an air plane mode, where you can fly around and do some dog fighting is pretty good. Some levels are also changeling, graphics and soundtrack is alright too. But to my biggest disappointment this game doesn't expand the idea, nor the universe of the game. Basically you get 14 levels, which are around 5 - 10 minutes to beat and there is no story or motivation to follow. The game also pretty…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is legitimately so awesome. Yes, it is dated in some aspects. But the gameplay is so incredibly fun, and the transformation from mech to jet is near seamless. The levels start off pretty basic, but then eventually escalate to being full on battlefields where you have multiple points to attack and defend, leading to a natural and exciting difficulty increase that prevents the game from ever feeling stale. I also like how the levels are purposefully set up to motivate the player to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lost childhood...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you played this as a kid then by all means, pick this up and have some fun. Otherwise, re-think your purchase. This has aged okay and if you like the combination of mech and fighter jet combat then you may enjoy it however you'll likely have a better time with something a little more modern. I would be happy to consider this just another game that wasn't for me if it weren't for one major issue: I can only play it once before it refuses to launch. I don't think I'm the only one with this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like Starscream
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ahh, 2015. I used to play this back in the day on my brother's toaster of a laptop. I forgot the website (DLH.net), but they basically gave out free Steam games every week and this was honestly the best one they had, the rest were terrible. I remember skipping school one week and playing it. I haven't touched it since, and don't plan to.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gun Metal is a third person shooter where you control a giant mech in a last ditch attempt to keep the planet safe. Story: You control the Havoc Suit, a 10 feet mech that can transform into a jet when the need arises. You're the last hope for humanity as an enemy tries to overtake the planet, so it's up to you to stop them. There's basically no story whatsoever. That's the basic gist and each mission you're given a briefing of what you will do in that mission and that's about it. The story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's a short taken from my First 10 Minutes video featuring the 2002 action game Gun Metal by Rage Games and Strategy First. #gunmetal #videogames #retrogaming #actiongames #shorts #gameplay
neutral · AI labelView post →www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGu6... Heya folks, here's a First 10 Minutes video featuring the 2002 mech game Gun Metal by Rage Games and Strategy First. #gunmetal #videogames #retrogaming #actiongames #first10minutes #gameplay
neutral · AI labelView post →I've got 3 copies of Gun Metal on disc - bought quite a few graphics cards over the years, for a while, they all came bundled with this game... And now I own it on Steam too. Worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Peak 2003 Nvidia Shader benchmark nostalgia. Works surprisingly well on Win 10 and 3080 too!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and sweet classic action game. You get to pilot a mech that can turn into a jet!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Trying to defeat enemies feels like a VHS stuck on rewind — delays everywhere. The graphics are good, but controls remind me of fixing an old TV without a manual!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/t1dvCUNnLPM So once upon a time i’ve got into university. We were talking with the bois about games, and stuff, and one dude says, “try Gun Metal it’s fun”. It was and still is an obscure game, so this was the first time i’ve heard of it. Official publishers didn’t carry it, and while researching now i could find only one pirated CD made by some amateur pirates, not affiliated with the big pirate publishing houses. But i was in university so i already had internet so i…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game rocks hard and has swag
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →20 years ago before I had any consoles I had this game, Zoombinis, and online flash games. I found the disk in a box and wanted to know if it is as good as little me remembers. Yes it is. I played this game so much that when I started it, every little sound made me nostalgic. In 20 years I haven’t played anything like this. For being a 2003 game it looks pretty good. The last few missions are hard. The game doesn’t take that long to beat if you are not 8-10 years old like I was back then. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is an original xbox classic, it had great graphics for the era, and its still not that bad for 22 years old this year, and its mechanics are still good, unless you seek modernity and ease of play this game is a gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Loved this game as a kid
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →13 year old me would have loved a mecha Third person shooter that TRANSFORMS INTO A JET WOOOOOOOO WAOW while present me wants widescreen support and consistent frame rate that doesnt give an headache.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Childhood game, such memories :), I am happy to rediscover this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gun Metal is a short, unpretentious mech action game originally released for the first Xbox in 2002. You basically take control of a giant Transformer (but not actually a Transformer - it's called a Havok Suit) constructed as a Hail Mary against invaders attacking your planet, and spend the entire game blowing those invaders to pieces. Judging by how powerful the thing is, I'd say it was the right move. The backstory actually implies that the invaders are from Earth, and they've come to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is pretty average. The seamless transition between being an on-foot mecha to flying around the air as a jet is actually pretty cool and the biggest gameplay point to appreciate about this game. The graphics and music feel very 2000's which was a nice nostalgia trip. On the otherhand the rest of the gameplay really doesn't offer up that much and even less if you can't get over the odd slippery camera controls. Physically turning requires you to move the reticle to the boundary of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥ yer for 90cs this is a blast from my childhood that still holds up and is amazingly fun and cheesey
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short, but very fun action game. Classic for me
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Also cute because the game was sitting on my shelf right next to a copy of Gun Metal, one of the games that were traded in for it so many years ago. The chances of it being the same copy are almost zero, but the possibility is appealing, however slight. Glad they put their differences aside. <3
positive · AI labelView post →It's got this unfinished, old-school weekend rental charm! I love the early 2000's 3D aesthetic in general, and environments are very pretty and atmospheric. The "Boss" designs are really mechanically elegant and have you using all you tools in a variety of ways to take them down. The controllers "aiming" could be a little faster, I found it really slow to turn and still awkward to aim. Most people's complaints seem to be that the game is too short, which is true, it's like a 2 hour game. As I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Playthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCUrJvdc9Ps The Review A game I remember playing as a kid on the original Xbox. The game is still a fun classic to this day. The game is on the short side though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shaped my childhood
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am 32 years old. My ex-wife and I have a daughter together, and we adopted our son together. Both are now 4 years old. When we were going through our separation, I felt lost and unhappy. I was self-destructive. One day, I was so angry with everything spiraling out of control that I punched a concrete wall in a moment of overwhelming emotion. This resulted in breaking my fifth metacarpal in my right hand—the hand I worked with, played games with, and used to carry my children to bed—the hand…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Only picked this up becuase Andy - Bunker Dweller made a video about it. Hmm but theres just too much base defense missions, its mad annoying 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aweful controls ruins game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deep childhood memories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Second childhood game 🧡💛
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very old classic game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Idk if it's too good for players in 2003, or maybe some games are worse than games developed 20 years ago.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Camera and controls make for a wonky, clunky game. It has fun moments but over it's a solid pass for me. It's an older game, so without the nostalgia factor, it just isn't my cup of tea. It's not bad, it's just not great.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →indie games that lean unabashedly into being as early 2000's as they possibly can pls, this was goated, og xbox/PS2 looking ahhh game i need more
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A classic from my childhood that I'm now actually equipped to finish... but still quite difficult at points. Very nice graphics really. not hyper-real but could pass for stylised. Very fun and fairly slick controls - accounting for the fact it's from the era where sometimes you still had to use arrow keys, not every computer seemingly had a number row, etc. Not the most responsive but flying around as a plane feels so fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is one of the Mech games I've ever played.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's a 1st short featuring Gun Metal by Rage Software and Funbox Media Ltd. I've been playing this one while watching classic Doctor Who. The game is quite fun, also pretty difficult due to the amount of damage enemies do. #gunmetal #videogames #retrogaming #actiongames #gameplay
positive · AI labelView post →Very dated, but also very charming. A respectable price for what it is, and runs fine out of the box. Recommended
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gun Metal Gaming starts off its first chapter by looking at the coolest Western RPG of 2009 and the best game about shaking down NPCs for money: Dragon Age: Origins!
neutral · AI labelView post →Nostalgia!! Awesome gamee!!!!! Lets go with Gun Metal 2!!!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gun Metal is a game where you pilot a transforming mech with enough firepower to make the NRA jealous, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "bringing a metal bird to a gunfight."
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Controls are very awkward.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A BELOVED CHILDHOOD GEM <3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember that I used to spend days playing this game in my childhood. Decades later, I buy this game and now I finished it after almost 4 hours lel But still its a good game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not long until this game will be celebrating its 20th birthday, in sustained obscurity... And it's still a game I use to explain and demonstrate sheer simple *fun* in game design. With the release of WH40k: Dakka Squadron, after trying the demo with a friend who is new to gaming, I had to load this back up and stream a few levels for her to try to illustrate 'this is how you do dumb, messy arcade air combat', showing off smoother animations, better stunts, better sense of speed and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big nostalgia hit wish they made a sequel
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The smoothest, most fun, most perfect game I've ever played. I wish like hell there was a modern sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whoa this makes me think of Transformers or what? I feel like Star Scream, but if it was a good version. Lots of destructive fun in this quick paced aerial and land based shooter. Yeah old and a bit dated looking, but cheap and cheerful.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brings back some old memories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting game with some unavoidable issues. Noticeably, the controls for mech mode are sluggish and it takes a long time to change direction while walking. Secondly, for some bizarre reason the devs chose to add a mechanic by which random enemies will blow up when destroyed, causing a massive, long-lasting radial explosion that continuously damages your mech. The worst part is, it doesn't seem to damage the enemies. I don't know what the idea behind this was, but it sure didn't work out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a pretty good budget mech game with all of the problems that that implies. The graphics are nothing spectacular, but for a game from 2003 it's understandable. My only complain is that controlling the mech itself takes some getting used to it, but once you do, it's great. An decent 7/10 game and i recommend it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun, straightforward gameplay. You are a mech with a toolbox of weapons and can transform into a jet at a moment's notice to change the way you interact with the battlefield. However, 70% of the time I try to launch this game it tells me I have an unsupported graphics card. Notice how there is a 30% of the time I can run the game, on the same computer with the same graphics card and it runs 100% fine. Therefore being able to say "hey I wanna play Gun Metal today" isn't something I can do really.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Takes two hours to beat and is a blast from the past. Loved it when I was younger :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You get what you paid for with this one; 3 bucks of quick, fast-paced, somewhat janky PS2 flight shooter action that you beat in 3 hours then never think about again. It's a good game, just don't expect too much out of it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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