The intro-
I know, we're a bit behind on this one. But better late than never - because who knows - maybe this one slipped under your radar when it was first released. It's also timely in that Ubisoft has just announced a prequel, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. I picked up Call of Juarez as a two for one deal and it's safe to say I wasn't disappointed with this westernized FPS bargain bin picker. Although very cliche and at points laughable - it's a western. How can it not be cliche? There's hidden gold treasure, an old reverend with a past, outlaws, Indians, and a young boy on the run. All the basic ingredients for a Western and do you really need more?

The good-
The environments look great, from sunlight breaking through trees to far reaching landscape views. Ubisoft has always had a penchant for placing you and your character in stunning looking locals with great lighting effects and there work on Call of Juarez stays the course. Sound effects are solid as well - each gun has its distinct sound and that classic western ricochet ping when a bullet is misfired. Oddly though, even with a wide selection of classic guns the bow and arrow manages to be the best or at least the most fun weapon to use in the game. I hope I don't sound crazy right now, but there is nothing more satisfying than scoring a head shot on an unsuspecting victim with the bow, watching his hat pop off, and leaving an arrow sticking out from either end of their skull. COJ has it's own version of 'bullet-time' where you get about 5 seconds of slowed down time which allows you to take out more than one badie Clint Eastwood style. The duels that come up throughout the game - which is pretty much at the end of every level are definitely fun - but are still missing something. (read more on duels in 'The Bad')  One element of COJ that really stands out is the structure of the story. You play as two different characters with two completely different traits, strengths and points of view of what is going on. The story itself is not all that amazing but the way it's told makes it interesting. Generally speaking the physics engine is pretty good - even though characters all react the same to the same hit point shots in different areas of their bodies. So once you shoot one guy in the leg that's how its going to look for the rest of the game. Next gen lame. 

The Bad-
I'm just going to get right into this one - the duels. As I said before the duels are fun but something is missing. COJ manages to have a decent system in place but it lacks control and the feeling like you're actually pulling it off. Most of the time a good hit in a duel just seems more like luck than actual skill. Not to mention that the explanation of dueling seems very disconnected from how to actually execute it. Annoying factor: before every duel you're alerted that its going to happen. Twice is enough - I get it when someone wants to kill me just go right to the countdown. The game itself is pretty short - you can run through it in about 6 to 8hrs on medium difficulty - 8 to 10hrs if you go looking for the extras like wanted posters of the games' developers throughout each level. The levels are very linear which is ok, not all games need be GTA, but the maps are pretty large with nothing in them - making the extra space totally useless. Don't make me roam around a large map and having nothing there but a few nice trees to look at. I like cutscenes - but I only need to see them once. Give me the option to 'X' through them. Nothing is more irritating than getting stuck in a particularly tough spot that may take some trial and error, and then forcing me to watch a cut scene every time I fail.

The Ugly-
Riding a horse sucks. Which blows, because riding horses should rule. COJ easily takes the prize for "worst gameplay for riding a horse in any game, ever." You either go super fast or not at all and turning is just straight out annoying. Might have just been my used copy of the game but towards the end all of the dialogue for one of the main characters, Reverand Ray, cut out or was inaudible during cutscenes. Kind of annoying especially when the whole story is starting to come together. I bring this up because I've noticed character dialogue to cut out before on brand new games - possibly a 360 issue? (sounds like your box. ed.) Finally, replay value is low. There are unlockable duels you open as you move through each episode in story mode and a few unlockable maps you can work through once you've finished the game but that's about it. The new maps are kind of a cool concept, as you play as new characters but they're short and in dire need of more development. They could've really made this a great addition instead it comes off as something they hurriedly tacked on because they realized the game was short and not probably worth the 60 dollar price tag at the time.

The End-
COJ definitely has its weak points and annoyances but for a FPS western its not bad and if you like westerns its worth checking out, especially for a bargain bin player. Gameplay is decent and the story is interesting but the total amount of hours you need to finish this is just enough for a weekend rental. Hopefully the sequel will work out the duel kinks and horse riding issue and we'll have a more refined western but I'm still waiting for the GTA of westerns. That's what we need a game where you can choose to be an outlaw or a sheriff. Hey, Rockstar that one is a freebie - just give me a copy of it when it comes out, that's all I ask. (as I finished writing this Rockstar games announced Red Dead Redemption)

[8bit Take]: Save a fistful of dollars and rent it for the weekend