29.6.2008

I went into Call of Juarez with low expectations. I only picked it up because it was dirt cheap in a shop sale and after the depressingly average GUN, I had long since given up on Western games. Surprisingly though, this ain't too bad on the whole, but it does have a few severe drawbacks that stop it being great.Playing as two characters, Billy and Ray, alternately between levels, you have to escape from the law with Billy in a series of levels that utilise primarily stealth based and platforming based gameplay and as Ray, you hunt your nephew Billy down for the supposed murder of his parents using guns and little else to get by, and this is where the game is at it's best.Playing as Billy was a real chore for the most part.The stealth is simply far too annoying and uneven to be enjoyable, and a lot of the time it felt far too dependent on luck and chance as to whether or not I'd get through a particular area or not. One sequence a couple of hours in that lasts a while has Billy having to sneak through a camp full of cowboys in the dead of night without being spotted, having to time movements so you aren't caught out in the open when lightning lights up the sky. It's frustrating and slow and was almost enough to make me give up on the game. The platforming bits with Billy are only slightly better, where you have to use your whip to swing across gaps and onto rocky outcrops on cliffsides. These are actually quite hard, as most jumps depend on Billy's ability to grab a ledge he gets near and pull himself up, but I found he only did this about 2/3 the time, leading to a number of unnecessary deaths. The Billy stages are slow, uneven, and a bit broken to be honest, and if the whole game was like this, it would have been awful to be honest. Thank goodness for the Ray levels.The Ray levels in the game are mostly out and out gunfights, with loads of weapons to use and a handy 'quickdraw' function that slows down time for you to shoot multiple opponents quickly(A FPS cliche I know, but handy all the same). These stages are just fun to play, with some nicely large scale shoot outs taking place in a manner that does authentically capture the 'old west' feel perfectly and really is just how you'd want a game like this to be. There isn't much variety to your objectives in Ray's levels, true, but the Billy levels keep you wishing you were playing as Ray at least, so they do serve SOME purpose in that much at least. I will say that the 'duels' in the game aren't too great though, requiring you to time how you flick the left stick to shoot your opponent at the right moment, these feel unnecessarily tacked on when simply letting you use the regular controls would have been easier and more enjoyable in my opinion.The game is visually quite nice, with decent textures and some nice, if unspectacular character models at work. The distance blurring effect is nicely used when aiming your gun, but things too far off in the distance look a bit poor to be honest. The sheer size of many of the game's areas also is offset by just how empty and lifeless these areas look and feel. You can literally travel miles on horseback in one level looking for a spot to hunt rabbits and you will see no other animals around anywhere and very little in the way of vegetation around. It feels a little too 'bare' in places(Oblivion it ain't). While not really an issue during desert areas, in the forested bits, it really stands out. Overall, the visuals are more than adequate, if not overly amazing.The sound work is good on the whole though. Decent, authentic Western themed tunes, authentic and realistic gunshots and explosions on the go and some stellar voice acting(Especially from Marc Alaimo as Ray) make this an aural treat for cowboy buffs, and helps to compound the atmosphere of the game impressively, something which is all important for a game attempting to do what this one is.I only briefly tried playing the game online, but had a lot of trouble with lagging and disconnects. Whether this is due to ongoing issues with this mode or if I just caught it at a bad time of day I don't know, but the experience left with no desire to revisit the multiplayer aspect. Besides which, the single player is sizeable enough, and there's a decent extra mission mode that extends things nicely, so it's worth what you'll pay for it nowadays if nothing else.Overall, I had a lot of fun with Call of Juarez once I'd gotten past some of the annoying design flaws and bugs at work during the Billy sequences, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Western themed games, but for anyone after a good FPS and little else, there's simply too many far superior alternatives on the market to make this a priority purchase.Good, not great.

6.7.2007

For some reason the Western genre has been largely overlooked in video games with just the Jesse James 'virtua Cop' style games, and the first and 3rd person shooters; Red Dead Revolver, Dead Man's Hand, and 'Gun' in the last few years. All of these games have been really good and thankfully so is Call of Juarez, it has excellent graphics, story and gameplay and I would say captures the wild west feel perfectly.The game is different from usual action games in that you play two characters on opposing sides, Billy; a young half Mexican and Reverend Ray who it seems used to be something of a Gunslinger. Billy returns home one day to find his parents murdered and unfortunately Reverend Ray happens upon them and Billy panics and runs,this sets things in motion and the missions alternate between the two as Reverend Ray chases Billy across the levels of the game.Is the game any good? well it has a good control system, the guns sound fantastic and you have the usual gunslinger type modes where you can draw both guns in slow mo rather like bullet time in Max Payne and blast multiple enemies in one go. Also there are the mano a mano gunfights where you and another square up quickdraw style, this too is well done. What I particularly like in the game is the fact you can hold two pistols and just like in reality the guns will overheat the more you fire them and then in time won't work and will then actually blow up if you try and fire them, this is indicated by a flashing red colour on your pistol icon, also your gun will smoke, which looks pretty cool I can tell you, (how often do you see a smolking gun barrel in a game eh?) either of these alert you it's time to swap your pistol for another an enemy has dropped, it also encourages you to fire in true western style and fire each pistol in turn, because firing the same pistol repeatedly will overheat it quicker and then you'll have a useless gun. The pistols are very accurate and you can have a close up view to help aim better if you click the right thumbstick, other weapons include shotguns, rifles and scoped rifles, dynamite, and a bow and arrow which is perfect for stealth and also gives you a slow mo advantage, ideal for when you are outnumbered.It seems all western games have a mine level for some reason and this is no different, there is usual the train level, and horse riding that you seem to find in other western games.I read a few of the PC reviews for this game as it came out first and a few of the people didn't like the sneaking around levels of Billy, but I have to say these are pretty good indeed, they on the whole aren't too difficult and are pretty exciting, there is a particuarly tough one at a campsite level which I have to admit I looked at the strat guide at IGN to help me. I really liked the level sneaking into the Ranch and into the house of his ex girlfriends and then the punch up with her brother, Reverend Ray is also pretty handy with his fists so you get a bit of Fight Night in this game too.One niggle I didn't like was that you can fall in this game all too easy and with a first person view, it can be tricky to see where you are and where you will land when jumping and swinging off trees and over ledges, I wish developers would cut out the ability to fall to your death in games, it's a pain and also the game has set save points where it automatically saves the game, I much prefer to save where I want, as often if you fall, which can be often, or even die in the regular fashion, you have to go back quite a bit and repeat the same old bits time and again until you pass the troublesome part, this is a limitation in this day and age that just shouldn't exist in gaming as it's annoying.I have to disagree with the previous reviewer, who it seems isn't really a fan of Western shooters, this game is far from boring, and you don't have to wait until the voice over is finished when the level is loading, it says 'loading' and then the button appears to press and proceed a good 30 seconds before the voice over is done, (the voiceover reads the text on the page that you'll have likely read much faster), the storyline too is great, I can't rate this game highly enough, you've got to love a good western! and if you like your shooters based on real life rather than the far fetched shooters that dominate 90% of the marketout, holster up and give this a try.

12.8.2009

I only realised that this was a game when Call of Juarez Bound in Blood came out. So i thought that i should pick up this one before i buy the second one, but this game is actually set after Bound in Blood, so that mixed things up a bit.To the review, i remember one of the first launch games to come out on the 360 was "GUN", now this was a western shooter but did not fair too well with game critics. Ever since then there hasnt been any western genre shooters at all, until this one was released in June 2007. So it is fair to say that the western genre is overlooked.But this game sets a new standard. The graphics and draw-back distances of the game are quite impressive.You can be at the top of a very high mountain and still see your horse at the bottom. The actual textures of the game are alright, vegetation not looking amazing but still pretty good.The actual gameplay is brilliant, in a scene near the start of the game when you are walking through a rioting town when confronted by 4 bandits. Shortly after that you pull out your 2 revolvers and let fly!The shooting truly feels like you are in a western environment, its great!At the end of most levels you will be challenged to a duel, on the normal difficulty these are quite fun: dodge, draw, point, shoot. But when you try the game on "very hard" these just become ridiculas and the AI is sooo fast!Also, when you complete the game "duel mode" will be unlocked adding longevity to the game. Another thing that increases the lifespan of this game is that after you complete it there are "Extra" missions that are unlocked. These are nothing to do with the storyline of the game, but are quite fun.The story of the game is quite good, but i dont want to ruin anything for anyone who hasnt actually played the game yet. All im saying is it is set after the new Call of Juarez "Bound in Blood". The voice acting, for the most part, is stunning. The actors have truly made the gamer feel immersed in the storyline. The main characters feel and sound the way they should.Next, the reason why i gave this game 4 stars, the multiplayer.This games multiplayer is pretty frustrating, there have been reported errors with the servers that this game uses, causing some gamers to completely loose all record of their kills and win games. Also, if you are going for achievenments you have to be host? Whats up with that?I would have given this game 5 stars if i ommited multiplayer. So this is a pretty awesome game, the reason why i got it is because i was interested in Bound In Blood, glad i was. It has a great singleplayer campaign and extra missions, easily a good quality shooter for the 360.ps. If you ever watched the Clint Eastwood western movies, play this!

26.8.2007

I really love the setting of this game. I wish there were more western games. The old west is stunning in Call Of Juarez. The levels are large and sprawling, giving the impression that you could go for miles in any direction you wish. Unfortunately there are a few niggles with the visuals. There is a tiny bit of tearing, however this is rarely noticable. There's a fair bit of aliasing but the one stand out issue for me is the lighting. As I said the locations are beutifull but it seems that even in the blazing sunshine, anything in even the slightest bit of shade is too dark. Another thing is that things in the distance are quite blurred. So generally the graphics in Call Of Juarez are average,

5.3.2010

The story starts when Reverend Ray, an ex-outlaw who became a priest, finds the dead bodies of his brother and his sister-in-law. Spotting beside them the only person he despises, his nephew-in-law Billy Candle, he decides to pursue his nephew across the Far West and attempts to gun him down so to avenge his brother's murder. The game revolves between two characters the player can control: Reverend Ray and Billy Candle. In its gameplay, Ray's levels are more action-oriented while Billy's levels are more stealth-like. Personally, I preferred Ray's levels for they were less complicated and frustrating to play unlike Billy's who's very weak in its endurance and whose stealth levels were a bit too long to play,

20.7.2007

This is a good game. It's dead fun and puzzling in places. I've heard lots of people comment on the diabolical Jump and how hard it is to navigate around when you play as Billy. To be honest, any short comings as far as the Jump and the swinging is concerned can be easily over looked, as I have died more in shoot outs than I have Jumping or swinging on the Whip. The story is fun, The gun slinging preacher is a nice touch. At first this game feels incredibly hard, mainly due to the slightly odd control system and layout, but after a while you'll be as quick and accurate as the Kid himself. Is it a terrible game? No. Is it an awesome game? No. But it is a worthy addition to your 360 library.

23.6.2007

I got to say i've played on a load of games and consoles and unfortunately there has been a lack of wild western games to play. The only one that I've known and enjoyed has been the unmistakeable GUN for Ps2. Just been and looked at video's of 'Call of Juarez' (on a website that shall be un named)and i got to say I jumped at ordering it, with it's release only one week away. Playing the preacher's character looks very enjoyable especially when he blast's out revelations ,(to non religious folk, readings about the devil)from the bible whilst gunning down amazed enemies. The slow time on quick draw's look good, horse back shoot outs seem very appealing and I expect the game to throw up some more great features that I havent yet heard about along the way.

8.1.2009

I've had great fun this last week playing Juarez, it's very playable. The graphics overall are good, and the story line is excellent, a few times I thought 'that's it I've completed it' but no this game is longer and has more showdown's than you would think.The only fault I can find id that some of the parts where you play Billy are annoying as it's easy to fall to your death from a great height. The star of the show is the Reverend, one of my fave characters to come out of a game in a while, you can either have 2 pistols out or a pistol and a bible which is most amusing, shooting with onehand whilst reading the scriptures aloud.Buy it now, that's the best advise I can give!

23.10.2008

Ok, I agree with some of the reviews here that it is not as good as Gun. It is quite linear, so in effect you just play the key points in the narrated story. However this story is pretty good, and you get to play as 2 different types of character. The graphics aren't bad either, and I really enjoyed the shoot outs, the bonus missions were good fun. The only downsides were the lack of roaming and froma personal point of view, I dont like the sneaking around missions.... give me shooting anytime! At this new price it's well worth a purchase!

11.7.2011

i bought this game for my son who has an xbox 360,i got this for my pc a year ago and completed it,you take the part of a young man with a whip and a gunslining reverend [ not at the same time],its set in the wild west and its action all the way through the game,shootouts-horseriding-hunting-rescue missions ect,i loved this game as it was original and the gameplay is brill.i would recommend

16.12.2014

Thought the game was pretty s*** in the first level but I was pleasantly surprised by the time I got to the second level. Its a really good game and is great if you like a challenge, however I did struggle a little bit with some of the levels but pleased overall!:)

13.5.2009

if you like call of duty then this is for you, lots of gun action and loads of fun. really enjoyed this game and highly recomend it. the only thing i found hard was to get acheivments/game score. but still worth playing. my son is 13 and loved it.

10.12.2013

Bought this for a Christmas present and couldn't be happier with delivery time and condition. Despite it being a used item, it was in fantastic condition and everything looks to be in perfect order. Looks like it'll be a good Christmas this year!

4.8.2011

Call of Juarez is a brillent western game the graohics are brillent the combat and action in the game are really good i am a big fan of western game and this didn't dissapoint a worthy game and well recomend to anyone

21.1.2013

great game makes a change from the usual ww2 shot em ups ..cowboy fans and american civil war should enjoy this

Call of Juarez (Xbox 360) - Reviews

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