Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

10 Review to this product

• 

  Funky Winkerbean
  September 26th, 2010 on 2:18 am

  Rating

  This is about 5 times better than I thought it would be. The first game was a great idea, but the actual game turned out to be a bit of a dud. It had lots of good elements but some truly bad controls and some horrible design issues. This game takes everything good about the first, improves on it, and throws away all of the bad stuff. Not to mention that this next gen treat looks downright amazing. Don’t let your experience with the first game deter you. This is the game Juarez 1 should have been.
• 

  A. Amorim
  September 27th, 2010 on 1:34 am

  Rating

  My favorite games are first-person-shooters, but I’m getting a little weary of the fact that 90% of them seem to be about blasting aliens, or blasting Nazis.

  Why are there so few decent shooters on other themes, such as westerns, 1920′s gangster wars, the civil war, or WW1?

  The Call of Duty and Medal of Honor games have been great, but I find it hard to get immersed in the story when I I have spent more time playing WW2 games than anyone actually spent in WW2.

  Call of Juarez definitely fills this gap- it is a well produced, visually impressive, and very fun first-person-shooter in a theme that is not completely played out.

  The truth is, killing Yankees and killing desperados is much fresher and funner than killing Nazis or Space Aliens.
• 

  T. Romano
  September 27th, 2010 on 6:33 am

  Rating

  This is one game I’m really glad I have in my collection of video games. If you like anything that has to do with the Old West, you’ll love this game.

  Let me tell you something. This has got one of the best looking video game engines I have ever seen for a PlayStation 3 video game. The game developer is called Techland and the video game engine they use to build this game is called the Chrome Engine 4. The outdoor scenes especially toward the middle of the game are just spectacular. I honestly went exploring around on some maps just to look at the scenery. Some of the maps are sandbox (Free Worlds) and these Free World maps are huge and you can go anywhere on these maps to explore. I love mounting a horse and just riding around looking at things. I live in Utah and the outdoor scenes in the Southwest United States in the game are just like they are in real life with the beautiful canyons and mountains scenes. The streams and rivers and waterfalls look like they have real water flowing through them.

  Okay as far as the story goes to this game, I think the story line is pretty good. There are two main characters mentioned throughout the game that are brothers. The oldest brother is called Ray McCall and the younger brother is called Thomas McCall. What most reviews to this game fail to mention is that there is a third brother in the game who is the youngest brother. His name is William. He doesn’t carry a gun since he is more like a preacher who preaches about God and carries the Bible around with him. He goes pretty much where ever the other two brothers go within the game. Now the game starts out with the two older McCall brothers, Ray and Thomas, fighting in Georgia for the Confederacy against the Union during the Civil War. The two oldest brothers end up deserting the Confederate Army to go and defend their home against Union Soldiers. William is with their mother trying to defend their home already. They end up losing their home and William decides to goes with Ray and Thomas out West to look for the “Lost Treasure of Cortez” that is located some where down in Mexico where they can regain their fortune.

  Basically the game from there is all about going through Mexico and Arizona. You meet Mexican bandits, different Indian tribes, lawmen, outlaws, gunslingers, ex- confederate soldiers, civilians, etc. You help and fight different people throughout the game. You have a choice of different weapons to fight with. You can use different kind of revolvers and rifles to fight with. Usually at the end of each mission throughout the game, you end up fighting the main bad guy in an old fashion gunfight where you draw pistols at each other. When you end up killing the main bad guy in the gunfight, you advance further along in the game.

  There is a lot of replay value in this game especially on the Free World maps. I understand that Techland is going to add more maps to the game later on. I hope that if Techland does add more maps to the game that they are all Free World maps. I love them kind of maps to ride around on a horse to explore. I highly recommend people to go out and buy the game to add to their collection of video games just so they’ll have a Western game to play.
• 

  E. Larson
  September 28th, 2010 on 1:39 pm

  Rating

  Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, is a prequel to the original Call of Juarez, and, for the most part, improves on almost all of the original game’s problems. Gone are the stealth sections and (for the most part), the godawful first-person-platforming that so brought the original down.

  The story is phenomenal, a tale of blood, brotherhood, betrayal, and banditos, and does a great job of providing a backdrop to the motivations of the characters and the first game. It also improves on the pretentiousness, it takes itself a lot less seriously then the original.

  The game is fairly linear. Before a mission begins, you may choose a character to play as: Ray McCall is the “tank”- he can duel-wield revolvers and use dynamite, and Thomas McCall is the “thief” who can zoom with rifles and use throwing knives, bow, and lasso. The game plays similarly no matter which character you play as, except for minor mission progression things.

  The gun play – with the exception of the touchy bow and the ineffectual throwing knives, is solid. You can slow down time and shoot enemies in three different ways, each in it’s own way useful. Hit detection at times seems gummy, and the gamma is weird, on a normal setting, you can’t see the enemies for the dark, and the game offers no way to remedy it.

  The game is beautiful, vibrant landscapes and stunning vistas, but with frequent, weird, shadow issues. There are two, and only two, sandbox missions, in which you can choose to complete three side missions or proceed immediately to the story mission. these feel out of place and remove flow.

  I was surprised to find that the online multiplayer, far from being the tacked-on affair most online multiplayer is, is quite deep, with only a few balance issues between the classes I’m sure will be addressed.

  in conclusion, Call of Juarez: BiB is a fun FPS with some new ideas, well worth your money at any price under $60.
• 

  David L. Grundvig
  September 28th, 2010 on 3:33 pm

  Rating

  Just completed this Western first-person-shooter in about 10-12 hours of play on easy setting. There aren’t very many “cowboy” shooters for the pc but nonetheless I consider this the best yet of the 5-6 I’ve “played.”

  This isn’t intended as an “after action report/review”. Here are some brief comments about the experience:

  Pros:
  
  -Worked flawlessly on my Windows XP high end computer with 3.00 ghz dual-core processor, 4gb ram, Geforce Nvidia 280 video card, and Sound Blaster XFI.
  
  -Very good graphics, setting, voice-acting (exceptional), music, and weapon sound effects. In many ways almost like watching a Western movie but with the interactive aspect.
  
  -Nice intriguing storyline (a bit abrupt at the end, however).
  
  -Very beautifully rendered Senorita, Marissa. She’s worth saving and appropriating away from evil Juan.
  
  -Choice to play as Ray (better with revolvers, dynamite, shotguns, gatling gun and physically stronger) or Tom (more agile and better with rifles, bow/arrow, knives, and ropes).
  
  -Great variety of settings and scenery.
  
  -Horse mounting and riding worked flawlessly. Nice horse sounds, too. Droppings not included.
  
  -Villains well done and EVIL. They need killin.
  
  -My son indicated that once he installed the game (on his Vista 64bit machine) no game disc was required for play. I always had the disc in when playing so I can’t say this will always be the case. Also, although a key code is on the back of the manual we were never asked to provide it. Maybe it’s for online game play. Don’t know if there is any DRM with this game.

  Cons:
  
  -For some reason I couldn’t get it to play (locked-up) past the first cut-scene on my Windows Vista (32bit) machine despite closing all other programs and spplying several tweaks. I wanted to utilize Direct X-10 for supposed graphic improvements. Maybe it didn’t like my Nvidia Geforce 285 high-end video card. Didn’t figure it out.
  
  -Lever action rifles and revolvers not realistic for the Civil War period. The shooting/weapon use for these sections in the game was a bit “clunky” to my liking with unresponsiveness and lack of effect.

  Neutrals:
  
  -May need higher-end computer to play well.
  
  -Lots of swearing in dialogue. May not want younger children around while playing. You decide.
  
  -Some religious Bible thumping and Christian talk.
  
  -Bow and arrow and knife throwing more accurate and lethal than one might desire.
  
  -The 6-7 quick-draw duels with villains is quite challenging to master. It took me numerous tries with 4 of the outlaws to put them down. You may do better. It requires accurate timing, fast response/reflexes, and precise trigger pull to succeed. I became frustrated with this at times. Don’t give up. If at first you don’t succeed….FAIL, FAIL again.
  
  -Quite linear in story and play but it flows quite nicely from one setting to another. Some may not like this and prefer a “sandbox” approach where you can go anywhere and do anything.

  Summary:
  
  I don’t believe this game intended to be a thoroughly realistic depiction of the Old West. However, I recommend the title highly for the FLAVOR of the Old West it provides with its entertaining, fun, and intriguing storyline and gun-play. It succeeds quite well in providing sufficient enjoyment and play and a change of pace from WW2 and modern warfare. The Wild West has been neglected for far too long and just maybe the success of this title will spawn more offerings in the future.

  I didn’t complete the first Call of Juarez (gave to girlfriend some time ago) and will now get it back and play it to completion. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is actually the prequel to the first and its story explains why Ray comes onto the scene as a pistol toting Bible thumper in the original
  
• 

  microjoe
  September 28th, 2010 on 7:29 pm

  Rating

  I bought this game here used, at my sons request for a rowdy bunch of older teens that were staying over for a few days. We really enjoyed the way you could move wherever you wanted in the game, and do anything you want. The boys played it all weekend and were hooked, enough that they all wanted to see my Spaghetti western movies later. The western imagery and characters were very well done, nice theming. It is basically Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West. We did not have any game freezing or technical issues, and would recommend this to others.
• 

  Brandon Goodworth
  September 30th, 2010 on 2:20 am

  Rating

  I usually don’t do much reviewing here as most the time what has been said I agree with. I have a hard time letting this one go as this game definitely doesnt deserve anywhere near 1 star. This game is strictly a linear shooter, I am sorry to those of you who dont like that. Sure it has a couple of levels that are not exactly linear, but with how big the levels are most of the game has that sort of feel already. This game is very solid in its controls, and visuals are very impressive. The sound is equally impressive. As such I find it very similar to the Call of Duty games and other quality shooting games.

  Single player can be a bit hort and if you are a veteran of shooters Hard is probably where you want to start. Very hard is very hard and that is great. AI can be smart and sometimes they can run right out in the middle, but I find that true of almost every shooter game. I found the story and the writing and voice of the game to be very well done. The only thing I would of changed besides maybe a bit longer would be the duels. They feel very awkward at first and making sense of them isnt easy. After playing them on every difficulty they arent hard anymore.

  Online has been very good and I havent had much of a problem finding games that are mostly lag free. At first I had a hard time with class balancing, but after playing quite a bit I dont find it so hard and I play with every class. The multiplayer maps offer alot of variety and I really enjoy the multiplayer modes. I do wish it had a capture the flag type of game. Online does have more of a run and gun “old school” type of feel to it, which I really enjoy. I do enjoy that alot more than the “camping” styles that plague most of the shooters nowadays. My only complaints for online play would be lack of gaming lobby’s, no way to stay playing with the same people, which is a shame. Also the characters in multiplayer are ugly, they could use some good skins and hats.

  The game isnt perfect, but for me it was worth every penny and I payed full price. If you like shooters or western themes, or both this game would be one to play for sure. I wont say that everyone who likes shooters will like this one better, but it is a decent shooter for sure. And it is definitley the best western themed game for the Xbox 360 available right now.
  
• 

  DaddyBlogger.com www.daddyblogger.com
  September 30th, 2010 on 5:16 pm

  Rating

  Burned out on WWII First-Person Shooters I decided to give Call of Juarez: Bound for Blood a go and I am glad that I did. If you are a FPS fan you will most certainly enjoy this PS3 game.

  There are many excellent aspects to this game that far outweigh the flaws!

  1)INCREDIBLE story line gets your attention right away. This has got to be one of the best story lines in a game that I have ever played.
  
  2)Voices used are realistic and add to the Western flavor of this FPS.
  
  3)Classic FPS fun
  
  4)You get to play both of the brother characters at various times throughout the game. Think ahead when picking which one because both have different strengths and weaknesses. Enjoy experimenting with the various weapons that you can find along the way.
  
  5) I disagree with one reviewer – THE GRAPHICS ARE TOP NOTCH! This adds to the realism of Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood.
  
  6)No major bugs in the controlling of your character or the game itself.
  
  7)Frequent check points for auto-saving some may find this irritating.
  
  8)There are many secrets that you can find along the way – some FPS gamers may need the strategy guide if you are hell bent on finding all of them.
  
  9)Is the game worth shelling out $50+ on? My conclusion at the end was YES!
  
  10) Did I mention the story line!!! Comical at times. Drama. Romance. Tons of action and adventure.

  The one MAJOR and irritating flaw to this game is that you can’t explore as much as you would like to. If you leave your brother alone for too long the game will timeout and you must start over again at the last checkpoint. However, there are certain cues given in the dialog on when you can explore with more time.

  Some reviewers mentioned that the lip synching was off, however I only noticed this a few times and it did not distract from the game whatsoever – name one FPS where ALL of the lip synching is perfect in the entire game.

  Personally, I am burned out on all the WWII based FPS and I don’t care for the futuristic ones. Thus, I found this to be a refreshing entry in the the PS3 FPS genre and I am sure you will too.

  I would also recommend Far Cry 2 if you have not bought this FPS yet? It got a bad rap at the beginning because of some game bugs, however an update has eliminated these issues and it was one of the best FPS I have ever played. You can really explore in Far Cry 2 – I highly recommend this FPS as well and for it’s current price it is a bargain!
• 

  Kyle A. Morrison
  October 1st, 2010 on 2:42 pm

  Rating

  I really enjoy this game. I purchased it today and I have played both the story mode and the multiplayer.. both of which are a lot of fun to play. I’ve always enjoyed Western games but, few of them have been impressive overall. Bound in Blood seems to have broken the mold!! I’ve been an avid Modern Warfare player for the last 2 years and I’ve decided to take a break from the game until Modern Warfare 2 comes out. Call of Juarez Bound in Blood will serve as a delightful distraction until that time comes. I recommend this game to anyone who is a FPS or a Western fan.. or better yet, both!
• 

  Kevin Crain
  October 1st, 2010 on 4:33 pm

  Rating

  Since Western themed games come out once every blue moon, the wait better be worth it. This game IS worth the 2 yr wait. Terrific story and acting, top notch gameplay (never a problem knowing what to do or where to go),and user friendly controls for skill levels of all types make this my sleeper hit of 2009. Graphics are sharp as well. I highly recommend Call Of Juarez Bound in Blood, i just wish game developers would flood the market with westerns like they do with WWII shooters every 3 months. C’mon guys, the WWII genere is soooo outplayed. Do yourself a favor and play this game.