Brothers at Arms (Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Xbox 360))

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Xbox 360)
Date:	05/10/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Western setting, interesting weaponary, story

Disadvantages: Voice acting, perhaps too violent for the story?

I am a fan of the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre, but even I am a little jaded with the numerous games out there. So many FPSs are about bald space marines shooting each other's heads off! I have quite literally seen it, done it and in some cases owned the T-shirt. I want something a little extra and something new; I want a story to go alongside my gunplay that is more than just a way of stringing the action together. One game that tried this was 'Call of Juarez' a FPS based in the world of cowboys and for that alone it was fun. Although the first game did have a plot it felt a little flat, but the potential was obviously there. Techland have gone away and tried again with 'Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood' (CoJ2), could they add a great storyline to their interesting game world?

Gameplay

As mentioned 'CoJ 2' is a FPS set in the Wild West. This means that there are subtle differences to how the game plays to the usual shooter. The guns are authentic for the time so they hold limited ammo and take a little longer to reload. I found this fun as the different pistols all behaved like they should do. The feeling of shooting two six shooters from the hip was a fun and different from other FPSs. Apart from the rare use of the Western setting the majority of elements are FPS standard as you must shoot your way to the exit.

Techland have tried to mix things up in a number of ways. Firstly, the game allows you to play as one of two brothers. Ray, The elder brother, is a little hot headed and likes to charge in head first. This means that is well armoured, but slow and not good at long range weapons. Thomas, The younger brother, is cooler and prefers to hang back and shoot from a distance. You can play most levels as either brother and they have different paths through some of the sections. Another element is the duel system. These are specifically realised sections that see you have to gun down a man in a duel; they require you to be patient and wait for the toll of a bell, then draw quickly. The final element differs from brother to brother. Once you shoot enough enemies you gain the ability to slow time and take out a few people at once; Ray does this with two guns crossing the screen, Thomas by tapping the Right Trigger like it were the hammer of a pistol. All the separate elements of the game make it slightly different from other FPSs, but the vast majority is merely typical shooter action and for that reason still feels average. (3 out of 5)


Characters/Story

This is one area that will divide the audience. Techland have spent a lot of time in creating a rather melodramatic storyline of love, loss and brotherly tension. Personally I liked it, but the cut scenes do go on for a while and may bore some people. As a fan of the first game I appreciated how Techland used this prequel to plump up the back-story of Ray and Billy's (Thomas is the father of Billy) parents. There is an issue that Ray in particular is a very unpleasant man, but if you are aware what he becomes you realise that he needed to go to the edge before being saved. (4 out of 5)


Longevity

Most FPS games are not really long enough to warrant a full RRP as they are about 8 hours long. The best fill themselves with single player elements that will have you coming back, or a great online mode. 'CoJ 2' tries both and unfortunately fails. The game itself clocks in at the requested 8-12 hours and for that alone is ok. However, I do not want to go back through a game to find numerous bland items. I will discuss the online separately, but it was not enough for me to add much value.

There are plenty of achievements available for those into getting them. You will have to spend a lot of time online and play the game at least twice to get all of them. This was no interest to me. (3 out of 5)

Online

I am increasingly not interested in competitive online games as I find that those people who have plenty of time to play will beat me using their increased experience and ability to know the maps well. For this reason the death match gameplay type of 'CoJ 2' online was not great for me. There is a saving grace in the form of fun objective maps. These maps are designed to ape real life situations such as 'Tombstone'. You play as either the lawmen or outlaws and must either attack or defend a series of objectives such as a bank or church. What it fun is the way that the objectives make the map a rolling battle. Once the outlaws get a prize they must run for their horses. This means that the lawmen could still have a chance to gun them down before they escape town. I found this game mode good fun for a while, but soon realised it was another form of team death match. I now prefer my online games to be co-op versus the AI. (3 out of 5)

Graphics

As a smaller studio you would expect Techland to struggle in the graphics department and this is not the case. As areas of the world are pretty open there are some glitches, but a lot less than I expected. The Wild West is all dust and sand and it is captured well. I was a little disappointed by the reuse of the same character models over and over again, but as a rule a decent job. (3 out of 5)

Level Design

'CoJ 2' is a funny game in terms of level design because it changes during the game. The vast majority of the levels are normal straight levels were you must get from one end to the other. These are fun and span many Cowboy clichés. The strange part is that on a couple of occasions the game opens out and you are in a sandbox environment and must discover missions before moving on. I found this disconcerting and not well designed. I was enjoying the traditional type levels that there was no call to spice things up. (3 out of 5)

Sound

'CoJ 2' does a great job of using sound and music to create the feel of the old west. The gunshots all sound authentic and the ambience is top-notch. The voice acting on the other hand will leave some people dubious. This is an Eastern European designed game about the American West, therefore it sounds like the cliché that people in the East think. The voice acting is too hokey and OTT to be taken seriously and perhaps takes away from what otherwise is a pretty sensitive story. With less aggression in the vocals they could have captured what the writers wanted, rather than the feel of an ultra violent shooter. (3 out of 5)

Summary

Like the first game in the series 'The Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood' is a fun and different take on the FPS genre, but with several flaws. As a straight shooter it ticks all the boxes with some interesting levels and good gunplay. Techland also did a particularly quality job in creating a compelling storyline and making the West feel authentic. However, a lot of this benefit is undone with the OTT voice acting and reliance of ultra violence in terms of gameplay. In the end there is nothing wrong enough with the game to make it unplayable, but there is enough to leave it an average experience and not a great one. (3 out of 5)


Maker: Techland RRP £50
Amazon uk £30.39
Play.com £24.99

Summary: A first person shooter set in the Wild West - yeehay!