Game Mechanics - 1.5/2
Story-line - 2/2
Graphics - 1.5/2
Soundtrack - 2/2
Replay Value - 2/2
Total Score - 9/10
It's video game time again folks. As we trudge along through this the annual summer drought of gaming we try to clear up our backlog of games in anticipation of the early fall AAA releases. Thankfully it is almost over and balance and order will be restored to the force as this should be the last week of the gaming summer drought. I had heard about this game a while back and more or less forgotten about it cause I personally had not seen much hype or advertisements for it. Somehow it has found its way back into my life and this week we review "Call of Juarez: Gunslinger"...
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a Western-themed first-person shooter video game, the fourth in the Call of Juarez series. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a linear first-person shooter game. Like the previous Call of Juarez games, the game consists of completing objectives to progress through the game. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger returns to the traditional Old West setting and features three unique game modes (story, arcade and duel) while the setting is the life story of a bounty hunter named Silas Greaves. The story levels are flashbacks of the life Silas Greaves, who is an unreliable narrator. As his audience challenges the lies and inconsistencies in his tales, Silas revises his story, which results in abrupt changes to game environment. This mechanic allows the game to recycle sections of the game with minor alterations. Staple gameplay elements of the series such as bullet-time and gunslinger duels make a return.
What’s Good:
Replay value: The game allows the player to carry their accumulated skills over to replays, so they can eventually fully master all categories thus giving the player added incentive to revisit the game upon completion. Scattered throughout the game are collectible secret items called "Nuggets of Truth", which recount the historical truths behind Silas' tales. These also help to level up your character and contain real world history about famous happenings and figures of the Wild West.
Story-line: The story and recounting of the adventures of Silas are engaging and rewarding as you both play and listen to Silas explain his past adventures.
Soundtrack: Soundtrack is definitely solid and immerses you fully into the game and the Wild West ambiance of the game as a whole. Guns sound authentic as do the accents and vernacular of the characters you come in contact with.
What’s Bad:
Game Mechanics: Granted most if not all the things about the game mechanics are positive I just wanted to exclusively make mention of something I found highly frustrating. The dueling system; it starts off pretty intuitively and straight forward but then somehow becomes confusing and complicated. The addition of speeding up your draw time via the 'A' and 'D' buttons is not explained or demonstrated clearly, this in turn does not give the player the chance to adapt and utilize the mechanic effectively.
What Should Have Been Added:
I feel that maybe they could have given you a choice in customizing your character, maybe even let you decide the gender. Another possible idea could have been to add a co-op mode where you play through the game as a dynamic duo.
Final Thoughts:
Honestly a refreshing change of pace considering the typical military oriented first person shooters we have grown accustomed to. Throwing in a leveling and RPG (Roleplaying Game) element to it with the varying skill sets was also a nice touch. My only gripes with the game overall was the ridiculous fall damage in the game and the hard to figure out dueling aspect that I made mention of earlier on. Aside from that I most certainly enjoyed my time with this game and will be looking out for others in the series. Until then you can check out my game-play with commentary...
