Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood- Review

Call of Jaurez: Bound in Blood
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: XBox360/PS3/PC
Release Date: 6/30/2009
Genre: FPS
Modes: SP/MP
Engine: Chrome Engine 4
MSRP: $49.99
Rating: Mature 17+

This game has been out for a while so you ask, “why you would do such a late review on this title?” We as gamers sometimes fall into the trap of seeing a game at a discounted price and saying, “what the hell, I will check it out.” Call of Jaurez: Bound in Blood by Ubisoft is the latest game I did this with, and let me tell you, I still paid too much for it.

This prequel to the original game follows the McCall brothers as they kill their way through the Deep South and West at the conclusion of the Civil War. The brothers have deserted the Confederacy, and headed to their homestead to try and save it from the Union forces of Sherman storming his way to Atlanta. The brothers Ray and Thomas have differing skill sets and work together to get through the Acts. Ray is a heavy hitter wielding duel pistols, dynamite, and can carry a Gatling gun mobile style. He also has the ability to kick down doors. Thomas is the finesse player he has a rope, and can climb up and over objects. He also has a higher skill with a rifle, and may only use one pistol at a time. I played through the game as both characters and the experience while differing is not vastly different either way.

Arriving too late to save the house, or their mother, the bitter brothers head West for fame and fortune. The rest of the game finds you searching for a treasure of unimaginable wealth. All the while, your Colonel from the war is hunting you down for being a deserter. Native Americans, Confederate Soldiers, and Bandits all try to keep you from your prize. The overbearing preaching of the unplayable younger brother becomes annoying, and of course the brothers end up fighting over a woman an almost kill each other. In the end the brothers leave the gold (because if they didn’t how would we have the first game) behind and choose to let bygones be bygones. Ray becomes the preacher that players know from the original after killing his younger brother in a failed test of faith, and Thomas gets the girl and her bastard child.
The game play doesn’t really bring anything new to table here. The new dueling system is more a practice in doing it until it gets done, than skill. The missions are more of a grind than something entertaining. The new concentration mode is improved(if you liked the old style you get a glimpse of it when the brothers enter it together) and the different style for each brother is a nice touch. The game is visually stunning and being a fan of the first game the story does work itself out tying all of the aspects of the two stories together nicely. All in all just not a great effort. If you really want to play this game, rent it. You can complete it in a couple of days with ease. This game gets a 5.5 ezGamez score, and if you’re looking for a western FPS to buy, then wait for Red Dead Redemption.

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