Call of Juarez is back with another extraordinary sequel. Unlike the previous game, Gunslinger returns the series to its lawless Wild West roots when Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett were outlaws. The game follows the same premise as the original Call of Juarez and Bound in Blood by serving up large doses of action and plenty of one-on-one duels.
Gunslinger offers an authentic first-person experience that gamers have come to identify with the series. The story is a bit different than gamers are used to, though. Instead of making history like in previous installments, you are reliving some of the most famous gun battles in Wild West history and meeting some of the most notorious outlaws ever to carry a firearm.
The first-person action is as fast as ever; you’re constantly engaging in shootouts and duels (a personal favorite of mine). Gunslinger has a talent system complete with three different character classes –Gunslinger, Ranger and Trapper. Each class has its purpose, and as you would imagine, their strengths and weaknesses. For example: a Gunslinger is better at dual wielding pistols, while a Trapper is efficient with a sawed-off shotgun.
There are some features that come into play while you’re having shootouts at the O.K. Corral. You can use features such as Concentration and Sense of Death regardless of the class you build. Concentration allows you to slow down time and target more accurately. Sense of Death gives you the ability to dodge bullets as you are near death. Basically, you are given one last chance to cheat death. When you use Sense of Death, the action switches to a Quicktime-like Event where you can see the bullet traveling toward you. To avoid dying, you must dodge to either side.
Dueling happens to be the best part of Gunslinger. Allowing the player to face off against some of history’s most notorious outlaws is a real rush. Duels are essentially boss battles that occur at the end of each chapter (stage). There is more to dueling than just shooting your opponent. You have to constantly watch your opponent’s body language as well as his dueling hand. You also have to keep track of a Focus Gauge and control the speed of your own dueling hand as well. The logistics involved are staggering, especially if you want to survive.
The Focus Gauge resembles a circular target that must stay highlighted over your target to improve your focus. At the same time, you must control your dueling hand to make sure you have the appropriate amount of speed adjusted. If you don’t maintain enough focus or speed, you can run the risk of dying during a duel. Maintaining a proper balance of focus and speed is the difference between winning and losing. It seems complicated at first, but it’s really simple once you get the hang of it.
There are fourteen chapters available in the single-player campaign. Each chapter is about 15 to 20 minutes long depending on the difficulty setting. The single-player campaign is very engrossing and rather lengthy; it’s a fantastic experience. But there is a lot more to Call of Juarez: Gunslinger than just single-player, though. There is an Arcade Mode, Duel Mode and Nuggets of Truth to keep you busy.
Arcade Mode has you going up against the clock to see how many people you can kill within a set amount of time. The faster you kill people – and the bigger the kill combo you receive -the higher your score will be. The only way to unlock new levels in Arcade Mode is to rack up an extremely high score within a short amount of time.
Duel mode is especially enjoyable; it’s exactly like the duels found in the single-player campaign. You get to face off against all the notorious outlaws that you encountered from single-player, one after another. You might want to play the single-player campaign before playing this mode, though. Since you battle the outlaws from single-player, Duel mode can be considered a spoiler of sorts. This mode should really be saved for last unless you really want to see all the outlaws. Once you have completed this and Arcade Mode, you can keep yourself busy by playing Nuggets of Truth.
Nuggets of Truth are special items that are scattered throughout the single-player campaign. These items come in the form of playing cards that contain real tidbits of Western history. The information outlines historical events and even historical icons such as Billy The Kidd and Pat Garrett, just to name a few. Thanks to this feature, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is not only a FPS, but an impressive historical archive of America’s Wild West.
The graphics are not as realistic-looking as they were in Call of Juarez: The Cartel. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger uses a cell-shaded art style that resembles the style seen in some comic books, with heavy black lines outlining objects and items. The graphics are still stunning despite this change; it’s a different take on how the series has presented itself in the past.
The music adds an epic feel to the game’s atmosphere; it makes each new gunfight as intense as the last. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger also includes hours of narration and voiceovers that incorporate a real sense of depth to the experience.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is the best game in the series, by far. Being involved with famous outlaws, and experiencing historical gunfights that were once only found in movies (i.e. Young Guns), helps make Gunslinger a must-have for anyone we enjoys FPS and anything involving the Wild West. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger captures the excitement of the silver screen and brings it to PC. And for only $15.00US on the Steam Network, you gain a phenomenal game that is worth every penny.
James ‘ Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC (Available on Steam)
System Requirements
Minimum:
OS: Windows XP (SP3) / Windows Vista (SP2) / Windows 7 (SP1) / Windows 8
Processor: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or 2 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics :512 MB DirectX 9.0c–compliant
DirectX: 9.0c
Hard Drive: 5 GB HD space
Sound: DirectX 9.0c–compliant
Additional: Peripherals Supported: Windows-compatible keyboard, mouse, optional controller (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows recommended)
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Ubisoft
ESRB: N/A
Price: $14.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Beautiful graphics that contain an incredible amount of detail. | |
| Sound | |
| The epic music and high quality voice acting pulls you into the game. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Action that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Gunslinger is a fantastic continuation of the Call of Juarez series. | |
