Call of Juarez

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Has its share of good and bad, but never ugly

Words: Chris Antista, GamesRadar US

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There’s a duel-wielding slo-mo option that’s sorta cool, plus rapid-fire mode you can enter by pressing B, where you bash the hammer with your palm in true gunslinger fashion. But for real, authentic fun you’ve got the one-on-one draw downs. Face to face with a single adversary, you wait for a countdown prompt then… “Draw!” Pulling fast with the analog stick, then carefully steadying your hand is the only thing that separates the quick and the dead. Also, in what may be a couple of 360 firsts, there’s POV oral, uh, “treats” and first-person evangelism. That’s right, you can brandish the Testament - and actually use it to stupefy enemies with The Good Word. Hallelujah indeed!

But for all its immersion, don’t go in expecting a run-and-gun blood bath. Call of Juarez’s six-shooters and shotguns don’t lend themselves that well to frantic bullet melee. So in a game that focuses so heavily on hiding clumsily, it’s strange your knuckleheaded enemies take cover under air, and will always know exactly where you are, shooting accordingly, regardless of distance or what’s between you. All the while you’re constantly running out of ammo, with your guns jamming to the point of explosion. And frequently, consarnit!

There’s a part of us that thinks Call of Juarez would’ve been a happier hombre as third-person adventure game. There’s just so many elements - like moving objects, swinging across ravines with a whip and stealth-based missions - that would’ve been better suited to a perspective where you could see what’s above, below and behind you at all times. Riding horseback is fast fun, but it too appears to be a little oversimplified to compensate for the game’s limitations.