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A "Call" That Should Be Answered...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Call of Juarez" joins recent games like "Gun," "Red Dead Revolver," and "Darkwatch" as yet another Western-themed shooter. Once a genre that scarcely seemed to exist, it is now quickly filling the Western-themed void that seems to exist in Hollywood. Like the aforementioned titles, "Call of Juarez" is very good at what it does, and ends up just shy of greatness -- but if you've a mind for more gunslinging', you can't do much better.

The plot behind "Call" sees half-Mexican troublemaker Billy Candle framed for the murder of his parents and seeking the lost treasure of Juarez that he might finally carve a name for himself in the world. Meanwhile, his vengeful uncle, Reverend Ray, a gunslinger turned man of God, is on his trail spewing fire and brimstone -- er, mostly just fire.

The storyline and characters are the best thing "Call" has going for it. You will alternate between playing as Billy and his self-righteous Uncle Ray. Billy excels at stealth, platforming, and archery, while Ray is Clint Eastwood incarnate with guns blazin'. The shifts in perspective provide a compelling method of building suspense and filling in the plot gaps, and both characters are so different from one another that each of their respective segments seems to represent a mini-game all its own.

Unfortunately, Ray is the by far the standout character. Billy has a decent arch and is fairly likable in his own right, but Ray is worthy of any "Top Ten Best Video Game Character" list -- and that's some tough competition. Clad in a leather duster and cruciform breastplate, he strikes an imposing image and is voiced to perfection. There's something inherently fascinating about a character that speaks to God and quotes the Bible between shooting people in the face. He's obviously crazy, and playing crazy is just plain fun.

Not only is Ray the best character, his sequences are generally more gratifying due to their action-packed content. He is considerably stronger and more durable than his nephew, and can use weapons that Billy can't even touch. He also has a concentration mode that helps him get the drop on his foes and is pretty useful in a pinch.

Billy, on the other hand, is more apt to avoid combat. His bow and arrow sequences are pretty satisfying, but few and far between. More often than not Billy finds himself trapped inside a first-person platformer mixed liberally with a first-person sneaker. The stealth segments are okay, and less reliant on trial and error than some games who make stealth their primary objective -- but it's been done much better in the past, to put it mildly. As far as the platforming sections go, they work as well as they possibly could given the first-person point of view, but it can be hard to properly line up jumps, and dying from an unplanned fall can be quite frustrating. He can use a bullwhip Indiana Jones-style, lashing on to objects and swinging across some chasms -- and though it works fairly well, there's still an awkward quality to it all.

That is not to say that some of Billy's missions aren't enjoyable -- they are. But Uncle Ray's blastapalooza trumps it in spades. The only downside to the gunplay is the wonky decision made by the developers to have certain firearms overheat and break in the midst of a battle. You get used to it and learn to plan accordingly, so it's not a dealbreaker -- but simply collecting bullets and swapping weapons like most FPS games would have worked better.

Complete with horseback chases, treasure hunts, duels, fistfights, and plenty of shootouts, "Call" is a good game for action junkies to invest in -- particularly those who love Westerns with good characters and a solid story. The gameplay is varied, for what its worth (even if it's not always successful), and when it all works it works splendidly well. Complete with top notch production values (some of the game's vistas are breathtaking and evoke the West quite well), this is darn near a can't-miss on a console that could always use one more actioner.

Answer the "Call." It's worth it.

Eh...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: June 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Right from the start, you're blown away by how mediocre the graphics are when it comes to scenery and backgrounds. Lots of sizzling white edges and shadows jumping around all over the place. The character rendering looks really good however- but that only makes the cutscenes enjoyable.

Gameplay is pretty standard. Aiming is a huge, inaccurate pain, but I assume that will get easier. Still nowhere near as intuitive or useable as a Call of Duty. Especially with a rifle, why can't I aim down the site?? That's right, another shooter where you can't aim down your site. I understand that you can't do that when weilding duel six-shooters, but COME ON! Dont' these developers PLAY other people's games? Use what works.

The story seems ok. There's definitely some hokey voice acting, but that's to be expected. The game will auto save about every 10 steps you take. Sometimes you'll just be running down a canyon, and it'll auto save. So there's no surprise - something big is about to happen.

Multiplayer is frenetic and confusing for the most part. The sloppy aiming system makes it really hard to drive your shots home, and again I SERIOUSLY miss the ability to aim down my rifle sites. The best they give you is a zoom button. Good luck trying to zoom and track someone and shoot them while they're moving. Your rifle either tracks too slowly and you keep missing them, or if you up the sensitivity, becomes so wildly uncontrollable that you might as well walk up to the enemy and let him shoot you. Of course this wont' matter because the enemy is having the same herky-jerky aiming issues you're dealing with. So basically everyone on every game I played ends up standing still, aiming, and seeing who can pull the triggers more quickly.

MASSIVE lag and server issues abound. I am constantly getting "Server Lost" errors and getting kicked out of matches- and only with this game. Hopefully they will fix this soon. The really annoying thing is that there are never more than 20 people online for this game at once. Are you seriously telling me that the developer couldn't have rounded up 20 people to test their server capacity?

All in all, pretty disappointing. I'm sure it would be fun if you got some of your friends on for multiplayer matches and just goofed around, but still nowhere near worth the $60 price tag.

Short, Repetitive, but Relatively Fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Call of Juarez joins other Western themed games in immersing you in shoot-outs, cacti, wood fences and tumbleweeds. You switch between the characters of Billy - the young half-Mexican lad, and Ray, his uncle, a gunslinger who is out to kill him.

The conflict is that Billy, coming home after several years of roaming, finds his mother and abusive stepfather are dead. Ray thinks Billy has done the deed. The story then plays out with Billy trying to clear his name and find a fortune, and Ray wanting revenge.

The story is extremely linear, as you might expect in this situation. If you're hopping between the two characters and, as Ray, you were able to Kill Bill, the game would be over. I definitely understand the linear gameplay. Heck, in pretty much any game you want to achieve their end objective, be it take over the town or destroy all the enemies. Still, it's nice to feel you have some control along the way. Entire roads are blocked because of a plot twist??

Also, as much as it is linear, it is very vague. You're told to do something, but then you have to stumble around for a while to figure out what exactly they want you to do in order to progress. It can get frustrating.

The graphics aren't that bad on a high def TV - the individual leaves on the trees are visible and the humans are reasonably detailed. We've taken several trips to the western US region and it really is pretty out there. They did a nice job on some of the cut scenes, with small reflections in metal surfaces, the dull rasp of leather, and other details. The clouds aren't solid objects that drift - they actually change shape as they go.

The voice work in the game is reasonable enough, but while I liked the soundtrack at the beginning, it got really repetitive REALLY quickly. In some games the soundtrack blends in really nicely and you enjoy it. That's not the case here. It's a shame too, because sometimes it's peaceful as you walk along beneath the drifting clouds, with the grasses slowly waving, the birds singing in the trees.

As much as I appreciate the differences of sneaky Billy with his whip vs shooting Ray with his guns, I just didn't like this game as much as some of the other westerns we own. It was too linear, the soundtrack was too maddening, and it was too short. A great game to rent for a week, and that way you can see if you adore it enough to keep it after that.

Superb on its own merits, mediocre only when compared

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If this was the only first-person shooter (FPS) I had played in a long time, I would have given it 5 stars. It is an excellent FPS-- it just doesn't go above and beyond anything that has been done before. But I love this game because even though I've played tons of FPS games, this is the first western-themed one I've played, so it's fresh! And I'm sure it will be the same for most of you reading this, since there really have not been many western FPS ever released.

Graphics are great! Aside from some of the characters looking a little fake (shiny skin, stiff facial expressions), the graphics overall are excellent. Wonderful detail in structures, objects. Take a look at the sky anytime and check out those dynamic clouds! You can even tell when the clouds pass in front of the sun by noticing the overall scene get a little less "sun-drenched". Neat effect. All objects (including yourself) cast accurate shadows, although I haven't figured out yet if they are simulated or real. Anyway, if they're simulated, they look perfectly real anyway. They even move when the trees blow in the breeze. Water looks realistic. For an Xbox 360 game, this one has some of the highest-resolution textures I've seen. Trees, rocks, etc look pretty sharp even up close.

Voice acting is done very well, and really suits the game. The music is also authentic for the setting, and really enhances the experience.

Someone who wrote another review here mentioned that the game stops every 6 seconds. This was a huge exaggeration. It's true that the game does stop periodically to save progress (checkpoints), and it does happen unexpectedly, but it never happens in a spot where this would be a problem (like in the middle of a gunfight). It's always just while you're walking along the countryside. And the saves are not frequent enough or long enough to be an annoyance. They do take several seconds, but don't seem to be a hinderance to the gameplay at all.

Playing as the two characters (one is more "gun-slingy" and one more "stealthy/sneaky") is a lot of fun.

I recommend this game. As always, of course, you should always judge for yourself by downloading some video clips. And although it's not available yet, I would expect that the Xbox Live marketplace will soon have a playable demo available, or at least a trailer.

So, it's only when you compare this game to all other recent FPS games that it may seem a little bland - because it IS a great game, it just doesn't break any new ground. But, even if you frequently play FPS games like me, if you've never played a western-themed one, this will definitely provide enough freshness to keep it interesting.

call of letdown...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

this game was a major letdown, and it seems obvious the developers of the game took no account of how 'Gun' fared, since the games are very similar. this is no sandbox game, much to structured....

the game loads about every 6 seconds which makes game play jumpy and non-sequitir, total drag.

major dissapoint for me.

Very Disappointing

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: September 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I was eagerly waiting for "Call of Juarez" because it looked like it would be an updated, more freeform version of "Gun" from last year which I liked a lot, except that it was short, and much too linear, and thus, in my opinion not worth $60. Well this game is a tiny bit better as far as visuals, and a little more bloody (which I like; if you're playing a shooter, it's more realistic to have a HAVOC type engine with blood, ragdoll physics and so on, instead of the "enemy" just dropping where they are, and their body disappearing 20 seconds later). but it's too short, too linear, and in my opinion, not worth $60.

You play as 2 characters, sort of like in "The Getaway," but this is back in about 1870 so there are no cars to jack, the weapons are simple, and you don't have too many original things to do. The controls to me were awful; very confusing; I'd try to draw a gun, but bring out a Bible instead, now, I like the Bible, but it doesn't do much good when you bring a Bible to a gunfight, ha ha. The shooting part is frustrating; the enemies can take like 10 hits, unless you manage a head shot, but you can take about 4. You only have limited ammo; you can take guns off dead enemies, but they usually have less ammo than you did, because they shoot at you non stop, whether you are hiding are not, (and hit you sometimes at random, when they cant even see you, which SUCKS); and since headshots are hard to hit with the lousy controls, you have to use 7 or 8 shots to take an enemy down, so when you get to that big gunfight parts you will have like 5 bullets left and die quck. And unless you hide a lot and "rest" you will die, and reset a lot. The save system sucks; autosave at certain points, no quicksave.

The gameplay is disappointing; very linear. You can only go to certain areas. You can't shoot innocents (at least I was never able to), which I HATE in a shooter. "Freeform" games are supposed to give you the choice of being evil or not. A big part of that `is getting to kill innocents. If you cant do that, the game sucks, IMO. (I know, I'm bad, but thats my preference-I don't ALWAYS kill innocents I just like to know I CAN).

Gameplay is too short-not even 10 hours. Multiplayer didn't impress me. There's either no one else on line, or brats that think theyre playing Halo 2. This game is not recommended; especially at full price. If you're interested, get the demo first; you'll see a good sample of how the gameplay and controls are frustating (stupid me, I figured the full game would be better. I was mistaken). If you're still interested, RENT first. If you STILL want it, wait at least till the price drops DONT pay $60 for it.

NOT reccommeneded. If you want something like this "GUN" is a better game and is $19.95 now.

Great western game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

There aren't many of this sort of game out there. For that reason alone a lot of people will probably buy this game. It's a worthwhile purchase i would say. Mostly for the reverend Ray character but the game overall does make a lot of efforts to incorporate a lot of the more recent fps innovations. It's no Half Life 2 (but what is?) but if you like western games and you like shooters you won't be disappointed.

disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: June 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The controls are terrible (who thinks using a whip is fun??), the story is murky, and the save system makes no sense. Could have been a great or very good game.

Excellent online multiplayer fun! Dynamite!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Finally! I get to be a gold prospector and throw sticks of dynamite!
Excellent graphics and choice of characters with cool weapons (like six-shooters and dynamite) make online play extremely entertaining.
Serious fun in the Wild Wild West.
Enjoy!

One of Very Few Great Western FPS Titles

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've been expecting this game for a long time...like about over a year prior to its release. I remember playing the demo for the PC version about that long ago and I remember thinking that Call of Juarez was a very fun, action packed, and balanced game.

When it came out in the US in June I immediately ordered it from Amazon for the Xbox 360 (b/c I wanted to get the whole visual and power performance). It arrived shortly after it's release on June 5th and I set to work playing through it.

Call of Juarez is not only one of very few Western themed video games but is also one of the extremely few Western themed First Person Shooters - which makes pretty much everything you see here original and new for the genre.

The game is fun and will provide a base time of maybe...7 hours of play including the story mode and the extra missions. The story is well laid out with tons of characters and great voice work. The settings are rich with detail - from open grasslands to thick forests and eerie ghost towns everything seems so alive and vibrant but still in that old times/rustic way.

One of the cooler aspects of the game is the duel players: Reverend Ray and Billy Candle. One's the hunter and the other is the hunted - providing two different ways of playing. As Billy you spend your time sneaking around, avoiding enemies, and progressing the story while as Ray you basically kill tons of enemies with your awesome slow-mo gun slinging ability.

Each character has their strengths and weaknesses and you can quickly learn what your character can or cannot do. Having the story from two perspectives is also a great idea and provides a lot of depth to both characters and the story itself.

Overall, Call of Juarez is a great game that is very fun to play if you're into Western themed games (like Gun). For your fast paced FPS lovers (fans of Halo, etc) this may or may not be up your alley - you run around with revolvers and simple rifles...not dual SMGs.

Although it has little replay value the game should hold over those that are expecting the release of far more popular titles this fall (Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, etc). I would recommend Call of Juarez to those that just want a great summer title to mess around with.

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