Gameplay

The gameplay in Call of Juarez is where the game both shines and fails. (On occasion) The game is set up to where you usually switch between characters every episode, with the occasional exception, which means you get Billy one level and Ray the other. Billy’s levels are the ones that bog down the gameplay some with some sneak-tastic (gag) levels that seem to go on for forever and the occasional sloppy first person platforming.

Billy very rarely gets to use guns because of 2 reasons. 1. He is very weak, and 2. He is not a very good shot. The shooting sequences that are saved for Ray’s missions are then converted into sneaking and platforming missions for Billy. This severely bogs down the fast pace of the game set by Ray’s mission because the sneaking missions can become quite boring quickly. Most of the sneaking missions have you scrambling from bush to bush (apparently you are invisible if you hide in shrubbery) waiting a few minutes for an enemy to walk away so you can move 5 feet to the next bush. Then you get to a platforming mission and you see another iffy gameplay mechanic. Billy is equipped with a whip that allows you to attach to tree branches and swing across a ledge to the other side. This mechanic works sometimes but most of the time the swinging is clunky and takes more than a few times to get right. All of Billy’s missions aren’t bad, some where he gets to ride a horse and shoot Indians with a bow and arrow are quite fun, but when compared to Ray’s, Billy’s missions just seem bad.

On the opposite side of the spectrum Reverend Ray’s missions are crazy action shooting western fun. Ray’s missions are what make western games unique and fun; where else can you kill a man riding on a horse with a classic six-shooter, only in the old west. Ray’s missions are mostly about tracking down Billy and killing all the outlaws and Indians that stand in your way, and it’s great.

One of the more interesting gameplay mechanics for Ray is called concentration mode. When you have two pistols holstered you can enter “concentration mode” which allows you to slow down time while you slowly pull out your guns and your aiming reticules get closer together until they join together in the middle of the screen and the time starts back to normal. Sure, this has been used in games before, even gun had a similar mechanic, but it works quite well and to see a bandit get shot in the head in slow motion is just a great sight.

Another interesting mechanic that Reverend Ray has over Billy is that Ray can read from his Bible which temporary pauses some opponents leaving them open to a quick headshot. This mechanic sounds totally awesome in writing but in actual gameplay it doesn’t flesh out as well as it should. I only found myself only reading from my Bible a few times in the single player game, no matter how ominous Ray’s voice sounds when he reads the scriptures.

An interest, yet annoying, part of the gameplay is that your guns can break. After prolonged use of a certain gun said gun will be become rusty and lose accuracy. Eventually the gun will explode if it is not replaced when it is rusty. This mechanic (more of a gimmick) adds a annoying part of gameplay that makes you scurry around for a new gun when yours is busted which hinders more than helps.

The single player campaign will last around 8 to 10 hours but it’s a pretty entertaining romp through the old west through the eyes of two interesting characters albeit the occasional boring Billy level.

The multiplayer is a lot like Ray’s missions and nothing like Billy’s. The multiplayer is fast and frantic, almost like Quake in the Old West. This is, by no means a bad thing, in fact it’s a great thing. You have to think quickly on your feet or you will surely be shot down.

Before the match and in-between deaths you can chose from 1 of 4 classes. The first class is the rifleman. The rifleman carries a rifle and 2 pistols. The second class is the gunslinger. The gunslinger carries two quick shooters and 2 sticks of dynamite. The third class is the miner who carries a sawed off shotgun, a pistol and 5 sticks of dynamite. The last class is the sniper who carries a sniper rifle and a pistol. The classes can be a bit unbalanced on some levels and the gunslinger is overall the best class but the multiplayer is still fun.

There are plenty of gametypes and maps ranging from a bank robbery in a city street to deathmatch on a wide open plain with horses and snipers everywhere. Some of the multiplayer maps are brilliantly designed and done while others can be bland and boring. The gametypes are all very fun with the band robbery being the most unique. In bank robbery one team is the lawmen and the other team are the outlaws. The lawmen try to hold back the outlaws from stealing one of the many bags of money strewn about the map. Bank robbery matches are usually quite fun and often intense.

The multiplayer does feel a bit tacked on with some maps seemingly unfinished but it’s a quite well made distraction after all the singleplayer and bonus missions are finished.

Graphics

Again, much like the singleplayer, the graphics is where Call of Juarez both shines and fails. One of the worst parts of Call of Juarez is the plastic like character models. Besides Ray and Billy most of all the other characters in Call of Juarez look like plastic dolls with better animation.

Another place Call of Juarez’s graphics disappoint are the few dark levels in the game. There are less than a handful of dark levels but the levels just wash out all the juicy visuals the game obtains in the daytime levels. One of Billy’s levels is so dark I had to crank up the brightness level from the game menu almost all the way so the level looked quite washed out.

The daytime levels are where the game shines almost beyond belief. Despite Techland’s development roots in Poland they do a fine job of recreating the rolling hills of the Wild West. The environments are so insanely detailed that you will fill like saying, “DRAW!” when you are fighting in the streets while slowly checking over your shoulder for Clint Eastwood. The view distance goes back as far as the eye can see with small amounts of pop in when spiriting on a horse. In short, when you are outside in a open setting in Call of Juarez, you will be guaranteed to be impressed.

As for the weapon models and particle effects, both are just above average. Ray’s quick shooters looks like they did back in the 1800’s, which is great for the western feel. The rifle model in the game looks and feels a bit more like a shotgun than I would think it would but it does looks quite nice. The smoke effects in the game look great. Maybe not Call of Duty 2 great but it does impress. The fire effects look a bit too paper-ish but they don’t suck.

Audio

The sound in Call of Juarez is what makes this western game stick with you after your done playing it. The music is perfect. The voice-overs are perfect. The guns sound perfect. Just about every part of the sound is perfect.

The music in Call of Juarez is one of the best scores in a game that I have heard in a while. While it has none of the classic western whistling music, it is amazing. In action moments the pace and tempo is quick and exciting. In quite moments the music is slower and more relaxed. I sometimes found myself pausing the game just to listen to the music. The music is brilliant.

The voice-over work is quite well done and really draws you into the story. Billy sounds exactly how you think he would from looking at the character model. Ray has a very deep, somewhat raspy voice that sends chills when he reads from the Bible. Other characters have each their own personality that really brings the whole game and story together.

The gun sounds also are quite well done. The quick-shooters sound quick and sound with a loud pop. The shotgun bellows out a deep blow from the barrel of the gun. The rifle shoots out a very loud bang while the dynamite explodes with a loud boom.