Call of Juarez review

I've yet to decipher what makes the life of a cowboy so seductive. Perhaps it's the simplicity of ending all your disputes by shooting someone in the face. Perhaps it's the abundance of women willing to exchange tender love for favours that go far beyond painting your house, or perhaps it's just the cool attire. I don't know. But because of the perennial allure of sweaty, hairy-faced mavericks, a game that puts you in the riding boots of none other needs little introduction. Let's have a little though, eh?

Two stories for the price of one

The story of CoJ is two-fold. Initially you drop into action as the laborious Billy as he returns to his ranch after a bust up with his stepfather many years prior. Upon his arrival he discovers his Mother and Stepfather lying dead on the ground with the words 'Call of Juarez' written in blood on a nearby barn door.
As quickly as you've warmed to Billy and his heartache, your character is switched to the town's sickeningly pious Reverend, Ray. During a reading he is alerted of trouble at his brother's (Billy's Stepfather) house and as he arrives to see what all the commotion is about, he sees Billy crouching down by the lifeless bodies. Well aware of the domestics between Billy and his brother, Ray presumes he's got a murder on his hands, and in an attempt to confront Billy, Ray finds himself in hot pursuit of the prime suspect.

Not so trivial pursuit?

Pursuit being the operative word in that sentence, as that is exactly what the game consists of; Billy's pursuit of answers, and Reverend Ray's pursuit of Billy. The game is broken up into chapters, each alternating between Billy's and Ray's stories. This plays off quite well in that not only do you get TWO stories in one, the times when they overlap are deliver a good sense of being as you get to see the same scenario from two perspectives.
You do only see them, though, as Ray's and Billy's stories have a firm distinction between them. While Billy is usually found in the bushes (WITH his trousers on), behind boxes and swinging from trees with his trusty whip, Ray is hot on his tail, gun in hand with God on the mind. It's a palpable juxtaposition, but it struck me as a little odd to be stealthing it up in game about the Wild Wild, and indeed West.

While not particularly difficult, Billy's missions do come packaged with a healthy serving of frustration. It's all very methodical. Pretty much every stealth mission follows the formula of running between bushes, killing the odd perp in between and quick saving every few seconds. Rinse and repeat. While they add variation to the running and of course the gunning, I felt a little disheartened when one of Ray's missions was over and I had to recede into myself for another adventure in the shadows.

Believe in God or die!

Because Ray's missions really are superb! His methods of teaching Christianity (believe in it or die) are perhaps a little bit misguided, but when you're tearing through towns, tracking Billy via nothing but his trail of urine and unloading countless amounts of bullets into those astray of righteousness, the story becomes somewhat irrelevant. The fire fights can be an unhealthy amount of fun – especially with the bullet-time-esque adrenaline ability - and once you're upon a horse, racing through the vast landscapes and taking pot-shots at the pursuing threats, it becomes evident you're witnessing one of the greatest games today.

But the action does become a little stunted. I'm not sure if this could be blamed on the grinding repetition or whether it's the punishing control system, but it most definitely stagnated about half-way through the game. With regards to the control system, I refer specifically to that of shooting. Techland has made both left and right mouse buttons available for action, by that I mean the player can mix and match whatever weapons he would like. Say, a shotgun on the left for close-up encounters and a pistol on the right to finish off those who just refuse to die. It's a novelty, I assure you, but that's the only territory it covers when you discover it's actually rather hard to execute efficiently. The function actually transcends into counter-productive at later stages in the game as you struggle to maintain a substantial firing rate while the enemy cuts you down with a barrage of bullets. It's very annoying.

Shooting for a new PC

Getting shot has never looked so beautiful though. CoJ is a stunning game to look at. I'm harboring resentment towards the textures on the gun models but in regards to everything else it's a delectable treat. In saying that, you're going to need a hefty machine to play it on as it dropped to an almost unplayable 20fps during a large shoot-out with my AMDX2 4600+ with 2gigs of RAM and a 7950GX2. It's incredibly unfriendly to those without the latest technology so I'd think about an upgrade before relying on just scaling it down. This game should be a benchmark for future titles.

And benchmark it most certainly would. The two most distinctive features of CoJ are the landscapes and character models. The shadowing on the NPCs (especially faces) is a wonder to behold. I experienced some inconsistencies throughout but it still remained a spectacle of awe. Combine those with the epic, plantation-filled landscapes and you've got one of the most beautiful games ever to grace the PC. One of Billy's missions that sees you scaling a mountain in search of a feather, although dull, truly demonstrates the capabilities of the engine as you stand, looking out into the distance, on the side of a cliff. The shimmering water, the rustling trees and ambient sunsets make CoJ as authentic as it gets. Especially when you're careering through it all on the back of a horse.

That wild wild way of livin'

More or less applies to the audible side of CoJ. The voice acting – accompanied with hill-billy style accents – makes a slow but stern impact. As do those of the weapons. Whilst not drastically varied, each weapon packs a meritable punch and this helps to bring the experience alive.

In an otherwise enviable world, CoJ breaks boundaries with the sense of immersion that so many FPS's lack these days. Rarely do I find myself so absorbed by the characters I play and the world in which they live, and that's a true homage to Techland for creating such an absurdly assimilating game. But the feeling is shattered at times. While Ray's shooting and Billy's stealthing help smooth out any repetition, I feel an odd sense of confusion in that although I felt contempt towards the latter, the game would be a bore without it. This is most certainly an experience of mixed emotions, but if you've ever dreamed of adopting the Cowboy way of life – and you're in possession of a killer PC – you won't find a better means than CoJ.