Dual Gameplay:
In Call of Juarez you take the role of two main characters, each with a different back-story and set of skills. Billy is a young man who knows nothing of his past, his father, or even his last name. He is trained in the art of stealth and can handle a bow and whip like second nature. Billy returned from treasure hunting one day to discover his mother and stepfather had been murdered. The only suspect in the killings was Billy himself. Frightened of his own fate, he turned and fled into the wilderness, unsure of what the future may hold.

Reverend Ray McCall was a legendary gunfighter who could shoot a fly off your nose from across the room and not even scrape your skin. After years of living the rough life of an outlaw, McCall turned to the Bible in the hopes of alleviating the guilt of his past sins. When news of a young man murdering his parents reaches him, Reverend McCall hears the voice of God summoning him on a mission. Believing he was chosen to carry out the Lord's wrath, McCall grabs his pistols and sets out on a hunt for Billy. No one will stand in his way.

Billy and Reverend McCall have different approaches to fighting enemies and exploring the frontier. Billy is light, quick and agile and uses these skills to avoid enemies. During his missions you'll creep behind bushes, use the whip to swing from branches and launch surprise attacks on foes. Reverend McCall, on the other hand, prefers a more direct approach. Packing a pistol in each hand the Reverend is never afraid to barrel through a situation. Shoot first, ask questions later. If there's time, of course..

Alternating between two opposing characters really heightens the tension of the game. Missions switch between the characters and break the monotony by placing you in fresh settings with different objectives. Unfortunately many of the missions still feel repetitive and the excitement comes in small, disjointed doses. A prime example is in one of Billy's early missions where you sneak inside a ranch to steal a horse. After you succeed you're treated to a very short ride before you're forced to abandon the steed and continue on foot. Sure, it was exciting to leap over the fence with a shotgun blaring in the background, but weave the experience into the game and I'll be left with a lasting sense of amazement rather than a cheap thrill.

How the West was Rendered
Techland spared no detail when it came to creating an authentic American Wild West game. A large part of the genre is the familiar dusty scenery of two hundred years ago. Wagon wheels perched against thick wooden posts, saloons lining barren town roads, and light blue mountains plastered in the distance. Call of Juarez reproduces these backdrops in striking detail, painting a beautiful landscape behind extraordinarily realistic scenery. Towns glint in the hot sunlight as you step in from the deserted beyond. Character models, while costumed in period-specific garbs, look a little awkward at times, but you'll be so entranced by what they're saying it won't really matter.

Call of Juarez features dozens of realistic weapons modeled after replicas from the period. Technology was far from perfect in the Wild West and guns suffered damage from heat, sand and heavy use. Call of Juarez mimics this with a unique weapon-break system. Guns will wear out over time, some more quickly than others, and they can often fail during an intense firefight. This forces you to get creative and act on-the-fly, reinforcing the tense feeling of living on the frontier.

Bits and Pieces
Not to be outdone by other first person shooters, Call of Juarez also features a robust multiplayer mode. The usual matches are available, such as capture the flag and deathmatches, but each carries the distinct Wild West flavor. Maps are based on historic towns, so grab a few friends and re-enact an old western movie, Juarez style.

To accompany its epic feel, Call of Juarez has an excellent soundtrack and voice acting that's extremely well-done. Leading the English voices is actor Mark Alaimo, famous for his role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Reverend McCall. Even minor characters are well-voiced and sound like they belong in the Old West.

The game as a whole has an epic feel to it, including the expansive (and gorgeous) environments, the period-specific missions and the dramatic storyline at the helm. But as you're playing you won't be able to shake the nagging feeling that the game lacks a little polish. It isn't anything that detracts from gameplay, but Call of Juarez feels as if it could benefit from another month or two of tweaking. Riding a horse, for example, feels rigid and could be smoothed out for a more realistic feel. It's nitpicking, perhaps, but when the game does everything else so well, little things of this nature become noticeable.

Conclusion
Call of Juarez is a stunning title that drops you in the Wild West like no other video game. The attention to setting and mood is remarkable and the photo-realistic environments are breathtaking. Regardless of the disjointed moments of action and occasionally monotonous missions, Call of Juarez is a fantastic foray into the Wild West and is well-worth checking out. Take a look at the panoramic screenshots above to get a feel for the game's settings, then download the demo and give it a try. After just a few minutes, you'll likely feel the call of Juarez too.

Review by John Bardinelli

Credits:
Official game site: http://www.callofjuarez.com/
Developer site: http://www.techland.pl/
Publisher site: http://www.ubi.com/

Special Thanks:
Andrea Stefanoni for stitching and photoshopping