What could you expect from the sequel to the original Call of Juarez? A lot, is the answer after the brilliant reception the western first-person shooter had when it was first released in 2006 in Europe. Now, Bound in Blood looks to take the franchise to the next level with a western version of Modern Warfare.
Campaign Story
The story mode itself lets you play as either of the McCall brothers, Ray or Thomas. The first act sees you battle through the American Civil War until you disobey your orders to return to the home you grew up in only to find your Mother and Brother held hostage inside the house. As the story forms around the McCalls, you will have to take them on a Journey to Juarez where you will hunt for all the ritches you can possibly find to get your life started again. The worst part of the campaign mode is when you gt to a checkpoint your screen will freeze and load for up to 10 seconds an when you do hear the voice acting of the brothers (Ray especially) you will be a bit baffled by the dodgy western accents, but doesn't every game have a few bad points?
Gameplay
The gameplay does slightly compete with that of World at War although the controls are slightly different and the gun-play isn't as smooth. New features such as using cannons and dynamites really bring the reality of the time into the game and you will get caught up in the story mode no matter what. You certainly shouldn't be bored with the range of guns that are included in the game including Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Gatling guns and a few knives are also thrown in which is an excellent feature in the game.
As you make your way through the game, you will feel a lot more free than other FPS' as you have many, many miles of land to travel through on foot and horse and the graphics are exceptional from start to end with some cut-scenes reminding me of what i have seen in Heavy Rain.
Multiplayer
Nothing other than Killzone 2 can compete well with the multiplayer features of Call of Duty 4 and World at War but there is something special about Bound in Bloods multiplayer. You have a range of options. 13 to be precise including Rifleman, Gunslinger, Native, Miner and my personal favourite, Sniper. The online multiplayer in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is highly addictive.
Conclusion
Bound in Blood is at the moment, a one of a kind game. It will however be getting some competition when Rockstar Games bring out the western version of GTA but Ubisoft shouldn’t be that worried. The game is almost brilliant on every scale. A few problems with checkpoints in the story mode but overall the game will entertain you. You can meet the McCall brothers on Friday 3 June in Europe on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Rating: 83/100
