Now Playing - Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood

What we have here is basically Call of Duty: Old West Edition.

The game leads you through a linear spaghetti western story about fugitive cowboys and their quest for gold, love, and redemption. It's a story that's filled with dramatic set pieces, plot twists, and lots of things that go boom in big, pretty ways.


As big as the action is, the story and the immersive world in which it's set is the game's strongest point. You really do get the feeling of playing through an old cowboy movie, one that's well-acted and beautifully visualized.

There's a lot that you get to do along the way, which is both good and bad. The gameplay shifts seamlessly from on-foot shoot outs, to firing a gatling gun or a cannon into waves of soldiers. You'll use a lasso for a quick escape, ride shotgun on a runaway stagecoach, and much more. The tense duels, shown from a cinematic camera angle, are especially compelling.


But there's a good bit of trial and error involved, as the game expects you to know what's coming next and wants you to do it fast. So you'll find yourself dying and restarting at the most recent checkpoint a lot as you learn the script and figure out what you're supposed to be doing when.

I often wish I could "jump the track," get off the linear path I'm being forced down, and explore the world of the game at my own pace. (That's something that's being promised by the upcoming Red Dead Redemption.) And it's mystifying that Bound In Blood focuses on two brothers, allowing you to choose to play as either one, but does not allow two players to go through the story mode together. That's on the same level of wacky as the Fantastic Four game a couple of years ago that didn't allow four players.

Parents should note that the game has some of the most frequent use of profanity I've ever heard, even putting the Grand Theft Auto games to shame. Some might also be put off by the Civil War elements and the way the game handles women and Native Americans, which varies from clumsy to cringe-inducing.


Still, what the game does, it does well. It's a thrilling - if at times frustrating - amusement park ride through a nicely realized old west movie, and if that's what you're after, this is the game for you. It's a sequel to the 2007 title Call of Juarez, but no knowledge of the first game is required to enjoy this one.

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