Call of Juarez: The Cartel

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 86
  3. Negative: 36 out of 86
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. DaZigz
    Jul 31, 2011
    7
    its not bad. nice amount of weapons,nudity,foul language and blood. Good game for getting some easy trophies. when its all over you will probably have enjoyed the experience
  2. ert3
    Jul 19, 2011
    6
    This isn't a bad game but its far from great. For you fans of the series the wisecracking banter, shifty anti hero characters, and interesting story are back. But the guns are just plain generic and the combat comes in a bit short. While shooting in general is up to par the new bullet time lacks the character or features of the old game. I'm sorry but a quick one liner and slomo does notThis isn't a bad game but its far from great. For you fans of the series the wisecracking banter, shifty anti hero characters, and interesting story are back. But the guns are just plain generic and the combat comes in a bit short. While shooting in general is up to par the new bullet time lacks the character or features of the old game. I'm sorry but a quick one liner and slomo does not ad up to auto targeting while snapping the view stick or unloading bullets at all the enemies you managed to get in your cross hairs. CO-OP is unclear and the fact that online play is not the default mode means you won't be seeing allot of team play on your first play through (though i have heard the XBOX settings may be different). Also some of the side characters just feel hollow and not well thought out with most of the effort falling on the 3 main characters. If your a fan you will enjoy this and maybe if your new to the series, but i would not blame you for waiting until you can rent or buy this game at a discounted price, 60$ just seems a bit high… Expand
  3. JohnDenver
    Aug 9, 2011
    6
    It isn't a terrible game (like Duke Nukem Forever), but it is a pretty bad game. The story is borderline, but entertaining. The three player concept for co-op and story telling is good.
    The technical aspects of the game are miserable and nearly too numerous to list. Here is a small list: graphics are subpar, PS3 lock-ups, graphics are jittery, sometimes can get trapped in a map (requiring    It isn't a terrible game (like Duke Nukem Forever), but it is a pretty bad game. The story is borderline, but entertaining. The three player concept for co-op and story telling is good.
    The technical aspects of the game are miserable and nearly too numerous to list. Here is a small list: graphics are subpar, PS3 lock-ups, graphics are jittery, sometimes can get trapped in a map (requiring a reloading from checkpoint to recover), the driving is way to easy and repetitive.. Game companies should really learn from their mistakes and stop outsourcing the game development. The technical flaws of this game reek of some programming farm in eastern Europe.    … Expand
  4. MilesNaismith
    Aug 1, 2011
    7
    Okay. This is not a masterpiece, agreed. Still it's an FPS which tries to tell a story! Gasp! While graphics and animations are not nearly as good as they should be, the campaign is fun thanks to a solid plot with some pretty heavy themes. It's not in the least political, it's not about the drug war in Juarez. The Cartel is, like Bound in Blood, a story of the main characters. Being ableOkay. This is not a masterpiece, agreed. Still it's an FPS which tries to tell a story! Gasp! While graphics and animations are not nearly as good as they should be, the campaign is fun thanks to a solid plot with some pretty heavy themes. It's not in the least political, it's not about the drug war in Juarez. The Cartel is, like Bound in Blood, a story of the main characters. Being able to play in co-op just adds to the experience. Also while it's not as easy as in COD to find games online, this may well be the most innovative competitive multi of the year. The way people are forced or encouraged to work together with assigned partners is pure genius.… Expand
  5. LinkaRF
    Aug 4, 2011
    7
    It looks cheap at times but the story is better than any fps I played this year. It's not the 'charlie is oscar mike' type of commando game but there's still plenty of lead flying around. I liked the Wild West scenery of the previous CoJ but this one is interesting for online co-op and action.
  6. Nerdbasher2000
    Jan 18, 2013
    7
    The cartel has suffered greatly at the hands of site reviews, however after playing it I believe it deserves a much better rating, sure there are some bugs but nothing major, controls feel a little clunky at times and the constant chatter of your Ai buddies can be... Annoying, but having said that it is a solid shooter, fun and different from most others out there. Personally I like cheesyThe cartel has suffered greatly at the hands of site reviews, however after playing it I believe it deserves a much better rating, sure there are some bugs but nothing major, controls feel a little clunky at times and the constant chatter of your Ai buddies can be... Annoying, but having said that it is a solid shooter, fun and different from most others out there. Personally I like cheesy action movies and that is exactly what this game is. Graphics for the best part are crisp and water effects are done well, in fact a benchmark indicator of how good a game is for me is based on how well water is rendered because if you can't get water right then the game will probably suffer from poor programming skills and be inherently bad ( see Tom Clancy games ). Overall I would rate this title a 7. There are better games out there, but for the price there are a lot worse.… Expand
  7. Bumpkin
    Aug 16, 2011
    7
    People nowadays are spoilt with gaming. COJ:THE CARTEL is a GAME and personally there is a huge amount of hate for a game that has a few issues. I couldnt give a flyin f**k about bad reviews, to me so far its been an enjoyable no brainer of a shooter that, granted has changed direction from its predecessors in a not so accomplished way. Damnation, Duke Nukem, Conflict:Denied Ops are ****People nowadays are spoilt with gaming. COJ:THE CARTEL is a GAME and personally there is a huge amount of hate for a game that has a few issues. I couldnt give a flyin f**k about bad reviews, to me so far its been an enjoyable no brainer of a shooter that, granted has changed direction from its predecessors in a not so accomplished way. Damnation, Duke Nukem, Conflict:Denied Ops are **** whereas COJ is a shooter to while away the hours until the big titles arrive to blow us away. I began gaming in 1979 and have played pretty much everything but, unlike todays whingers (poor story, not feeling the characters, not real enough etc) I can take things for what they are. This game gives you a lengthy campaign unlike the propaganda driven drivel that you know what i'm talking about. Not worth the full price but, def worth £20 or so.… Expand
  8. FidelGastro
    Nov 26, 2020
    6
    Well, i just finished game right now... and just dont know what to say.
    Since first minute to the very end it was just weird. it was like playing something between alpha - beta version of this game.
    For example animation and moves of all characters were just awful. In part of a game where u´ve been visiting clubs, people dancing there in lagging moves and +-15fps. Also faces are weird    Well, i just finished game right now... and just dont know what to say.
    Since first minute to the very end it was just weird. it was like playing something between alpha - beta version of this game.

    For example animation and moves of all characters were just awful. In part of a game where u´ve been visiting clubs, people dancing there in lagging moves and +-15fps. Also faces are weird most of all EYES (these are horrible).

    However, story wasnt so bad, i liked references to CoJ:BoB and shooting model wasnt so bad as i expected. In the end i think 5/10 is well deserved, its not a good game to play but it could be much worse.
    5/10    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
89
#89 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
45

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 42
  3. Negative: 23 out of 42
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Oct 6, 2011
    40
    Sure, there are some minor kicks in three player co-op, but they're very short-lived and fraught with frustration. Call of Juarez should have stuck to its guns and remained an Old Wild Western. Avoid this like you would the real po-lice. [October 2011 p80]
  2. Thunderbolt
    Sep 16, 2011
    30
    What's most disappointing about The Cartel is that it feels like a point of no return for what was once a promising franchise. It has really dropped the ball on the whole Western motif in favor of mostly grim urban environments and an almost actively disengaging plot.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Sep 13, 2011
    33
    Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a hodgepodge of bad ideas and performance issues. Even if you can get past the technical problems, this heavy-handed action game never quite lives up to its potential. If you have a couple friends to play with you might get some fun out of it, everybody else might want to look elsewhere for their first-person fix!
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »